TThe DDA Fellowship part 2 (or maybe 3); I Have a Dream:

I have been working with the DDA Fellowship for the past 2 months now. Early in my placement I participate in their third meeting of the year, in one of the session we did a Gap analysis to help us understand what kind of skills they are looking at acquiring and improving.

Last week we had our 4^th meeting. The morning was spent in getting an update on their personal district improvement initiatives and we also had a session on Project Management. With decentralisation they will be tasked with increased responsibilities. Since they will have more say on projects and their implementations it stand to reason that they will need a better understanding of Project Management as a whole. I put together a session that explained the major components of PM but also was about asking the right questions. If you have a projects what are the basic questions you should be asking as opposed to try to teach them specific tools.

It was well received; we decided on this session from the result of the previous session’s Gap Analysis.

 The afternoon we had a session with Erin Antclif, my fearless leader, informing the Fellows what’s in store for EWB in 2012. The main themes were:

1-     Building internal capacity to properly support our African Programs

2-     To be more critical in justifying the initiative that we are supporting

3-     Why is EWB here in Africa? To alleviate poverty, to help Dorothy…

Which was followed by a session, facilitated by Siera and Janine, where the Directors were asked to self-reflect on the Most Significant changes they have personally experience as a result of being part of the DDA Fellowship?

The last session, “The DDA fellowship, a Way Forward…” Was the most intense of them al. I started with a pep talk driving home 3 major points:

1-     They should be proud of the work they are doing in the type of condition they are doing it in.

2-     Their work is “Very Important”. When they improve their district, even just a little, it means that there are actual people in need that may be able to eat better or to send one of their children to school. They have a direct impact on Dorothy…

3-     …I Have a Dream to come back to Ghana in 15 or 20 years with my grand child (I haven’t cleared this one with Olivier yet) and not be able to find a NGO. I Have a Dream to come to a DDA fellowship and it’s not run by EWBers. The only EWBers are to ones coming to learn from the Fellowship.

Then I ask about the future of the DDA Fellowship; how could this Fellowship becomes their to own, little by little? How can we shape it for the next year so that it becomes a real fellowship where the more experienced Director help and mentored the others who needs it? How can we help them be proud not only to be a member of the fellowship but to be the ones building it?

I asked them for ideas so that next session, our last of the year, how we can come up with a direction or a vision for a way forward… I also asked them how they wanted to do this, talk in smaller groups? Do they want me to facilitate? Do they want to work on their own?

Doctor Dixon did stand up and told me that for this part I should step aside and they should, the Directors, run the session… I took charge and they went at it. I swear to you, I got a little misty; I was so proud.

They came up with some ideas, some that are pretty good. We could probably have done a better job at getting better ideas if we had facilitated the session. But now those are their ideas which make them much better. They own them.

I still have lots of work ahead of me before the next meeting in a few weeks. I poked at their pride and awaked something in them now we have to put that good energy to good use.

It’s back to my 3 main points:

1-     Be proud

2-     You and what you do, are important

3-     Share my Dream

Over and out for now

Dom