All leaders exhibit one common quality - influence
When we look at history, we see many outstanding individuals that influenced others in their generation. From Genghis Khan to George Washington and many others in between, communities have been shaped by those who led them. Some past leaders have lifted people from abject poverty and deprivation to greater economic achievements, while other leaders have had a very negative impact on their communities.
Different names of leaders evoke either applause or disdain. However, there is no denying that all leaders exhibit one common quality - influence. They either influence their people to achieve higher ideals, or they influence them to a path of strife and destruction. Yet, for communities to transform, people need to develop a new mindset. It is in this mindset shift where leaders play a crucial role. People buy into the ideology of their leaders and rally to the ideals they advocate. If leaders can be impacted by knowledge and positive focus, communities can be lifted and mobilized to achieve a greater good.
EMIT works in Africa to achieve this very purpose, transforming communities by developing these agents of change. What Africa needs is not more food aid, but a mindset change that empowers people to use the resources they have, to achieve a greater good for their communities.