This is what Inclusive Leadership looks like
One of our most impactful pillars at OneVillage Partners is Inclusive Leadership. We know that when challenges affect a community, it is not a one-man job to bring solution, rather it takes a collective of like-minded and equally passionate individuals to bring about that change – and who better than the community members themselves?
For Jeneba, being a leader is something she never dreamed of growing up in Maloma, Sierra Leone. Rigid cultural and patriarchal rules hindered her for sharing her thoughts and desires for community growth and change. When OneVillage Partners collaborated with the community, looking for leaders who would take charge of their community development, Jeneba quickly put her hand up. As a wife, mother, daughter and farmer, Jeneba was passionate to voice her thoughts and encourage her community for change.
“The community people said they needed someone to represent them. They appointed me to represent them. And so we went for training for several months, so that we can also train our community members and our people. Within that period, we wrote a proposal for the building of our health center” Jeneba recalls.
Today, as a Community Action Group leader, Jeneba is trained in advocacy, leadership and networking to lead her community to make connection with their local government representatives.
For us inclusive leadership looks like this:
Decision making is shared among leaders and the community
Increase in community members holding leadership position
Community members attending meetings
Community members’ voices are heard by their local representatives
OneVillage Partners provide communities a seat at the table, and help facilitate meetings between leaders so that together, they can collaborate on what it important for their community. With an emphasis on partnership and collaboration, inclusive leadership sees communities successfully advocating and networking to sustain their wellbeing.
Together, as equal partners in their development, community members –young and old - come together with their collective well of knowledge to perpetuate their future goals.
Join us as we shift power back to communities! Be a part of our journey to amplify inclusive leadership across rural Sierra Leone.