How can NGOs be actively anti-racist?

The international NGO (INGO) sector exists against the backdrop of colonial history. This has been considered in different ways, especially in recent decades. It is currently very prominent for many organisations. Some INGO practices have perpetuated some of the characteristics that are often linked to colonial times, such as inculcating dependency. This is contrary, of course, to what definitions of “development” normally set out.

It is crucial that INGOs keep questioning the models that they use, including to look into how strategies can be decolonial and anti-racist alongside other crucial considerations like gender and the environment. One organisation that we are working with is very proactively doing just this - ActionAid Ireland. This week, we attended a workshop ran by ActionAid Ireland to explore “decolonisation” and what it means for their new strategy which we are supporting them to renew.

Changing women's representation through photography? Stories and images in INGOs are often shared- e.g., to help raise money, profile or influence. However, more often than not, they can reproduce negative cultural stereotypes. This is what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls the “danger of a single story”. Watch a 2-minute clip of her speaking here. In the workshop mentioned, representatives from ActionAid UK shared their Women by Women exhibition which gives women and girls agency and dignity over how their stories are told. One photographer from this project, Habiba Nowrose, said:

“For the longest time, the history of the people of this part of the world has been told by some supposedly ‘superior’ voices… or somebody who is in power or somebody who does not look like us. So, the telling of stories, by the people who have experienced and lived our lives is really important.”

See one of her photographs below:

What are we doing? We are on a journey to become an anti-racist organisation. As part of this we have held internal discussions and reflections which have encouraged us to unlearn any prejudices, recognise our privileges and relearn how we can do more to become an anti-racist and decolonial organisation. We embed and live our Culture for Justice in everything we do. We recognise we can always do more. As Maya Angelou said “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better do better.”

Change Maker of the Week

To find out more about this pioneering anti-racist education project watch this short 2-minute video.

Quote of the week

“What if we focused our human and fiscal resources on changing power and policy to actually make society, not just our feelings, better?” Ibram X. Kendi.

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Ian and Megan

How can technology improve efficacy?

We believe that next generation organisations will be increasingly connected. One source recently stated that 57% of the global population is now connected to the internet, spending an average of 6.5 hours per day online. This demonstrates just how integrated technology and the ability to be constantly connected has become in our lives. To find out more, read “Chapter 6: The Connected Organisation”, from our book.

How can Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) benefit from technology? Technology can ensure that processes can be efficient, particularly the most basic and necessary. Simplifying tasks such as handling expenses, calendar management, or updating records can mean that people can focus on bigger issues and explore new projects and ideas, as well as encouraging a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. Furthermore, cloud-based solutions enable team members to work more collaborative and remotely from around the world.

How does United Purpose (UP) use technology to empower farmers in The Gambia? UP’s Market Information Service (MIS) is a mobile phone based tool that provides farmers, who are mostly women, access to reliable price information for their chosen markets in local languages. This empowers the farmers to make better decisions about when to sell their vegetables and for how much. Caplor Horizons are supporting this project in The Gambia through capacity development training. Bringing technology through initiatives like this, helps reduce the ‘digital divide’ (those that benefit from technology like this and those that do not have access).

How are Caplor Horizons using technology to be more effective? As we continue to grow, we are improving the ways we use technology to support our work. This involves adopting a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. A very big thank you to Eamon (Stack), Patricia (Higgins) and Deven (Thakkar) who have been supporting us through this journey.

The Big Give: The Commitment is part of The Big Give's Christmas Challenge. By donating it is a powerful way to show that you are voting for a healthy planet. Help them reach their target of £22,000 between 30th November and 7th December.

Change Makers of the Week

Quote of the week

“Information and Communications Technology unlocks the value of time, allowing and enabling multi-tasking, multi-channels, multi-this and multi-that.” Li Ka Shing

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Ian and Megan

Celebrating resilience

What is Diwali? Diwali is the 5 day Hindu festival of light that celebrates the victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. This year it started on the 2nd of November with Dhanteras and ended on the 6th of November with Bhai Duj.

