(CWA) Conference on World Affairs
Agile-International wishes to give the world their opinion based on the above topic, which was one of the subjects of discussion at the 67th Annual Conference on World Affairs held recently in Boulder, Colorado. Global community development is without a doubt the new energy system required to propagate positive change in society.
Initially an initiative of the non-governmental organizations and donor funding, community development has now been embraced by governments as well as business and social corporations. The main aim of global community development is to realize the highest level of economic, social and environmental sustenance. To achieve these benefits, community development must be based on features such as: Prudent management of water resources, ecological protection, provision of affordable shelter, raising literacy levels, sustainable farming and food security, sustainable transport and communication infrastructures as well as using clean energy to industrialize our nations.
These features of global community development are much related in one way or the other and cannot be executed solely. That is the reason why Agile-International has been carrying out vigorous community development activities in Mali and West Africa with great focus on all the features mentioned above. At such a point, it is no longer important to be very theoretical about the energy and impact brought about by community development of this nature. The results are more practical on the ground as it is in the case of the women in Timbuktu, Mali who have benefited from the efforts of Agile-International.
Another good example of community development generating great energies in society is the community project in Kenya for management of water resources and conservation of the environment. The government of Kenya has empowered communities living along the water towers to conserve their ecosystem for prudent distribution of clean water across the country. The Authority mandated to manage water resources in the country has sensitized citizens in Kenya to form Associations called Water Resources Users Associations (WRUA). The WRUA has benefited from capacity building and funding from local and global donors to carry out activities of conservations such as protection of springs, building gabions and planting indigenous trees in their catchments and sub-catchments.
But even as governments and organizations of various capacities continue to push for global community development, it is important to note that education and technology have formed the backbone of this important activity of global development. For example science and technology as a faculty has received immense funding globally to find solutions to the calamities facing humanity on various capacities. Without science and technology, the women of Mali would probably be funded by Agile-International to keep practicing the same old farming techniques for very low yields. Instead, the introduction of modern methods of organic farming, agro-forestry and value addition in farm products is catapulting the women of Mali to financial success. This benefit allows them to educate their children who are expected to innovate even better methods of sustainability in their region with science and technology.
The world therefore should only be encouraged to support and participate in global community development because yes, it is certainly the new energy system. Agile-International will continue to develop this new energy system in community development through the initiatives being undertaken in Mali and West Africa.
By Leshao Ole Lekasi – Blogger at Agile-international