Need a break from obsessing on that which I cannot change – USAID withdrawal

Daily writing prompt

Do you need a break? From what?

Do I need a break, yes.

From what? Obsessing on that for which I have no power to change.

For example, President of the United States (POTUS) Donald J. Trump’s administration’s decision to withdraw United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from around the world.

Some of the posts that I have read on social media, posted by Ugandans are so depressing and outrageously fear mongering. Most, seemingly based on a significant doze of ignorance about the primary objective and the ‘real role’ that serves US interests, for which USAID was established in the first place.

Granted, it is fact that the outlook of the current POTUS and the one in whose reign USAID was established differ. POTUS John F. Kennedy’s outlook, case in point, was “civility is not a sign of weakness … let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”

Compared to POTUS Trump’s outlook … I digress, I need a break from this.

Let me stick to what is within my means to do and what I advise my fellow nonprofit actors to do to cope through these shocking times.

Review things that you were outsourcing. Figure out, which you can do in-house and do them yourselves. When a decade ago, for example, our organisation decided to re-focus our work to our mission for which we were founded, we had to take the chill pill.

When calmed, we appreciated that it is not going to be business as usual. We had to cut down lean, so that we may grow back big, but within the spirit and intentions of our founding mission.

Not a good time, when we are trying to grow big, for USAID withdrawal to happen, but it is what it is.

Lucky for me, our CPAR Uganda partnership with GlobalGiving, comes with opportunities to have free access to self-learning knowledge and tools. Loads provided through the GlobalGiving website and through training delivered by others and sponsored by GlobalGiving.

For example, I am was a beneficiary of the Lightful BRIDGE Programme under the sponsorship of GlobalGiving. It is has been a slow process coming, but now I am beginning to fully appreciate the advice and learning via GlobalGiving.

One such learning is that it is crucial for actors in nonprofit organisations, especially the Board of Directors and top management, to appreciate that the organisation’s website, in essence, is the organisation’s calling card.

Its design, its content, and how visitors engage within nonprofit organisation’s website is key. It may not translate to funding right away, but a good website is a recommended foundation for fundraising.

So, this year, I am on a mission to learn more about how and take action to improve the design, content and engagement on our organisation’s website. WordPress, has accessible options for hosting, templates and tools for establishing and maintaining a website – in terms of cost and technical ease.

This I can do. Establish, build and maintain simple websites with the help of WordPress. I am thrilled to see how the performance of our website is improving, because of the advice we have followed and implemented from GlobalGiving, Lightful and WordPress.

Yesterday, was a good day. The advice on content and form of posts on our website is working. We are getting more likes; and attained two major milestones one day!

Message from WordPress

And we broke the record of likes in one day.

The post that did it, attracting the record breaking likes, is: “Hand hoe remains among most important inventions,”

I have taken the long route to make my point, but this is one of the ways, working on our website, that I am deliberately taking a break from the USAID withdrawal related depression and fear mongering.

And besides, I honestly believe that the primary reason for establishment of USAID will prevail and things will be back to that normal soon.

In the meantime, please do visit our CPAR Uganda website, and give me some feedback. Do so in comments to this post and or to posts and pages you view and or read on the CPAR Uganda website.

Thank you and I wish you a happy break!