Some think ‘scale’ is a bad word. And for good reason.
Too often, when scaling is done badly, solutions get airdropped into communities like a one-size-fits-all fix and they:
- Fail to respond to the real problem people face
- Are not rooted in local needs and context
- Neglect engaging the right stakeholders
- Lack a plan for sustainable income to keep going
When this happens, scaling gets a bad name because it feels extractive, imposed, and disconnected. Worse, it creates something that’s always chasing funding, rather than lasting impact.
So, how do you scale right?
Scaling isn’t about deciding what communities need, and then rolling out a solution that is maybe rooted in data from a different context addressing a similar problem. Scaling, importantly, is rooted in building solutions with communities at the heart of it. At its core, scaling means building with, not for, communities. This means:
- Deep local engagement
- Adapting to context
- Shifting power
- Prioritising sustainability
Scaling done right: The checklist
- Are you genuinely listening first? Understand community experiences deeply before designing solutions
- Do you clearly know what must adapt? Question how your solution needs to evolve to fit the new context.
- Who gets to make the decisions? Solutions should always be guided by those closest to the issues.
- Can the solution sustain itself long-term? Ensure your solution builds independence, not dependency.
Scaling can never be about replicating a model blindly. It’s about expanding impact by respecting and reinforcing local knowledge, leadership, and ownership.
When done well, ‘scale’ is how we stop reinventing the wheel and start making real progress, without repeating the mistakes of the past.
