From Inertia to Determination: The Easter Journey of Transformation
Burundi YMCA Empowers Single Mothers Through The S2C Model
25/03/2025
Lantonirina Rakotomalala
General Secretary,
Africa Alliance of YMCA
In the midst of the current Africa's multifaceted challenges—ranging from economic hardships, internal conflicts and political instability to the shaking impacts of global realities —What is the Easter season inspiring us? Easter emerges as a beacon of hope and transformation. Easter signifies a journey or a passage from darkness to light, from despair to renewal, anchored in the resurrection of Christ.
The Holy Week leading up to Easter is not solely a period silence and reflection but a call to introspection and repentance. Repentance, in our context, involves a conscious decision to return to our foundational calling: to serve with unconditional love, mirroring Christ's life giving sacrifice. This journey prompts us to rediscover our identity and fosters self-awareness, empowering us to take responsibility to support our youth and the communities we serve.
Faith, Hope and Love: The Triad of Transformation
We all are familiar with the triad of transformation “Faith, Hope and Love”. Faith instills in us the belief in a better future; hope fuels our resilience; and love is action that translates these virtues into tangible change. As the Africa YMCA movement, guided by the transformative philosophy "From Subject to Citizen", we are called to empower youth to transition to be active citizens. With the Vision 2030, we are committed to transform ourselves, our YMCAs, our youth and our communities. This transformation is actualized through engaging activities, self-awareness, skill-building, and linking with opportunities, as outlined in our PowerSpace model. We were, and still are excellent in delivering our services under power space.
But for how long? Aren’t we called to be transformed as an organisation as well?
Questions for Reflection
How are we going to continue to give ourselves the means to offer high-impact, quality services as we have always done? How can we face up to this situation of volatility and uncertainty in the world?
Easter this year is calling an institutional wake – up, moving from routine service delivery to an innovative human centered continental game changer. We serve in a different context, more consequential challenges; and to fulfill our mission, we must adopt an organizational Metanoia, a “change of mind" - not just a change of opinion, but a fundamental transformation of the mindset, worldview, and inner orientation.
Easter invites a deep, systemic shift in the way we - as African YMCA- think, act, and relates to our mission, our people, and our environment. Easter then inspires us an opportunity to embark on profound change with Vision 2030. To fulfill our mission and have a greater impact, we need to move out of the comfort zone of subsidies and aid dependency - a state of inertia that has lasted far too long - to be more autonomous by implementing integral innovation in our movement. Again, this implies a mindset shift, cultural renewal, structural realignment, moral and ethical reflection.
Transformation to be real has to move at the same time the organisation and its people. While the purpose remains the same, approach and strategies have to change to meet the expected impact. How ready are we for that?
An organisational introspection will lead us to many question such as :
- How can we, as individuals and as a movement, embody the resurrection's power to bring about meaningful change with our youth in our communities?
- In what ways can we return to our first love and serve with the unconditional love exemplified by Christ?
- What steps can we take to transform our systems to enable dignity, justice, and hope?
As we celebrate this Easter, may we renew our commitment to live as people of hope, to shine as lights in the darkness, and to work tirelessly for a world that reflects the glory of the risen Christ.
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.” — Eph. 5:14b
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
