The microfinance sector in Uganda reached a critical point in the late 1990s. A transformation was needed to ensure its sustainability. Since no donor could go it alone, the transformation became a collaborative effort.

In Mali the devolution of health service management to local governments led to friction at all levels, and the inefficient use of resources. An action research programme has helped the emergence of effective partnerships for local healthcare delivery.

There is now global consensus on the need to enhance education for girls, particularly through well coordinated partnerships. Nitya Rao and Ines Smyth assess the experiences of a number of partnerships in promoting girls’ education.

Somalia’s maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world. Working with local NGOs and health centres, the Puntland Health Partnership programme is succeeding in improving access to quality services for thousands of women.

Whether or not the label ‘partnership’ is appropriate, the message in this issue of Capacity.Org is clear: in service delivery relationships matter. But less plain are processes that create successful interactions between diverse organisations – communities, ministries, local governments, aid agencies, NGOs, private sector contractors, etc. We therefore need to look at the neglected use of skilled, professional support to help organisations learn to work well together.