Journey of Transformation: Lessons from the ARC South Asia Regional Convening

[Prakriti]

I recently had the opportunity to participate in the ARC South Asia Regional Convening from May 6th to May 10th in the beautiful city of Pokhara, Nepal. It was a very important and memorable experience for me. The event brought together 21 organizations from four cohorts across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, including Mangrove Hill, Pyaro Bandan Bangladesh, and the Sarambha cohort. As part of the Nepal cohort, we had been implementing Address Root Causes for only about 10 months, so this was our first convening experience. We were also very excited to host the event in our own country. It became a wonderful opportunity to learn from organizations that had been implementing ARC for one or two years.

One of the most inspiring parts of the event was the Walk Gallery, where organizations from Bangladesh, Nepal, and India creatively presented changes at the individual, organizational, and community levels. This gave me a new understanding of how to see and measure meaningful change. My learning became even deeper through the case study presentations. Hearing about a Dalit community in Bangladesh that experienced severe caste-based discrimination and had to relocate several times made me realize that the challenges of marginalization are very similar across countries. At the same time, Sadia’s case study gave me hope. It showed how a community can use its own strengths and resources to create change. Through the SALT approach, the community even developed a school and created a complete educational syllabus using locally available resources. This showed how communities can become self-reliant when they are empowered from within. This experience connected strongly with the work of our organization, Child Welfare Scheme Nepal, during community visits to two ARC communities: Upallo Amintara and Nava Janashakti. In Upallo Amintara, one of our staff members belongs to the local community, which helped us build a cooperative relationship from the beginning. It was encouraging to see their gradual progress. The journey in Nava Janashakti was very different. In the beginning, the community was hesitant, uncooperative, and resistant to our baseline assessments. However, through continuous effort and patience, we slowly built trust. Over time, the community accepted us, and our relationship became more like a family.

The biggest moment that showed this transformation happened during the convening when international participants visited Nava Janashakti. We were worried about how the community would react to visitors from different countries. However, they surprised us with their warmth and hospitality. They not only welcomed the guests but also took full responsibility for the program by giving welcome speeches and leading the interactions themselves. Seeing a community move from closing its doors to taking full ownership of a program was a powerful reminder that our work is moving in the right direction.

This convening became a meaningful journey of learning, reflection, and shared growth. Seeing the passion and commitment of changemakers from Nepal, India, and Bangladesh gave me confidence and strengthened my belief that ARC can create long-lasting and positive change in communities.

I sincerely thank all the participants from the India, Bangladesh, and Nepal cohorts, and the GFC team; Indrani, Ritu, Nawaj, and Shristi for making this journey so meaningful and unforgettable.