This is the poster I drew for the very first meeting of our new group at our little local church in Lacor:

Every Saturday afternoon we throw open the church’s shutters to let the light in, dust off long wooden seats and arrange them in a circle. A drummer gives us a beat for a song. We act a story from the gospel, and chew over it to fuel us. Then we have our meeting.

Can you interpret my poster?

1. We choose a problem. The picture shows us going to talk to different groups in the community to ask them what issues they care about, what issues they would work on with us. The boda boda (motorbike) association, the many little village saving and loan groups, the market vendors, the primary teachers association, the local football team.. We will pick a problem that as many groups as possible support and will work together on. In my hypothetical people-pick-a-relatively-straightforward-issue poster world, we discover that many people care about the rubbish is heaped along the railway behind Lacor market.

2. Now you see us trying understanding the problem, talking with local councillors, shop keepers, district planners. Why is the rubbish unmanaged? Is it a Subcounty council fail? Is it lack of coordination between shop keepers? What one change could improve the situation?

3. We draw up a strategy. Who can give us what we want? What will it take to organize them, or convince them? Uninspired illustration, I know.

4. Put the strategy into action. If rubbish is the issue maybe we would negotiate a new agreement on rubbish management with the District Council. Maybe we organize the shop keepers to pay a small weekly contribution, that goes to paying unemployed youth to collect and dispose of the rubbish…

So that’s the plan. We are now 6 weeks in…I’ll tell you more soon!