Makhamuni Chauke, a social worker who was part of the Pillar 1 team in Sol Plaatje Municipality, stated at the refueling station that "this work is all about love". She was loving the work, her colleagues and the impact they were seeing and experiencing. There is a buzz in the air! Many organisations working on GBVF issues are reaching out to End GBVF Collective to find out how they can organise their own 100-Day Challenges: “Where can we get some guidance? How do we start?" asks one of the social workers. It is a pivotal moment in the trajectory of this work in South Africa. If carefully managed, this work could grow and transform the way society tackles the GBVF pandemic, or it can potentially fizzle out as the momentum of this short-term strategy declines, producing a far lower impact than intended. A moment that stands out for me in two decades of social impact work, is the 100-Day Challenge that took place in Nicaragua. This was the first time I was asked by a team leader at the World Bank to introduce the 100-Day
The hall went dead silent as the farmer gathered his thoughts: he stood up and said, “I have been a farmer for the past 40 years, and my father was a farmer before me. Over the years, many from the Government and all kinds of other agencies came to give us advice and tell us what we needed to do to improve our productivity. This is the first time someone asked me what I wanted to do!” I carry this moment with me in all 100-Day Challenge work. It is a reminder of the power that can be unleashed when those closest to problems feel the agency to solve these problems. The hardest, yet most-gratifying part of 100-Day Challenges is creating the conditions that enable people closest to the problem to genuinely feel the urgency, and to feel trusted, seen and respected. Many of us feel disenfranchised in our work, We get used to being told what to do. Finding our voice is liberating and the greater task of the 100-Day Challenges was to help each person involved find their voice which in turn creates an enabling environment for workers in this space to keenly champion their initiatives, and even go the extra mile. As Makhamuni says, "This work is about love”. As we move into the next phase, we need to keep this principle in mind: to ensure that these projects do not become empty shells, with the form of 100-Day Challenges but without a soul. After the review and impact assessment of the 100 Day Challenge has been successfully completed, the hope is that we can collectively create strategies for scaling this which may include a new approach to the 100-Day Challenges, peer learning laboratories, policy forums, training for ambassadors and leaders, and national campaigns that will mobilise local teams in every local district and municipality of South Africa. "What makes it so powerful as a catalyst for collaboration, a platform for trying new ideas, building for persistence and a conduit that reignites love and passion for the work?"
Challenge at their annual World Bank agriculture project where six 100-Day
Challenges were launched. They were hugely successful. We gathered 100 days after the launch to hear the teams describe what they had achieved and what they had learnt. An old farmer, who was one of the team members, was sitting at the back of the room. It was a large hall with more than 100 people. Others were sharing their testimonials however the farmer remained quiet. I recall his straw hat, the occasional glint in his eye, and the hint of a smile on his weathered face. On an impulse, I turned to the farmer, and I said: “You have been very quiet. We would love to get your perspective on the last 100 days”. “It is worth pausing and reflecting on the essence of 100-Day Challenges."
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