The Power Shift: Decolonising Development

Community-centred approach to humanitarian work. Rachel Kiddell-Monroe interviewed.


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In this week’s episode, we talk to Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, founder of the SeeChange initiative, which seeks to take a stand in the humanitarian sector and centre communities in a decolonised approach.

Rachel tells us about taking a community-centred approach to humanitarian work which is built around connection, engagement, co-design, and reflection. They have developed practical, open-source frameworks to incorporate the needs of the communities they work with.

Rachel emphasises the importance of not only personal reflection, but also taking a stand and speaking up in spaces of privilege, acknowledging that there is a risk.

Rachel Kiddell-Monroe is an activist, lawyer, and humanitarian who has worked for many years in leading positions for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).She also founded the student-led group Universities Allied for Essential Medicines and is a Professor of Practice at McGill University in Montreal, Canada where she leads a course on Decoloniality and Humanitarian Action. 

In 2018, Rachel founded SeeChange, a Canada-based social purpose organization that works to impact humanitarian organizations to shift to a more community-centered approach, contributing to a decolonization of the sector. SeeChange and MSF cooperated on a successful 'CommunityFirst' pilot project in which MSF teams co-created health strategies with affected communities in several countries. 

SeeChange also uses this community-centered approach in its work with Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic region, where the organization supports TB and mental health initiatives that are co-created with the community. In recognition of her work in this field, Rachel was appointed an Ashoka Fellow in 2023.

If you’re interested to find out more about SeeChange, take a look here:

  • Website
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter (X)
  • Substack

Recommended resources:

SeeChange’s CommunityFirst Tools

  • CommunityFirst Framework
  • Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (PMEAL) Toolkit
  • Video about CommunityFirst pilot project with MSF

SeeChange’s Decoloniality Resources 

  • SeeChange’s Decoloniality Charter
  • D-DEI Resource Garden
...more
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The Power Shift: Decolonising DevelopmentBy Kate Bird