The Sherwood Band is made up of professionals from six different countries and backgrounds who are united by two equally strong convictions. The conviction in international development and the need to transform it in order to continue to be relevant in the face of today’s challenges. And we speak with full knowledge of the facts, as together we have been involved in NGO work for more than a hundred years. That is no mean feat! We therefore felt that it was time, before committing ourselves to another hundred years, to spend some time reflecting on the direction we must take collectively in order to make it truly effective.

Damaris and Cecilia are both Latin American feminists from different generations who have dedicated their careers to introducing feminist principles into NGOs. Sergio is one of Angola’s leading analysts on international development aid. Patricia, coordinator of the award-winning El País blog, 3500 Millones, the most widely read NGO blog in Spanish. Pablo, World Press Photo, has spent a lifetime putting images to the work of NGOs. Pablo Andrés, global expert in narratives and campaigns; and Asier, who led Oxfam’s institutional transformation processes for Latin America.