Aiding & Abetting

About Aiding & Abetting

Aiding & Abetting is a podcast from Karama exploring the uncomfortable realities, contradictions, and power dynamics behind modern humanitarian aid. Aiding & Abetting is produced by Karama, a humanitarian network advancing dignity and locally led mutual aid responses across conflict-affected regions. This podcast is for anyone who wants an honest insider’s view of how humanitarian aid actually works, and what meaningful change could look like. Hosted by humanitarian worker Tom Colley, the series goes beyond the familiar narratives of charity and “saving lives” to ask deeper questions about who really holds power in the aid system, and whether the current model is fit for purpose. Through conversations with aid workers, activists, researchers, and people directly affected by crisis, Aiding & Abetting examines the colonial legacies, political interests, and institutional incentives that shape humanitarian response today. The series also explores alternatives rooted in solidarity, mutual aid, and locally led action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Thomas Colley

Category

government · news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 May 2026

Latest episode

22 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Jun 2026

   Beyond Survival: The Rohingya Fight for Dignity

   For more than three decades, Kyaw Win has lived as a refugee. In this conversation, we explore the tension at the heart of the Rohingya crisis—and humanitarianism itself. If humanitarian crises are often political crises with humanitarian consequences, why does the international response focus so heavily on managing suffering rather than addressing its causes? From the vast refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar to the struggle for citizenship, recognition, and belonging, Kyaw Win reflects on life as a Rohingya refugee, the limitations of humanitarian aid, and why dignity requires more than survival. We discuss statelessness, human rights, local leadership, and the difficult question of whether aid can sometimes become a substitute for political solutions. Kyaw Win is a human rights defender and co-founder of the Rohingya Human Rights Centre, an organisation dedicated to documenting abuses and amplifying Rohingya voices: Rohingya Human Rights Centre (https://rohingyahumanrightscenter.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) This episode is produced by Karama (https://karama.org.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com), a humanitarian organisation working to advance dignity, solidarity, and locally led responses to crisis. Aiding & Abetting is a podcast about the politics, power, and contradictions of humanitarian aid. Hosted by humanitarian worker and researcher Tom Colley, the series explores how aid really works, who benefits from it, and why efforts to help can sometimes reinforce the inequalities they seek to address. Through conversations with aid workers, activists, researchers, and community leaders, the podcast examines the colonial legacies, political interests, and institutional incentives that shape humanitarian response today. Produced by Karama, a network supporting locally led mutual aid initiatives across conflict-affected regions, Aiding & Abetting offers an honest, critical look at humanitarianism and explores what a more accountable, community-led future could look like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   15 Jun 2026

   Who Speaks for Darfur?

   :In this episode, I speak with Adam Mousa, Executive Director of the Darfur Victims Support Organization (DVSO), about the realities of war, humanitarian response, and civilian survival in Darfur. Drawing on his experience as an activist, humanitarian worker, and community organizer, Adam discusses the challenges facing communities affected by Sudan's ongoing war, including displacement, food insecurity, the collapse of basic services, and the growing impact of drone warfare on civilian populations. We also explore Adam's critique of the international humanitarian system, the gap between the rhetoric of localization and the realities faced by frontline Sudanese organizations, and the difficulties of delivering aid in a country increasingly shaped by fragmented authority and parallel systems of governance. This conversation is part of our ongoing effort to amplify voices that are too often absent from international discussions about Sudan. Whether you agree with Adam's analysis or not, his perspective offers a rare insight into how conflict, humanitarian response, and the future of Darfur are understood by someone working directly with affected communities. Darfur Victims Support Organization (DVSO) (https://darfurvs.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) DVSO Report: Documenting Drone Strikes in the Darfur Region (https://darfurvs.org/darfur-victims-support-organization-launches-report-documenting-drone-strikes-in-the-darfur-region/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) . Aiding & Abetting is a podcast about the politics, power, and contradictions of humanitarian aid. Hosted by humanitarian worker and researcher Tom Colley, the series explores how aid really works, who benefits from it, and why efforts to help can sometimes reinforce the inequalities they seek to address. Through conversations with aid workers, activists, researchers, and community leaders, the podcast examines the colonial legacies, political interests, and institutional incentives that shape humanitarian response today. Produced by Karama, a network supporting locally led mutual aid initiatives across conflict-affected regions, Aiding & Abetting offers an honest, critical look at humanitarianism and explores what a more accountable, community-led future could look like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   10 Jun 2026

   Help That Really Helps” — Rethinking Humanitarian Aid with Marina Kobzeva

   In this episode, Tom Colley speaks with Marina Kobzeva, Director for Impact and Locally Led Practice at MapAction, about the future of humanitarian aid and the growing push for locally led response. Drawing on nearly two decades in the sector, Marina reflects on her experiences with the Red Cross movement, the UN, and international NGOs, while challenging many of the assumptions that shape modern humanitarian work. The conversation explores the forgotten local roots of humanitarianism, the gap between localisation rhetoric and reality, and why communities often know best what support they actually need. Marina shares insights from her “Already There” research project, which asks communities a simple but powerful question: “What does help that really helps look like?” Together, Tom and Marina discuss power, mutual aid, dignity, funding inequalities, and why genuine humanitarian reform requires shifting trust and decision-making closer to communities themselves. Check out MapAction's work here, they're really great! https://mapaction.org/ Aiding & Abetting is a podcast about the politics, power, and contradictions of humanitarian aid. Hosted by humanitarian worker and researcher Tom Colley, the series explores how aid really works, who benefits from it, and why efforts to help can sometimes reinforce the inequalities they seek to address. Through conversations with aid workers, activists, researchers, and community leaders, the podcast examines the colonial legacies, political interests, and institutional incentives that shape humanitarian response today. Produced by Karama, a network supporting locally led mutual aid initiatives across conflict-affected regions, Aiding & Abetting offers an honest, critical look at humanitarianism and explores what a more accountable, community-led future could look like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

4. 

