Lessons Learned in 2019
MAMA HOPE’s 2019 was filled with deep humility, reflective learning, and invigorating innovation. We’ve taken time to reflect on our foundational years as an organization. We hunkered down, slowed down, and used our new energy to transition into the MAMA HOPE we need to be for the decade ahead.
Here are three of the lessons we’re trusting to help us bloom into 2020.
(1) Embrace the learning process.
As practitioners of community-led development, we’ve always known how important it is to listen first, to those we are working with and for. As an organization based in the United States, many of our lived experiences don’t allow us to have the answers for communities across the globe. So it’s our job to recognize the historic, systemic roots of inequality in international development and strive to do better. We certainly don’t always get it right. We’ve acknowledged that it’s best to always be learning how to do better, with the support of a variety of allies along the way.
We hope that in 2020 you join us on this journey. Let’s call people in, instead of calling them out, so that we can all learn to do better together.
(2) Prioritize the well-being of staff and partners.
You have to fill your own cup first, right? It’s easier said than done. For our team, we’ve supplemented financial compensation with required wellness and innovation hours for all staff, every week. We’ve prioritized creating a safe space for staff and partners to be honest about overwhelm and exhaustion, and we swapped out our sick leave policy for unlimited wellness days. We’re learning to set work/life boundaries and are feeling increasingly comfortable saying ‘no’ when needed. As a result, the quality of our work increased and the depth of our relationships grew beautifully.
(3) Transparency is key.
This year, we made a conscious decision to take on every challenge as a team. No more silo-ed teams and out-of-sight decisions made from the top on behalf of the bottom — financial, programmatic, operational, all of it. Even more, we’re proud of our continued transparency with our partners. The truth is that our pockets weren’t always full this year, and we had to ask our partners to trust us through some rough patches. When we opened the windows and unlocked the doors to our inner workings, we shared in carrying the load with our family across the globe. And of course, by doing so, our load became so much lighter and the love and support was even deeper. When we opened up about our challenges and shared in tough realities, the whole MAMA HOPE family experienced a wealth of creativity and innovation.
To every person that supported us through 2019, we thank you for allowing us space for this learning, for helping us move forward in true partnership, and as always, for championing community-led change around the world.
We’re ready for you, 2020!
