From literacy projects to art therapy; feeding schemes to disaster relief; senior citizens outreach to skills development; counselling services to child welfare and many, many more, Stellenbosch is home to an impressive network of NGOs – all hard at work to make the world a better place for the people they serve.
Yesterday, Ranyaka facilitated a conversation for members of the Stellenbosch Civil Advocacy Network (SCAN) to take a look at ways in which, together, they can achieve even more. Representatives from the local municipality, Stellenbosch University and the Western Cape Department of Health also joined in the conversation.
At Ranyaka, we believe that an understanding of the eco-system surrounding a group of organisations who are pursuing a common agenda, is absolutely key to maximising impact and ensuring sustainability. All too often, well-intentioned interventions fail because they are disconnected.
Yesterday’s conversation centred around bridging those gaps and helping to build an understanding of a systemic approach to community transformation.
Our conversation also centred around the following objectives:
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Positioning beneficiaries as a common agenda served by many in the ecosystem.
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Defining the specific role/s they play in the lives of their beneficiaries.
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Unpacking the roles other organisations play / should play in serving the same common agenda.
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Unpacking which other systemic elements are required to function well in order for collective impact to be achieved by all serving the same beneficiaries.
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Discussing a systemic order for interventions.
With such a formidable team tackling the challenges facing Stellenbosch, we are excited about what the future holds and privileged to be able to work alongside SCAN on this journey.