The international development sector is increasingly recognising the importance of locally led development. This approach aims to transform and rethink traditional aid models, and is focusing on empowering local communities and organisations to take control and be in the driving seat of their own development. At All We Can and Y Care International, we embraced this paradigm shift as early as 2016 by seeking to implement practices that move beyond traditional, top-down aid models and aim for a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable approach to international development.