Thoughts from Annemarie Koch, President of the Swiss Blue Community Kene Elou Te:
I’ve noticed that in many discussions, the focus tends to be on the crises, water scarcity and a lack of financial resources. These challenges are real and should not be downplayed. At the same time, I wonder whether we might not focus more on what is already possible and where positive experiences have already been gained.
Where are people succeeding in bringing about change with the resources they have? Which small or larger initiatives are already working? What can others learn from them?
If we focus primarily on the problems, we often see only what is lacking. If we also look at the existing opportunities and successful examples, new ideas and fresh motivation may emerge.
That is why Souleymane Guindo, the coordinator of the Blue Community Réseau Ecole RadioChico in Mali, never ceases to impress me. He and the children first look at what they can do themselves and what steps are possible with the resources at hand. Only when additional funds become truly necessary do they make a clear and specific request.
We also have major projects and visions for the future in Dogon country. But until that time comes, the Dogon children aren’t simply sitting around waiting. They are preparing the hectares of land that have been made available to them. In the shade, they are nurturing small saplings so that they will be ready when the water flows. Now, with the rainy season upon us, the young trees can grow and become strong.
Perhaps this is one lesson our project in Mali has taught me: a vision rarely becomes reality in one fell swoop. It grows out of many small steps that sometimes seem insignificant. It is only in hindsight that one realises how something has emerged from them that one could scarcely have imagined at the outset.
This example never fails to move me. For me, development begins with an idea, a vision. From this come the first small steps, using the resources that are already available. Through this action, experience, trust and new possibilities grow.
And I have often found that it is precisely this that suddenly opens a door. People take notice, new contacts are made, support becomes possible or unexpected opportunities arise. I have experienced this time and again with our project in Mali. If we’d waited until all the conditions were met, we probably wouldn’t be where we are today. Many of the doors that have opened over the years only swung open because we had the courage to take those first small steps.
Perhaps that’s why, within the Blue Communities, we could ask ourselves even more strongly: What can we do today? What are we already succeeding at? And how can we learn from one another?
Perhaps it is also about channelling more strength and energy into the positive. Not overlooking the difficulties, but consciously reinforcing what is already working. Because often, it is from our successes that the courage for the next steps grows.
Warm regards,
Annemarie Koch
President of Kene Elou Te
