It is amazing how things happen. I am happy to note that the Trustees of Kenya Diaspora Alliance and Diaspora Investment Club Limited have endorsed the Memorandum of understanding prepared under my leadership and Chris Njenga (Former UN Peace Keeper) stamping the relationship with Cosmopolitan Media Services Limited. Am now looking forward to coordinate these projects involving Diaspora Agenda on the governor's magazine, TVC and the governor's Awards which was launched yesterday. A proud man I am as we link Kenyan Diaspora to local communities.

It has been an wonderful experience today though I waked up a little bit tired. Being a Tuesday and as always I feel a little bit relaxed and unforgiving lazy.

I walked in the office by 10 am in the morning and found the office relatively empty, people must have extended their time with families as we are in the middle of the broke time of the month as Investment Advisors.

Walked direct to my desk, opened my drawer and removed my laptop. I was expecting two main emails. One from the Kenya Diaspora Alliances (KDA) yahoo group members in response to my post on  'the governors awards media launch' and another from Debra Akello, the Director of Mama Sarah Obama Foundation in response to her request for my assistance in Funding Consultancy for Mama Sarah Obama Legacy Campus. As per my expectation, I received several mails but started with the two.

Under these initiatives am looking at;

• Developing a County Based, Diaspora Focused television show to be aired on TVC of Cosmopolitan Media Services Limited.
• Sourcing for funds through the Consortium for Global Development to assist in implementing the Mama Sarah Obama Legacy Campus

 Work with us in this direction for village focused development.

Community-Based Approach to Achieving the
Millennium Development Goals
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From International Goals to Local Results
The Millennium Villages Project (MVP) is a community-based approach to achieving the MDGs informed by the recommended priorities of the United Nations Millennium Project (UNMP). These recommendations include specific MDG-based, costed, and science-based sectoral interventions that are underscored by investments in strengthened governance, human resources and capacity development. Many past rural development programs hindered their potential for success when local stakeholders did not participate adequately in the development process. A community-based approach is therefore essential for the success and sustainability of the MV project. This chapter outlines key concepts underpinning the MVP’s approach to these issues, drawing upon the project’s early lessons of implementation.
 

A community-based approach is embodied in the established and known principles of participation, social and gender inclusion, equity, and local stakeholders’ ownership of the decision-making and development process. These principles of participation and local ownership guide the implementation of UNMP recommendations. Because many UNMP recommendations are aligned with national scale achievement of
the MDGs, achieving the MDGs on a local level requires a community-based approach that "localizes" the MDGs. As UNDP has outlined, this entails targeted action at the local level that accounts for local needs and priorities, garners political commitment and local ownership, and strategically utilizes the most appropriate level of government in order to achieve the goals nationally and globally. Within the MVP community-based framework, the recommended UNMP policies are adapted to community level action within each country's institutional contexts from subvillage up to district levels.
 

This process of localizing the MDGs refers not only to making the goals relevant according to local realities, but also encompasses a partnership approach to achieving MDG-based strategies that enhances the capacity of communities to plan, act, participate in, monitor, and effectively manage the development process. The cross-cutting processes of capacity development, participation, and strengthening governance support these community level MDG-based strategies.

JETHRO VISITS MOSES: AN ILLUSTRATION BASED ON EXODUS 18

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law (Jethro) saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?"

Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws. Moses' father-in-law replied, "...Teach them the decrees and the laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people - men who fear God,trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain- and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will stand the strain, and all these

COMMUNITY DECENTRALIZED DEVELOPMENT LEVEL

Basic structures for planning should include grassroots institutions such as village development committees, area development committees supported by technical staff. However this is more relevant at the level of implementation. The implementation plan should state that the political guidance (not interference) in the decentralization process is to be provided by the cabinet financing of development at the local level is  be based on the proposals aligned under strategic sectoral strategies and functions and submitted through the DDO’s office or sector heads. All projects shall be overseen by functional coordinated teams or Sector Development and Management Committee (SDMC) chaired by the district department head/ representatives. Other members of the SPMC shall include the community representatives and fund representatives. In addition, there shall be Sub Project Management Committee to oversee specific project implementation. This shall ensure there is harmony, cooperation and ownership among key stakeholders and thus control duplication. Such a structure will require a basic legal and policy framework to clearly stipulate the division of roles and responsibilities between the different funds.