   8 Jun 2026

   Humanitarianism Under Occupation | Ghassan Al Sheikh on Jenin, Aid, and Resistance

   Why does the humanitarian system seem more comfortable managing Palestinian suffering than confronting the structures producing it? In this episode of Aiding and Abetting, Tom Colley speaks with Ghassan Al Sheikh, Executive Director of Al Majd Community Development Association in Jenin, about life in the northern West Bank under occupatio, and the growing sense that much of the world has stopped paying attention. From military raids and displacement to the psychological toll of permanent insecurity, the conversation explores the quieter violence shaping daily life in places like Jenin and Tulkarem. But it also goes further, interrogating the contradictions of the international aid system itself: the gap between rhetoric and action, the failures of localisation, and the uncomfortable reality that humanitarian organisations often operate within, rather than challenge, the structures creating crisis. This is a conversation about dignity, solidarity, mutual aid, and resistance, not only political resistance, but the daily act of keeping communities alive under conditions designed to exhaust and force them to leave their land. Please find more information about Al Majd Community Development Association here: https://www.facebook.com/ALMAJDSOCIETY/ Al Majd do not have a fundraising platform for themselves, but Ghassan has asked if donations can be sent via Karama's crowdfunding site: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/karama-solidarity-network Aiding & Abetting is a podcast about the politics, power, and contradictions of humanitarian aid. Hosted by humanitarian worker and researcher Tom Colley, the series explores how aid really works, who benefits from it, and why efforts to help can sometimes reinforce the inequalities they seek to address. Through conversations with aid workers, activists, researchers, and community leaders, the podcast examines the colonial legacies, political interests, and institutional incentives that shape humanitarian response today. Produced by Karama, a network supporting locally led mutual aid initiatives across conflict-affected regions, Aiding & Abetting offers an honest, critical look at humanitarianism and explores what a more accountable, community-led future could look like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

5. 

   25 May 2026

   Episode 2 - Who gets left behind?

   In this episode of Aiding & Abetting, we explore one of the humanitarian sector’s most persistent failures: the exclusion of disabled people and older people from humanitarian response. Despite years of commitments to inclusion, many humanitarian programmes remain inaccessible, fragmented, and designed around rigid sector-based systems rather than the realities of people’s lives. From inaccessible aid distributions to the failure to adapt services in meaningful ways, this episode examines why disabled people and older people continue to be left behind during crises. Host and Karama founder Tom Colley is joined by inclusion specialist Diana Tilly, who brings more than 40 years of experience working on disability and inclusion across humanitarian and development contexts. Together, they discuss the limitations of mainstream humanitarian approaches, the overlap between people’s needs, and what genuinely inclusive humanitarian action could look like in practice. Learn more about Karama and its work supporting locally led humanitarian responses at: www.karama.org.uk Aiding & Abetting is a podcast about the politics, power, and contradictions of humanitarian aid. Hosted by humanitarian worker and researcher Tom Colley, the series explores how aid really works, who benefits from it, and why efforts to help can sometimes reinforce the inequalities they seek to address. Through conversations with aid workers, activists, researchers, and community leaders, the podcast examines the colonial legacies, political interests, and institutional incentives that shape humanitarian response today. Produced by Karama, a network supporting locally led mutual aid initiatives across conflict-affected regions, Aiding & Abetting offers an honest, critical look at humanitarianism and explores what a more accountable, community-led future could look like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

6. 

   20 May 2026

   Episode 1 - Introducing Aiding & Abetting

   Aiding & Abetting is a podcast from Karama exploring the uncomfortable realities, contradictions, and power dynamics behind modern humanitarian aid. Hosted by Karama founder Tom Colley, the series goes beyond familiar charity narratives to ask deeper questions about who really holds power in the aid system, and whether the current model is fit for purpose. Through conversations with aid workers, activists, researchers, and local responders, the podcast examines issues including localisation, mutual aid, donor politics, colonial legacies, and the future of humanitarian action. Produced by Karama, a network supporting locally led mutual aid responses and advocating for more dignified and accountable humanitarian systems. Aiding & Abetting is for anyone who wants an honest insider’s view of how humanitarian aid actually works, and what meaningful alternatives could look like. You can learn more about Karama’s work at: www.karama.org.uk You can also support the wider project through Karama’s crowdfunding campaign: Before It Breaks – Community-Led Action (https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/before-it-breaks---community-led-action-b?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Aiding & Abetting is a podcast about the politics, power, and contradictions of humanitarian aid. Hosted by humanitarian worker and researcher Tom Colley, the series explores how aid really works, who benefits from it, and why efforts to help can sometimes reinforce the inequalities they seek to address. Through conversations with aid workers, activists, researchers, and community leaders, the podcast examines the colonial legacies, political interests, and institutional incentives that shape humanitarian response today. Produced by Karama, a network supporting locally led mutual aid initiatives across conflict-affected regions, Aiding & Abetting offers an honest, critical look at humanitarianism and explores what a more accountable, community-led future could look like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Contact Aiding & Abetting

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.