Trumanitarian

Trumanitarian
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Trumanitarian

If you are passionate about all things humanitarian and you are looking for new answers, you will enjoy listening to Trumanitarian's smart, honest conversations

  1. 111. Cash Gods

    30 MAY

    111. Cash Gods

    What is the role of cash distributions in the humanitarian reset? That is the question that Cate Turton, the Director of the Cash Learning Partnership (CALP) Network), Yolande Wright, the VP for Partnerships at GiveDirectly and Alessandro Bini the Director of the Somali Cash Consortium discuss with Lars Peter Nissen in this weeks episode. The conversation focuses on the current state and future potential of cash-based humanitarian assistance. The participants discusses the barriers and opportunities for further leveraging cash distributions in the humanitarian sector, particularly in light of the current resource constraints. Key topics included the evidence base for cash, the need to shift power and decision-making to affected populations, the challenges of integrating cash within the existing humanitarian coordination structures, and the role of localization in cash programming.Explore key insights from a high-level conversation on the future of humanitarian cash assistance. Learn about systemic barriers, localization, UN roles, and innovative cash delivery methods like lump-sum transfers.

    49 min
  2. 110. Philanthropy 2.0

    23 MAY

    110. Philanthropy 2.0

    What happens when a philanthropist shows up differently? In this episode, Maya Ghosh Bichara joins host Lars Peter Nissen to reflect on what it means to fund, partner, and build trust with integrity. Maya isn’t running a billion-dollar foundation - she gives small but catalytic grants, drawing on her experience from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to reimagine what money can do. They explore trust-based philanthropy, the need for humility, and how to move beyond extractive funding models. What would it take to let go of control, trust leaders on the ground, and how could we try to decolonize funding flows? Mayas biggest advice for change is to start implementing it yourself. This episode is a must for anyone curious about what a new generation of philanthropy might look like.

    40 min
  3. 109. Decolini…what?

    9 MAY

    109. Decolini…what?

    In this special crossover episode, Lars Peter Nissen (Trumanitarian) and Carla Vitantonio (Living Decoloniality) sit down in Doha to explore the deep fault lines in humanitarian work — and why they’ve both turned to podcasting as a space for honest conversation. Carla unpacks the concept of decoloniality — the lingering structures, mindsets, and behaviors that survive long after formal colonialism ends. Together, they explore how power, bureaucracy, and hero narratives shape the humanitarian sector — and why we’re so often stuck tweaking language while avoiding the hard work of dismantling systems. They discuss the limits of reform, the danger of dressing failure as progress, and the need for new actors, voices, and institutional diversity. And they ask the question: If the big institutions can’t change, who can? These discussions extends too to podcasting and humanitarian events; how different formats, structure and diversity of people could create different reflections and outcomes. This is an episode about inquiry over certainty, and humility and small acts over heroism. Notes and Links: •⁠ ⁠The theory referred to in Carlas podcast: the theory of the colonial matrix of power by Aníbal Quijano •⁠ ⁠Living Decoloniality (Carlas podcast). The highlighted episodes: Episode with Michelle Lokot; Episode with Karishma Shafi; Episode with Themrise Khan •⁠ ⁠Trumanitarian episodes highlighted in the convo: Episode with Dr. Rola Hallam; Ukraine episode with Care SG); Episode with Themrise Khan

    51 min
  4. 108. Elephant in the room

    25 APR

    108. Elephant in the room

    In this episode of Trumanitarian, recorded on the sidelines of the Center for Humanitarian Leadership Conference in Doha, host Lars Peter Nissen sits down with two sector heavyweights: Sofía Sprechmann, former Secretary General of CARE International, and Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International. Together, they confront some of the humanitarian sector’s most uncomfortable truths. The aid sector is full of elephants—entrenched power dynamics, outdated models of partnership, performative reform, and organizations that may simply be too big to change. This conversation takes those challenges head by examining the Pledge for Change, a joint commitment by major INGOs to decolonize aid through equitable partnerships, ethical storytelling, and systemic transformation. But the discussion also goes deeper—into the contradictions of leading large organizations while trying to dismantle the very systems that sustain them.

    43 min
  5. 107. 319

    18 APR

    107. 319

    On December 8, Syria saw a major turning point: the fall of the Assad regime and the emergence of a new government. For the White Helmets, this moment opened the door to expand operations from 800 to over 4,600 communities—nationwide. In this episode, the White Helmet’s Chief of Programs, Ahmed Ekzayez, shares how the group has evolved from frontline rescue to tackling climate change, protecting human rights, and strengthening civil society, all while fending off disinformation and facing the USAID funding cuts. For Ahmed, success isn’t measured by project metrics—but by lives changed: “This isn’t a 9-to-5 job. This is our country.”

    42 min
  6. 106. Get out of the way

    5 APR

    106. Get out of the way

    The Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan have, over the past couple of years, become the backbone of humanitarian action in Sudan. As community-based informal organizations, the ERRs provide mutual aid to more than 2 million people in Sudan. In this week's episode Hajooj Kuka and Justin Corbett discuss the work of the ERRs with co-hosts Mabala Nyalugwe and Lars Peter Nissen.

    46 min
  7. 105. Pivot

    28 MAR

    105. Pivot

    We are at a pivotal moment for the humanitarian sector. The freeze of US foreign aid, the dismantling of USAID and aid cuts from a number of the major donors has sent shockwaves through the system. But how do we move forward and strike the balance between ensuring continuity of lifesaving humanitarian assistance while addressing serious and well-known issues with the existing humanitarian system – do we opt for reform or disruption? Dominik Stillhart is the the Head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit and the Deputy Director of Swiss Development Cooperation and in this conversation with Lars Peter Nissen he speak directly to the need for changing the way we do business and finding a new way to work. The conversation was recorded on the last day of the 2025 Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) in Geneva and the sprawling ecosystem of actors at the conference serves as the point of departure for the conversation. You can support Trumanitarian financially through a one-off or a monthly contribution on our website.

    36 min
  8. 104. Tough Enough?

    8 MAR

    104. Tough Enough?

    Happy international women’s day ! When women connect across generations and experiences, heart to heart, incredible things happen. In this special episode, Maeva Fages joins Rigmor Tholstrup for a heartfelt conversation about humanitarianism, yoga and resilience. Maeva, a humanitarian health specialist, yoga teacher, and Senior Country Manager for Afghanistan and Syria, shares experiences on leading with softness and finding strength in vulnerability. They discuss the pressures to “toughen up” in professional settings, the unspoken impacts of such expectations, and how our bodies often hold truths our minds resist. Maeva reveals how yoga became her path to reclaiming an authentic way of leading and being in the world. As two privileged women, they want to acknowledge the privilege of even being able to have such a conversation. On this day, all women worldwide should be honored: those who have protested, spoken out, and fought for collective rights; those achieving remarkable things and making a difference; those simply existing amidst challenges; and those enduring oppression under oppressive systems and capitalism. This episode is about unlearning, reconnecting with what seems real, and celebrating the women - before us, beside us, and after us - who make it all possible. When women connect, things change.

    44 min
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About

If you are passionate about all things humanitarian and you are looking for new answers, you will enjoy listening to Trumanitarian's smart, honest conversations

Information

  • Creator
    Trumanitarian
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    122
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Trumanitarian
  • Show Website
    Trumanitarian

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