No Money; No Problem! How one poor community came together to sustain their local school.

“Development projects come and go as quickly as the weather.” This comment came from the back of the van as we snaked our way through the countryside, and was about as true a statement as you could make about Burundi.

Ironically, it was a visit we were about to make that would turn that idea on its head. I was travelling with two of our network members, visiting and encouraging community leaders who were practicing community-centred development.

Pulling up to the Asante Primary School in Ngozi, we were met by Christella, who showed us around the property. We knew the school had received funding in the past and expected a typical Western project, with local management, and little chance of sustainability beyond the involvement of the funders.

It took only a few minutes with Christella to realize she was much more than a manager. Though a number of organizations had played a role in the history of this school, the one constant was Christella. She spoke of the vision she had for primary education long before the school had been built. When the donor organization left the project, her funding dried up, but her vision did not. She began to shake the bushes for more funds, not appealing to International donors, but going door-to-door in the capital city of Bujumbura.

More significantly, she began to mobilize the local community. She told them if they wanted a school, they would have to contribute. People began giving their time, money, and materials. Less impoverished families gave sections of land while others worked the land to generate income for the school. Eventually, an association was formed, which galvanized their vision and gave them a practical structure to advance their skills, borrow and share credit, and strategize for the future.

On our way back to the van, Christella pointed out their most recent accomplishment, an outdoor cooking and eating area for the students. “It was the community who did it”, she said. They built it, they provided the food, and they were there each morning to serve the children.

As the mid-afternoon rain pelted the windshield, we zoomed off to our next stop, all the while debating what had given this school its staying power and success. We reflected on all the people and contributions that had made the school possible. While many had a hand in the school's success - from local volunteers to distant donors - it was Christella’s comment that echoed in my ears, “It was the community who did it.”

Recently, Christella enrolled in our Community Centred Development (CCD) Facilitation course. In this course, participants explore a radical approach to fighting poverty that begins entirely with local vision and resources. It will equip participants like Christella with an understanding of how sustainable community development can begin with the God-given gifts of a community and be converted into opportunities for community-building action. Participants learn to identify powerful assets that are often latent within a community. They are equipped to utilize a variety of tools for asset discovery, connecting, mobilizing, and action planning. As they understand the importance of social capital, participants will be able to identify and mobilize the people and processes necessary to achieve their community's vision. What if fighting poverty didn’t start with money? What if we started with what was strong rather than what was wrong?

About Five & Two Network

We fight poverty with a radically different approach.

We believe that transformed communities begin with transformed people. When poor or otherwise vulnerable people recognize the value of who they are, and what they have, they discover the hope and agency to better their lives. When an entire community is invited into this process, the potential for change is limitless.

Our goal is not only to achieve developmental outcomes but more importantly to establish the mechanism for sustainable community development in the future. As we help communities mobilize their own people and assets, they develop social capital – the links of mutual trust, interdependency, and community action that are necessary for long-term success.

One important outcome of our approach is that vulnerable communities are making significant development inroads with little cost to us and our donors. As we minimize the need for material funding, we maximize our ability to support all the teachers, trainers, and organizations in our global network for the foreseeable future.PGJyLz4=

Prayer Request:

Please pray that God would bless our ministry with resources to reach and empower more vulnerable communities.