Neglected by government, traditional rural communities take control of their development

That “something,” she and Dave initially thought, would be the rebuilding of the tumbled-down school. But in order to enjoy the benefit of it, the children – riddled with parasites and malnourished – would need to be on a better footing. Which meant health resources and parent education. It soon became clear that only a holistic intervention would be most effective. And so Bulungula Incubator was born.

Many ventures fail because they don’t understand the extent of the challenges. For Réjane, the research phase, therefore, was all about understanding the territory. Was there someone else doing work similar to what she had in mind? What could she learn? What could and should she align herself to? What were the strengths of the community? What traditional development assumptions needed to be challenged?

She began to truly appreciate the power of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and the fellowship of her Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa class: “I had no idea how powerful and resourced the Fellowship is. “For me, that is the research process: having every coffee, every conversation. The 80:20 principle applies – you’ll get 80% of the help from 20% of the people – but you have to speak to all 100%.”

The BI is established now, and the success measures are proliferating. Sustainability is at the heart of all her endeavours, so Réjane’s leadership goal continues to be “to work myself out of a job.”

On the ground, this means a radical combination of respect for all aspects of humanity, and a conviction that competencies – while often hidden – can be nurtured into evidence. Every contribution is equally honored and valued: “When we do our work, it’s important to preserve the positive aspects of this strong, cohesive, harmonious community, and the cultural traditions that make it such a wonderful place.

“We do that by working at depth through the community leadership structures,” Rejane says. “It takes longer to make progress if you are taking the whole community with you. But that’s what the work is. The community must have ownership in order to want to protect what you’re building.” It is central to Rejane’s view of the world that leadership and successful collaboration go hand in hand – she credits her husband, her team and the community with the multiple successes of the BI's work, such as a graduation ceremony for the pre-primary schoolers organized and paid for by a community which previously had no reason to place any apparent value on education.

There are many operational challenges. For instance, when the pre-primary school was ready, the government agreed to fund certain ongoing operating costs but required expenses to be paid by check. Not one person from the village had ever seen a check. But banking is a must, and in line with Réjane’s philosophy of management, those responsible for the school – some of whom were themselves illiterate – would need to open the account and manage it. Therein lies an entire learning journey.

And there are many areas in which answers are not clear. “It’s all very well to talk about the rights of children,” says Réjane. “But what do you say when the elders then ask who is going to look after them in their old age?” In traditional communities, children seldom travel far or stay away long, and it is assumed that they will care for their parents as they age. Intervening in the system – helping to equip children for success in a modern world, for instance – has consequences that need to be part of the discussion.

Réjane describes Bulungula Incubator’s work as “the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life. There are so many variables, there are so many things I don’t understand about this culture, about this work, about this place, about people, about what motivates people.”

When asked about her measures of success, Réjane could point to any number of statistics, like the fact that every household in the four villages covered by BI now has access to running water. Instead, she talks about one small girl, the daughter of an alcoholic father and a mentally disabled mother. Psychometric tests showed that the little girl was exceptionally bright, so the Bulungula Incubator got her into a scholarship program from Grade 1 at a school in the nearest town, Umtata. Now in Grade 5, the little girl is excelling in math, English and sports.

“When I see how quickly a life can change and how the life of her whole family can change, I wouldn’t need anything else to feel satisfied about my work,” says Réjane.

In these later stages of her venture, Réjane and her team are engaging more with how their work can be systematized and, leveraged – the intention, after all, is to enable government processes that others can then build on. It’s a reflective time: “There’s a lot of noise in terms of the emotional weight when you’re doing development work; and each of us has our own baggage and context. I have had to learn to take time out and just sit with the challenges; to clear my soul to see things clearly.

“You have to see the long term in the face of the immediate need,” says Réjane. “There are not enough years in my life to see this work done.”