How can we all celebrate finding light after the darkness? The past couple of years have been challenging for many people for a variety of reasons. Despite these difficult and challenging times communities have come together and demonstrated true resilience. To find out more, read our paper on resilience here. One of our partners Misean Cara has been doing exactly that.

Who is Misean Cara? Misean Cara is an international not-for-profit based in Ireland. Misean Cara works to empower some of the most marginalised communities, including by increasing access to education, healthcare and fighting for their human rights.

How have Misean Cara celebrated knowledge and light? Misean Cara has worked in over 25 countries to bring about transformational change. Working with missionaries and communities, they have developed effective ways to collaborate and accompany people and bring about lasting change. To know more about their work in India listen to this 5-minute podcast or read the 2020 Annual Report here. We have recently been working with the Misean Cara team facilitating sessions to renew strategy.

New team members at The Commitment! The Commitments’ team is quickly expanding with several new team members. Stirling Spowers as Political Engagement Advisor and Amber Lauder as our new Partnerships Coordinator and Lara Shirra White as the new Communications and Engagement Coordinator. Welcome to the team!

Rethinking our connection to nature through natural capital As a climate and biodiversity organisation, Partha Dasgupta’s recent report on natural capital’s exclusion from current economic models has proved to be insightful and an interesting way on how to rethink our connection to nature.

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Ian and Megan

Can COP26 bring about change?

How can governments come together to tackle climate change? Having been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 26th COP will take place in Glasgow, Scotland. It hopes to bring together politicians and representatives from various sectors to tackle climate change and protect biodiversity.

What are COP26’s goals?

The COP26 are:

1. Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach.

2. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats

3. Mobilise climate finance

4. Work together to deliver

How can you get involved? COP26 is going to be held from today until the 12th November 2021. It has events that can be attended virtually or in person. You can read about these here. You might like to consider the Global Day of Action (6th November) plus the People’s Summit for Climate Justice (7th-10th November) and this map of local hubs or actions may be helpful.

Can’t go to COP26? Here’s how else you can take action...The Commitment is a climate and biodiversity organisation. We amplify the voice of citizens to their local politicians to encourage them to do more for the planet. So, if you make The Commitment, you can call on politicians to do more. Here is the link to the website. Alternatively find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Caplor Horizons also has an upcoming webinar on Climate Change and Biodiversity loss, if you’re interested sign up here.

Climate action requires collaborative action! Tomorrow our Strategic Change and Development Group are gathering to discuss important priority areas for the future. A key area of discussion will be around “climate change” and “collaboration”. We recently attended a webinar about this topic hosted by Reos Partners. One of the speakers talked about the value of “courage” and its importance in collaboration for systemic change. This is one of our values. Click here to watch a recording of the event.

Our updates: thank you for those who have provided feedback already to our survey. We are interested to know more about how we can make our updates as relevant and useful as possible so, if you have not yet responded, please click here to access our quick survey.

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Dan, Ian and Megan

Theory U

What is Theory U? One cutting edge theory of learning is known as “Theory U”. Theory U, developed by Otto Scharmer and colleagues at MIT, has been developed to enable leaders to shift from learning from the past to “learning from an emerging future” by breaking habits and exploring solutions.

How does Theory U work? The journey starts on the left-hand side of the U where you are encouraged to open your mind to new ideas, initially through observation and listening. Subsequently, you should reflect and gain an even deeper connection with the knowledge obtained. This reflection encourages you to think about your purpose and realise your potential. Lastly, you can begin prototyping and co-creating innovative ideas that allow for new ways of doing things. To find out more, read our “Essentials of a Learning Organisation” here.

Where does “presencing” fit in? Presencing encourages people to actively listen to others. There are several different types of listening: downloading, factual listening, empathetic listening and generative listening. Each type of listening has a different outcome, however, if an individual applies several different styles, they will slowly gain an insight into different ideas. If you’d like to find out more check-out the Presencing Institute’s page.

