An educator and advocate for gender equity
for the last 20 years, Dr. Caroline Njuki has
worked with the church, NGOs, the UN, and
educational institutions around the world.
She also served as an Associate General
Secretary with the Global Ministries of the
United Methodist
carried out in terms of mission, vision
and values?
Will the issues that the partners
bring to the table be well defined and
understood by all?
Will it be possible to ascertain a
mutually respectful, realistic and honest
partnership, with the same understand-
ing of expectations and measures for
success?
Will there be clearly written,
understood and agreed to outcomes,
roles, responsibilities throughout the
partnership?
Unfortunately, there are often
unrealistic expectations in a relation-
ship. Many organizations make a
decision without thoroughly thinking
through the relationship. All sectors
including government, labor, education,
foundations, churches and social
organizations often fail to take respon-
sibility for tracking economic, social and
environmental issues when dealing
with their partners. HOPE5L2F is trying
to help individuals, churches, and other
interested partners understand the
nature of partnerships.
Anita Henderlight of the Africa
Leadership Initiative in the Republic
South Sudan, (Africa ELI) mentions a
partnership with Winrock International
which proved to be strong and success-
ful. Why? She says everyone delivered
because there was a clear understand-
ing of responsibilities of each partner
right from the beginning. Africa ELI
provided the services and Winrock
provided financial resources as agreed.
There was a specific time frame for the
partnership with a clear beginning and
a clear end although this relationship
was unlike the renewable long term
programs with Annual Memorandums
of Understanding between partnerships
that might or might not continue after
the yearly review.
Partnerships may sometimes require
going beyond the familiar boundaries
to explore broader collaborations. To
put this into concept, HOPE5L2F will be
participating in its first international
conference to share its mission and
vision and to establish partnerships. In
September 2014, HOPE5L2F will seek to
reach out to new partnerships at the
Women's International Conference in
Palestine where the women's role in
ending violence and promoting human
rights and dignity for all will be
discussed. This will be done through the
framework of the United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1325
(UNSCR 1325).
The aim of the conference is to
strengthen existing partnerships and
build new networks in addition to
setting up specific strategies for a
National Action Plan. The Conference
will be convened by a coalition of
women's organizations including the
Young Women's Christian Association of
Palestine. Over 1,500 participants from
around the world are expected. As
HOPE5L2F moves into the future and
establishes new partnerships, it is
anticipated that relationships created
during this conference will be nurtured
to become important players in life of
the organization.
In conclusion, it can be said that
partnerships can be challenging, but
when they are successful, we can
witness God's transforming grace. As
more and more organ i zat i ons ,
churches, and businesses increasingly
establish partnerships, more thought
and attention will need to go into why a
partnership is being established and
what the outcomes and expectation
will be. In a globalized world, partner-
ships enable all people to live out and
to express "UBUNTU" our collective
humanity.
Mission Journal
11
