The Year Ends. The Pendulum Swings.

It’s been a great year at how-matters.org! I am invoking a “shut down” for the holidays as of today and will return on January 15^th. Why the big break?

Because there are ideas to be flushed out, plans to be finalized, proposals to be finished, reflections and connections to be had.

2011 has been a “shake-up” year. With the Arab awakening in North Africa and the Middle East and the emergence of the Occupy Movement, there have been many, many moments infused with energy and inspiration for those involved in “flipping the aid system” to put more local and national actors in the driver’s seat of development.

Thus the need for a break. It’s time for me personally to re-group and re-focus on what more can be done to explore, unleash, and promote the potential of community leaders, grassroots groups and local, indigenous organizations as the fundamental focal point of effective development aid, in the process increasing the demand for human rights and development. The promise and potential of far-reaching and responsive small grant mechanisms to help enable grassroots movements to emerge and gain strength is extremely exciting for me. Recent articles in the Wall Street Journal, Devex, and The Chronicle on Philanthropy point to how and why this can work.

No matter what type of aid work you’re involved in, as the year closes, I invite you to also reflect upon how you support local leaders and activists (such as the ones from Kenya featured in the short documentary from Fahamu below) in their efforts to unleash social change.

People, under the direst of circumstances, can and do pull together. My hope is that in 2012, the aid and philanthropic sectors will move closer to recognizing this.

(If unable to view the video, see http://youtu.be/FxqT4vmgOjE.)

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This post originally appeared at: http://www.how-matters.org/2011/12/15/year-ends-pendulum-swings/

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Would YOU fund this organization?

Small is Beautiful…Grants, That Is (Part 1)

A New Discipline for Development Practitioners

Listening to People on the Receiving End of Aid

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Comment by GOPI KANTA GHOSH on December 18, 2011 at 2:28am: Absolutely...it is the year of awakening

Comment by Antonia Zenkevitch on December 16, 2011 at 7:25am: LOL! I love it! What a great take on an old theme, so true too.

Comment by Jennifer Lentfer on December 15, 2011 at 11:23pm: Thanks for your support @Antonia. Folks may also like this one: “If you give me a fish, you have fed me for a day. If you teach me to fish, you have fed me until the river is contaminated or the shoreline seized for development. But if you teach me to organize, then whatever the challenge, I can join together with my peers, and we will fashion our own solution.” ~Ricardo Levins Morales

Comment by Antonia Zenkevitch on December 15, 2011 at 8:26pm: Thank-you for your reflections. I feel its important to shift focus away from unstable humanitarian aid towards supportive human agency. Its the fish verses the fishing rod, isn't it? I agree that it takes thought to get the balance right to give in a way that empowers. No easy answers, are there? Just hope and open eyes, thanks for the reminder.

cheers, and bottoms up to the bottom up approach ;)

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