How is this theory being incorporated into leadership programmes? We have recently started working with the Ubuntu.Lab Institute empowers African leaders to develop new and exciting solutions to African problems. The Ubuntu Institute has incorporated Theory of U into their framework of developing these solutions. To find out more click this link to watch a short 2-minute video.

With several Global Conferences coming up, how can leaders from across the world apply Theory U and come together to understand each other's realities, and collaborate to develop innovative and inspiring ideas?

Change Maker of the week:

Quote of the Week:

"I believe to become a leader that leads with the heart you need to encourage experimental mindset, you need to provide psychological safety for teams and also you need to be a servant leader." — Liz Theophille

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Dan, Ian and Megan

How can we best take care of each other and ourselves?

How can we best take care of each other and ourselves? We like the metaphor of geese! We can learn a lot from them, like how they take turns to take responsibility to lead and how they offer support to one another in challenging times. You can watch a film about this here. For more insights into how this links to our culture, click here.

It is very important to not only be kind to others, but to also be kind to ourselves. We tend to put ourselves too far down the list. However, taking care of ourselves can help others even more when we are faced with difficult times. This article by Daphna Horowitz encourages us to “put our oxygen mask on first", looking after our physical, emotional, and mental health to ensure we are being the best version of ourselves with the people with whom we interact. She focuses on sleep, exercise, mindfulness, nutrition, and connection.

Many people around the world struggle with health, including mental health. We are currently working with See Change, an organisation in the West of England that has a vision of a world where every person has an open and positive attitude to their own and others’ mental health. See Change's psychotherapy focuses on children, young people and families.

Often, our work on strategy and strategic change focuses on income streams. From a practical, organisational health standpoint, increasing and diversifying income streams is highly significant. To read a recent Economist article on philanthropy, click here. Our papers on Trusts and Foundations might also be helpful.

How can we improve these updates? We are very interested to hear from you! Please access our quick survey here. Your feedback will help ensure we make our updates as relevant and useful as possible.

Quote of the week

“Care for your psyche…know thyself, for once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves.” —Socrates

Our unintended consequences is here!

Quick update from Caplor Horizons!

On the 15th of October we joined the United Nations in celebrating the International Day of Rural Women! This article by Forbes explores the inequalities faced by rural women, including access to paid employment, access to finance, access to public services and disproportionate caring duties.

A programme that we have contributed to in The Gambia seeks to address such inequalities. Since 2018, we have been working with United Purpose and other NGOs to support the facilitation of an initiative involving a women-led marketing federation: the Sosolaso (meaning “all united”) initiative has centred on the livelihoods, nutrition and networks of around 30,000 women farmers.

Our report on the unintended consequences of the Sosolaso initiative is here! With our NGO partners from TARUD and WIG, through interviews led by Baai Jaabang (TARUD), Isatou Ceesay (WIG) and Fatou Jaiteh (University of the Gambia), we considered the unintended consequences that we and others have been contributing to through this work stream. All too often, such scrutiny is not given, missing important opportunities to make improvements. We would like to thank everyone involved in The Gambia and Sam Bishop (University of Bath) for their valuable contributions. You can find a summary of the findings below and a full report here. 

Change maker of the week

Quote of the week:

"One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”- Maya Angelou

Best wishes

Rosie, Lorna, Dan, Ian and Megan

How can a Theory of Change accelerate progress?

A Theory of Change can accelerate change. It can enable an organisation to concentrate on what is most important. In our Thought Leadership Paper, we provide tips to develop a Theory of Change. You can read the paper here.

We’re facilitating a strategic change and team development process with, United Purpose Malawi. Their Theory of Change puts gender equality at the heart of everything they do (see diagram below).

