TRANSPARENCY

Transparency is the concept of having a clear view about the processes, structure, and finances of an organization from the point of view of each and every member. The transparency concept can even extend to our patrons, sponsors and donors who contribute to support us in what we do and need.

Transparency is clarity. In humans, it is the work of a good, clean, honest and loving heart.It is more or less about having everything on the table for everyone to see, so that while we work together we can view and appreciate how our efforts are taking shape. In an organization, it is the promotion of the common goals of all members above that of any one individual member. Transparency promotes trust and peace amongst members.

For who wants to make something that never takes form but fuels and ends in disappointment and despair?

If we have transparency, and when we do have problems, we understand how this problem came about so we can take steps to remedy the situation. Being honest with each other in our mutual dealings can be a very powerful tool that can bind us together as an organistion. On the contrary, being crooked with each other can be an equally powerful tool that can disperse us. Then it will be another many years before we can get over our feelings of frustration, anger, betrayal, etc, and again be gathered back together like our Lord's proverbial flock of sheep.

In order for us to understand how important the concept of Transparency applies to us as an organisation, we must be able to picture in our minds the different relevant scenarios we can find ourselves in.

1.the inappropriate management of funds
2. unaccountability of finances from the point of view of members, whether or not these funds are well managed.
3. take all measures to avoid doubt (masalosalo) in our dealings.
4. making your doubts known so that someone reliable can explain to you what you need to know. Don't hide your questions but ask it, no matter your reservations.
5. good record keeping to help us improve and avoid costly mistakes, especially mistakes that we made before.
6. avoid mixing in harmful politics with our agenda, especially those that can hinder our progress and cause.

7. Some people see loopholes as challenges to prove their intelligence. Having guidelines to attain transparency will decrease the amount of loopholes left to exist, and all members will know that those loopholes that do exist should be applied only to certain incidents and cases, and not for getting away with proof of intelligence, stupidity, or criminal intent. As long as all members stay away from those loopholes, there will be transparency.

8. There is no transparency if you are furnishing misleading information, or wrongly report crucial key information while still be technically in line with legal standards.

9. Conspiracies engineered to promote an individual or a minority of a group’s agenda, which injures or damages the progress and well being of the whole organization.

 Take the Rugby game as an example, all the players involved know the rules of conduct and engagement through practice and game experience, and because rules have been streamlined down through time, noted, written and rewritten. We can say that the game has transparency because everyone knows the rules they have to play and abide by. And each team has their own internal team view of transparency about how they have practiced to play their strategies to win; that is unless they don’t practice anything at all. On top of that, games have referees to police those rules to make it a fair game; for everyone involved, including the spectators. So at every stage of the game, each player knows, and accepts how they got every stage they are in, and how they are going to get to the next stage they aim for, or why they didn’t get to a stage that they did aim for.

Transparency is about functioning as a team with the utmost clarity, and theoretically speaking, honesty. Machines and animals cannot practice honesty, only people can. Transparency mostly brings out the best in humans working together.

And if other people and organizations, especially sponsors and donors, see us not only for what and who we are, but that we have a high code of transparency, I personally feel that they won’t have to think twice to get behind us and support us in whatever we do and what we ask for. For where there is transparency, there is integrity and trust.

 There is no transparency when and while the leaders of our association practice clarity, honesty and integrity while the other ordinary members are crooked, or even the other way around. As an example, you should not pledge something and not try hard to make it happen. Your word is your honor- it can be the only thing that brings honor or dishonor to your name. And if one person is dishonored, then so can the group and family be dishonored. If you can’t afford to contribute something, say that you can’t pledge anything this time because it’s out of your budget- you can always pledge at another future time. You will have let the other members know exactly the next step to take to avoid embarrassment to us all. And if you are genuinely poor, take comfort in the fact that the poor are God’s people, and that we are your brothers and sisters, and will help you. Transparency is in our Association when everyone is constantly contributing and practicing to make it happen. I truly believe that the end product is worth the effort.

 Transparency is like a common language that a group needs to complete a task. Without this common language, they will struggle to achieve their goals. Engineers in their jargon language, which includes certain mathematical and physics formula, are efficient at building large complex structures. Soldiers in their jargon can carry out military operations far better than the average person. In the Old Testament, when God changed the common language of the builders of the Tower of Babel to many languages, they couldn’t understand each other anymore, they couldn’t complete their task, and finally they dispersed in confusion, leaving the Tower unfinished. They could not understand each other anymore, they had lost all transparency.

Transparency is also a Christian custom. Jesus Christ always made sure that he was true, and honest about his teachings and to his apostles, and they initially were not very bright men who struggled to comprehend what he constantly taught them. In spite of this they believed in him because of his transparency and patience with them. It was only after Jesus Christ rose from the dead and went up to heaven, and when they received the gift of the Holy Spirit that they then saw all the truth in what Jesus had been teaching them, other than the many languages they could speak.

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today"

-----Franklin Delano Roosevelt

(Note: This page is not about me pointing a finger at anyone but about my trying to write something about transparency that can remind us of what has happened or can happen to threaten the bonds that enable all of us to work together harmoniously. It is about searching for the right formula that can strengthen us as a group. I will be talking to you all and individually, and from your inputs, edit this page constantly. This is our page collectively, so I suggest you read it constantly and help me with it. I try to observe and analyse stories about past frustrations, problems, troubles and remedies that I have witnessed or heard of. I want to use such examples to help us go forward. We can speed up how we work together and what we can accomplish, for after all, we can afford only so much time, energy and money )