In 2025, dramatic aid cuts exposed fundamental vulnerabilities in the current humanitarian aid system – revealing not just budgetary constraints but structural flaws that have long undermined the agency and resilience of Global South communities. In response, the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR) convened a diverse cohort of local leaders from across the Global South for a four-month participatory process to reimagine aid from the ground up. Rather than proposing incremental reforms to existing structures, this initiative asked a more foundational question: What would a system built on solidarity, self-sufficiency, and sustainability look like if designed by those who know their communities best? Last year, NEAR convened 18 leaders and practitioners from Global South organisations to reimagine what lies beyond the current aid system. This report captures the big ideas that emerged from these conversations, but does not represent the views of the entire NEAR network. This report is an invitation to envision a different future together, one grounded in solidarity, self-reliance, and sustainability