No more sugar coating

Time to give truthful answers to critical questions. MS Uganda set for changes following the baseline survey. Peek into the questions to be asked in future

By Japhes Mukiibi-Biimbwa, programme officer, MS Uganda

The deed has been done, and as the words from a departed scholar and researcher still ring in our ears – “Muhe, do you see, what I see?” – the challenge confronts us as partners. What do we see and what must we do?

The baseline survey shows that MS Uganda has made significant contributions to improve governance and reduce poverty as well as to mainstream gender in our partnership co-operation.

But is that enough, or is it the usual sugar coating to a bitter bill that must be taken to bring healing to what on the surface looks like a healthy situation, but nevertheless has ailments that need to be treated? That is the story of our partnership co-operation. Does it come as a surprise? No, for we all know what is happening in our different organisations, even when we are not quick to admit it.

The baseline survey report reveals that a lot remains to be done in the governance area. There are problems with boards, constitutions, and the relationships with secretariats. Such gaps hinder organisations to function in order to promote their vision.

Legality, membership and ownership

What is your legal personality as an organisation? Does it suit your vision, mission, objectives and activities? What form of ownership does it confer on the membership? Do you have the right kind of membership given your vision and mission? Are you working with the right kind of beneficiaries?

For your organisation to run properly and to give the membership and the beneficiaries an enduring interest, the above questions must be answered truthfully and where gaps are observed, they must be addressed.

In the course of the coming year and years to come, together we will ask these questions and together we will seek answers and workable solutions to them. This leads us to the next block of issues to address:

Governance and management

Hello, are we together? A wrong membership, a bad organisational structure, unclear division of roles will all affect you and determine whether you will realise your vision, mission and objectives.

If the governance and management are not proper, you will waste a lot of energies in endless conflicts and demands, which divert you from realising your vision and fulfilling your mission. Again, together we will explore the capacity of our structures, and streamline them to allow you and us to concentrate on the core of our partnership co-operation: Meeting the needs of our beneficiaries in an effective, efficient and economic way, contributing to lifting them out of poverty. And there is more:

Monitoring, evaluation and sustainability

Our expectations need to be clearly specified and understood. They should provide broad and specific objectives, from which activities are planned, as well as ensuring that the partner can continue the activities. Basing on clearly formulated indicators, reporting should specify achievements as well as the effects or outcomes from the activities. This is still a challenge to most of our partners. Therefore, together we will redesign activity frames in a way that make it possible to link outputs (achievement of results) and outcomes (impact of activities). That will enable us to assess the extent to which we can realise the objectives for which the activities were designed.

The above issues as outlined are not small challenges. But together we can make a transforming and positive change in the way our organisations are working. So do you see what we see?