Sekani Sidira is a civil engineer by training, but her professional path took a transformative turn in June 2023 when she became involved with the Movement for Community-Led Development (MCLD). Her engagement began when MCLD signed a Memorandum of Understanding with World Vision to conduct trainings on the Participatory CLD Assessment Tool.
As a lecturer at the Malawi University of Applied Sciences (MUBAS), Sekani reflects on how traditional engineering often overlooks community involvement in project design and implementation.
“Engineers are typically trained to execute projects without necessarily consulting the communities they affect,” she explained. “But through my work with MCLD, I’ve come to realize that even the smallest intervention can have a profound impact on people’s lives — and that impact is often underestimated.”
Sekani has embraced MCLD’s values and approaches, learning to view communities as active partners. “The community is vital. If your work touches the community, they must be involved and placed at the center,” she emphasized.
Sekani’s leadership within MCLD has grown rapidly. She first served on the Steering Committee of MCLD Malawi and currently chairs the board of the National Association – a testament to her deepening commitment to the Movement’s values and mission.
Insights from the Participatory CLD Assessment Tool
One of Sekani’s most impactful experiences has been facilitating trainings on the Participatory CLD Assessment Tool. Through these sessions, she discovered the depth and diversity of community perspectives.
What makes the tool particularly powerful, according to Sekani, is its adaptability:
“The tool transforms to accommodate each group, and I learn something new from every training. For example, when I conducted a session with my university students, their questions added a completely different dimension to the training. Similarly, when I use it in a community, the questions we ask help uncover a community’s culture, identity, and values – and once you understand those, the entire picture changes.”
From Skepticism to Advocacy
Sekani admits that when she first encountered MCLD’s vision, she was hesitant.
“It was a concept I had read about, but I wasn’t convinced it would work in practice. Still, I’m naturally curious — so I dove in.”
Her perspective shifted dramatically while studying for her MBA, during which she studied the costs of total sanitation. She began to explore the role of community involvement in reducing project costs and enhancing sustainability.
“I asked myself: What if communities were actively involved in planning sanitation projects? I found that each project developed by the community thrived and was cheaper to maintain.”
These findings motivated Sekani to take on a more active role in MCLD Malawi, eventually joining the Steering Committee and later advancing to her current position as board chair. Her advocacy has extended across Malawi, championing community-led development as a cornerstone of sustainable progress.
“MCLD has transformed who I am, what I stand for, and my understanding of what we as a region, district, and village can do for development.”
Challenges of Community-Led Development
Despite the promise of CLD, Sekani acknowledges that the journey is not without its hurdles, primarily, shifting mindsets.
“Changing how people think, especially their deeply held beliefs, is slow work. You can’t just tell someone what they have known is wrong. You need to help them see that while their past experiences are valid, there’s a more effective way forward.”
Another challenge is sustaining community engagement.
“For communities, it’s no longer just about receiving. With community-led approaches, it’s about contributing and taking charge. Time, effort, and ownership are required — and getting people to consistently show up for that is not easy if it’s not what they are used to.”
Lessons Learned
Through her journey, Sekani has learned that genuine community engagement requires more than technical knowledge: it requires humility.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to be flexible. I had to let go of my ego and the belief that the more formally educated you are, the more you know. I’ve unlearned that. I’ve been taught more by people who cannot read or write than I ever learned in a classroom.”
Sekani speaks candidly about the personal transformation that came from embracing the knowledge and wisdom of communities.
“Once I allowed myself to be taught by the people I thought I came to support, I became more tolerant, more understanding, and kinder. I began to see people more clearly, to understand why they believed what they did. That changed me.”
Another important shift came in how she approached leadership.
“I used to think I had to carry everything on my own. But I learned to ask for help. And when I did, people stepped up. I realized it’s not just me — it’s us. And that gave me comfort.”
A Vision for a Self-Reliant Malawi
Looking ahead, Sekani envisions a future where communities in Malawi are self-reliant, with clearly defined identities and visions for their own development.
“Communities should be able to say: ‘These are our values, this is who we are, and this is how we will move forward.’ No matter what challenges come, they should have a strong sense of direction and purpose.”
She hopes to see MCLD reach every individual, from children and youth to the elderly, with a message of collective strength and dignity.
“I want every person to know that they are valuable on their own, but when they come together as a community, they are even more powerful. That understanding that together we are better is transformative. I want us to paint a completely different picture of what’s possible in Malawi.”
Building the Future, One Platform at a Time
Sekani sees MCLD as a catalyst for change.
MCLD Malawi is now laying the groundwork for broader impact by establishing regional platforms and subcommittees that can work more directly within districts. The goal is to decentralize leadership and give each community the tools to realize its potential.
Education is a key part of this strategy. Sekani has taken steps to institutionalize CLD principles within higher education. She has introduced regular trainings at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), engaging future engineers, planners, and policymakers.
“My supervisor was fully supportive. He said: ‘It’s important to work with both the communities and the people who will one day implement development projects or shape policies, to plant seeds in every graduate so they carry these values wherever they go.’”
“We want each community to know just how powerful they can be.”
Sekani Sidira’s story is a compelling example of how technical expertise, personal transformation, and grassroots engagement drive sustainable development. Her work offers a clear call to action: empower communities, embrace humility, and build systems that allow everyone, regardless of background, to lead.