Our strategic plan
Brighter Communities Worldwide Strategic Plan for 2019 – 2023 sets out a pathway for sustained growth for the organisation. Our Impact Report – 15 years of Community Development published in 2017 provided evidence that our model of working in partnership with local communities delivers results.
We are receiving requests from more communities in Kenya and beyond to work with them and this plan sets out how we can respond to this demand while recognising there is still work to do in the communities we are currently working with.
Contributing to Sustainable Development
In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 goals for a better world by 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals set out an ambition to end poverty, fight inequality and stop the impacts of climate change. They are universal in that they call for action by all countries – it is up to all of us, governments, business, civil society and the general public to work together to ‘leave no one behind’.
The level of inequality, rates of poverty, hunger, the degradation of the environment, access to energy, jobs and good health are everyday challenges in the communities we work with. We are committed to contributing to reaching the Global Goals in the communities we work through our strategies, programmes and ways of work.
The context
Globally inequality is rising; this is evident in the communities in which we work in Kenya and Uganda where extreme poverty has not been eliminated and inequality has not only persisted but deepened. Communities lack access to basic services including water, sanitation, energy and health and 100% of the households we work with in Uganda, and 60% in Kenya are living below the poverty line.
Economic opportunities and access to finance are not equally distributed and women and girls do the bulk of unpaid work and lack access to essential services including reproductive health, education and maternal health. Lack of access to essential services leads to continued poverty and vulnerability and women and girls especially are disadvantaged and marginalised.
How we plan to address these challenges
Our new strategic plan has four goals –
- Implement impactful programmes that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Build effective strategic relationships
- Strengthen organisational capacity
- Ensure strong governance
The plan sets out the contributions to be made from Kenya and from Ireland in achieving these goals. It has clear roles for volunteers and supporters in both countries on ways they can contribute to the success of the strategic plan.
Brighter Communities Worldwide’s CEO, Martin Ballantyne, says ‘I am excited about what we can achieve as we work together in the coming years to deliver on our vision for a world where strong, healthy communities can thrive, building sustainable livelihoods and brighter futures’.
