By: Richa Macsuedon, HomeNet South Asia
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to shape how organisations work, communicate, and deliver programs, HomeNet South Asia (HNSA) has begun a regional AI Training Program for its affiliates across the region to explore how these emerging AI tools can be used responsibly and practically in their work.
The first session took place in August 2026 and brought together over 30 participants from seven countries of South Asia. This 7-session training program focuses on practical applications of AI in the nonprofit sector, with participants encouraged to connect the learning to their own roles, organisational needs, and everyday challenges.
The program began with an introductory session on understanding generative AI, exploring the AI tool landscape, developing effective prompts, and identifying practical use cases for AI within nonprofit organisations. Subsequent sessions are built on these foundations, including a dedicated session on donor matching and searching, where participants learn how to find relevant grants and donors according to thematic area match.
A key feature of the program is our emphasis on continuous feedback and adaptation to needs. Participants are invited to share their feedback after every session through structured feedback forms. The feedback for the current sessions has been increasingly positive, and we have had participants find and connect with potential donors through one of our sessions. One participant wrote, “I found the hands-on activities very useful and believe these AI tools are important for us to learn”.
As the training continues, participants will have opportunities to apply their learning to real work-related tasks, share what they have learned, and explore how AI can complement rather than replace human expertise, judgement, and organisational knowledge.
For HNSA, the initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen the capacity of its network and ensure that organizations working with home-based workers across South Asia are equipped to navigate a rapidly changing digital landscape.
