The Change We Want
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THE CHANGE WE WANT
The change we want begins with us
We can’t just rant without being just
And make our communities feel lost
Yes, they do depend on us
Now it’s time to earn their trust
Let’s begin with our language
It’s part of our heritage
It’s not meant to spark rage
But to let everyone engage
In ways that would bring about change
We don’t need to impose
But give them the opportunity to propose
The words and terms that resonate
With the situations they want to
communicate
Let’s talk about M&E
We say we want to decolonise
Yet all we do is mechanise
Why don’t we rather humanise
All we do is expertise
Rather than strategise
Let’s engage in M&E for all
Then we would have responded to the call
Let’s continue to tell our story
Then we would have made history
We talk about community philanthropy
What does it really mean in our society
How do we ensure its sustainability
How do we handle diversity
How do we deal with complexity
What happened to accountability
And not forgetting legitimacy
We worry so much about delivery
Yet forget about credibility
How do we involve our constituencies
How do we engage our communities
How do we develop their capacities
How do we improve our facilities
These are all our responsibilities
Wait a minute, Our MANIFESTO!
We need to institutionalise
We need to contextualise
We need to actualise
We need to internalise
Then we would realise
That we didn’t compromise
The change we want begins with us
We are the change we want
Together let’s join our hands
And develop the communities we want
About the author
Shu Mabel Lum is a certified Knowledge Manager for Sustainable Development with extensive experience in community development, knowledge creation and dissemination. She serves as the Knowledge Management Programme Assistant at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), where she curates, documents and shares knowledge to strengthen civil society organisations in West Africa. At WACSI, she is involved in projects that promote giving for social causes, decolonisation and shifting power. Mabel is also the host of ‘The Spark' podcast, a platform that uses storytelling to inspire, educate and provide mentorship to the next generation of leaders.