One of the webinars of our Transforming Leadership Series will focus on Feminist Leadership. We will explore how this leadership style supports gender equality, enabling a platform for engaging, open and curious discussions. If you want to learn more about Feminist Leadership and how it can support your organisation, this Devex article is a good starting place. You can also take part in a series of webinars on Feminist Leadership organised by Fair Share of Women Leaders by registering here.

You can watch the recording of our most recent webinar here. The focus of this was on how can we collaborate more effectively. Thank you to those from our Caplor Community that joined us. Click here to sign up to the next one on 8th December focused on Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss.

A big thank you to Laura! We are very appreciative to Laura, who has been our Development Coordinator in recent months. She contributed in highly productive and impressive ways. We wish Laura well with her next steps and look forward to her continuing as a member of our community.

And a warm welcome to Megan. We are excited to welcome Megan Le Doaré, who will be picking up the reins as Development Coordinator. She has just finished her MA in Migration and Global Development and has a passion for the environment and people.

We are re hiring! We are currently recruiting for 1-3 trustees committed to our values, familiar with the NGO sector and with fresh perspectives. To find more about the role and how to apply, click here. The deadline for applications is the 10th of October 2021.

The Commitment is also hiring! The climate change and biodiversity loss organisation incubated by Caplor Horizons is currently recruiting for a Communications and Engagement Lead and a Fundraiser. To know more about the roles, including how to apply, click here for the communications and engagement role and here for the fundraising role. The deadline for applications is also the 10th of October 2021.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week: "Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”- Sheryl Sandberg

Best wishes

Rosie, Lorna, Dan, Ian and Megan

How can we collaborate for a better planet?

Greater collaboration is beneficial even for nature and the climate. This week, on the 29th of September, the United Nations is celebrating the first ever observance of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. Reducing food waste helps the planet. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), it is estimated that, if food waste was a country, it would be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China. To learn more about emissions and what “absolute zero” means, click here.

If we stopped wasting food altogether, we would eliminate 8% of our total emissions. To learn more about the impact food waste has in our planet, and what you can do about it, click here. Some first steps you can start taking today can be found below:

Last chance to register for our webinar on collaboration tomorrow! It will take place between 11:30 and 13:00 UK time. You can register here. Ahead of our event together, here is something musical, intriguing and uplifting about collaboration: a 6-minute clip of people collaborating to create something magical together.

The upcoming webinar of our Transforming Leadership series will focus on Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss. It will take place on the 8th of December from 11:30 to 13:00 UK time and you can register here. To find out more about our webinar series, click here.

Welcome, Kemal! Known to many in our community because of his passion to collaborate and transform the reality of vulnerable children, young people and adults, Dr Kemal Shaheen is joining our core team as Director of Strategic Partnerships. He will continue in his role as Director of our long-term partner, Paper Boat, adjusting to take this initiative forwards whilst starting in this new role.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week: “I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do" - Edward Everett Hale

Best wishes

Ian, Rosie, Dan and Lorna

Can mentors inspire better leaders?

Mentors can help us to boost our confidence, clarify our goals and reach our highest potential. This article by Paramita Bhattacharya of Forbes invites us to seek out for mentors with different, rich experiences who can help us to grow and develop.

Mentors can unleash our leadership potential. In our “Essentials of Leadership” Paper by Professor Sharon Turnbull, we explore how mentorship can support leaders to foster their learning, build relationships and develop self-awareness. You can read the paper here.

A mentor can help someone remain positive and hopeful, sometimes in the face of great adversity, so that they achieve far more than they thought possible, or that others think they are capable of. Given the challenging situations we can all face, such support can be crucial.

Only one more week before the first webinar of our Transforming Leadership Series! This first event, taking place on the 28th of September from 11:30-13:00 UK time, will explore the question “How could we collaborate better?”. You can register here. The second webinar, focused on Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss, will take place on the 8th of December and you can register here.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week: “If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore” - Michelle Ruiz

Best wishes

Dan, Lorna, Ian, Rosie and Laura