Linda Gobrin, Kaisa Ka (Philippines)

Possible Now is a powerful phrase. For Kaisa Ka, it spells out our resolve. Possible Now is an affirmation of what we, and other community organizations, have been practicing all along. It is the concrete translation of the collective strength of local leaders and actors, especially of small community-based organizations who have always been relegated to the side-lines, despite their concrete contributions to the local economy. Possible Now is the lived reality of grassroots women – struggling but thriving, resilient and empowered.

I believe that the Kathmandu Summit will be a powerful gathering of those who have typically been on the margins, who are now actively claiming their rightful space. It will be a gathering of diverse groups united in the spirit of creating and recreating thriving ecosystems of support, and in weaving a collective narrative of struggles, of failures and of victories. The Summit will be a gathering of incorrigible optimists.

We want to be part of conversations about reviving cultural practices and traditions of community philanthropy in all its manifestations – traditions that continue to sustain vibrant communities, even despite the aggression of development models that are alien to the people that live in them. We want to join conversations about women community leaders: the anchors and change-makers who challenge patriarchal power every day – in their homes, workplaces, communities and churches. Women are often the nerve centres of their communities.

We are also very much interested in conversations about the role of alternative economic systems. If we delve deeper into Possible Now, we will come to realize and appreciate local self-reliant economies. A self-reliant economy is a “good economy” because it produces for peoples’ needs. It is an economy where women are co-producers, wealth and produce remain in the community, and goods are shared according to need. This is what we want to revive and let flourish. This is the economy that was bastardized by the cash economy system – the same economic system that ushered in neoliberalism, and continues to produce stuff out of profit and not out of need.

Thinking beyond Kathmandu, what if the Summit could culminate in all those present endorsing a Collective Manifesto? A shared expression of our commitment to forging new partnerships, nurturing transformative relationships, opening spaces for liberating conversations, and strengthening our collective resolve to make a difference and matter.

Possible Now is confronting resistant and stubborn economic, political and cultural structures and systems that continue to exploit and suppress the seeds of alternatives that will truly liberate communities from decades of control. There is no doubt that Possible Now is a tall order – difficult and challenging but, ultimately, possible.