Movement Building for Social Impact Masterclass (MBFSI) equips change makers with practical tools to organise communities around shared challenges and build collective strategies for systemic change. While movement building has proven effective worldwide, its application across Africa remains an untapped opportunity. MBFSI addresses this gap by combining locally rooted solutions with collaborative action frameworks.
This immersive masterclass blends human centred design with hands‑on movement practice, enabling participants to confront issues such as inequality and climate change through coordinated action. By connecting diverse stakeholders in a focused learning environment, MBFSI turns individual initiatives into scalable movements and multiplies social impact.
Our 2025 Classes
MBFSI101: Welcome & Cohort Onboarding
Forty change‑makers from across Africa have begun their journey to #MeetTheMoment. The third cohort of the Movement Building for Social Impact Masterclass (MBFSI2025), powered by Development Dynamics, has kicked off a focused 10‑week programme where participants will learn, network, prototype, and take collective action. Over the course, they will gain practical tools and strategies to build resilient, adaptable movements capable of driving sustainable change amid rapid social and political shifts.
We are proud to welcome participants from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Botswana, and South Sudan.
Cohort participants
Esther Keji Ally, Mwamzola Trizah Mudambo, Wangui Kimani, Sube Salesa, Naom Kemunto, Dr. Moronya Asha Hesborn, PhD, Jacob Badolo, Felicity Mudis, Ajak Atem Diing, Eunice Mwende, Peter Lofane, Tinashe Chriswell Chigwena, Ndanji Lesetedi, Patrick Mwadori, Caroline Osik, Eric Muhandia, Nsabiyumva Savin, Winnie Okoth, Diana Nthenya, Tshepo Mokhadi, Eva Kebadile, Tom Ngaragari, Eunice Soline Muthua (CSM®), Francis Edome, Charles Msimbi, Alionya Lammingtone Dodo, Christine Njeru, Eliezer Timaiyo
We see you, celebrate you, and cheer you on. This cohort brings together senior decision‑makers and ambitious emerging leaders a powerful mix that will deepen practice, strengthen networks, and accelerate movement‑level impact.
MBFSI102: Understanding Social Movements
What causes movements to emerge, gain momentum, and reshape history? In MBFSI102 we explored how real change begins when ordinary people recognise a shared injustice and decide not to look away. Using the Iceberg Model, the session unpacked the stages of movement life – Emergence, Momentum, Transformation, and Institutionalisation, and examined how each stage influences a movement’s durability.
Facilitator Waithira Kibinda led a close reading of African‑led movements such as #BlueforSudan, #YenAMarre, and #ThisFlag, drawing practical lessons across five dimensions: Structure, Political Opportunity, Identity, Narrative framing, and Environmental justice (SPINE). The discussion connected theory to practice, showing how strategic framing and organisational choices create openings for collective action.
We thank the facilitators, thinkers, and changemakers who made the session interactive and generative. May this learning inspire movements that are strategic, rooted in authentic stories, and sustained by solidarity.
MBFSI103: Theory of Change for Movements
Our third session examined how a clear Theory of Change and a Community of Practice (CoP) model support the growth, evolution, and long‑term sustainability of movements. We revisited insights from MBFSI102 and anchored the discussion in the SPINE framework, which captures the core drivers behind why movements form and endure.
Facilitator George Chira walked the cohort through the seven stages of the CoP lifecycle, explaining the conditions that accelerate progress or create barriers at each stage. He illustrated these stages with the Kenya4Resilience story, a group that began as a WhatsApp conversation and matured into a multi‑country CoP through deliberate practice, shared learning, and sustained coordination.
To close, Nicholas Mwakuwona offered reflections from Design for Health, highlighting how different levels of Theory of Change (project, designer‑focused, and ecosystem) shape outcomes in global health. These perspectives pushed us to think across disciplines, surface assumptions, and keep the end user central to design and delivery.
This session reinforced a simple truth: building for social impact requires holding complexity, practicing collaboration, and staying rooted in community.
MBFSI104: Relationship Building 1:1s
Our fourth session focused on one of the most powerful pillars of movement building: relationship building. Facilitated by Victor Kimanthi (Senior Associate, Strategic Partnerships and Affiliate Network) with Doris Ndewa Likwelile (MBA) from the Leading Change Network, the session combined clear frameworks with hands‑on practice to deepen how participants form transformational, not transactional, connections.
Five‑step relationship framework
Attention – notice and prioritise the relationship.
Interests – surface shared goals and motivations.
Exploration – test alignment and possibilities together.
Exchange – offer value and negotiate mutual contributions.
Commitment – formalise next steps and shared accountability.
Participants practised the framework in paired exercises, modelling each step and building authentic connections in real time.
Outcomes from the session
Commitments to co‑develop proposals.
Follow‑up coffee meetings to align on shared priorities.
A stronger sense of care and solidarity across the cohort.
Week after week the cohort brings energy and curiosity. We are inspired by the momentum and look forward to seeing these relationships translate into movements that truly #MeetTheMoment.
MBFSI105: Narrative and Messaging
Facilitators
Masha Burina, Leading Change Network; Phelsia Kojwang, Insights Hub
Session summary
In MBFSI105 we explored how narrative shapes movements and why owning our stories matters. The facilitators guided a calm, focused conversation on how to craft messages that move people from awareness to action. Participants learned o shape narratives that centre people, purpose, and the change they want to see.
Core narrative elements
Story of Self – Why am I called to lead?
Story of Us – What values and experiences do we share?
Story of Now – What urgent problem demands collective action?
Practical exercise
Participants worked in pairs to develop their Story of Self. The exercise used values, leadership moments, and personal challenges to surface authentic motivations and strengthen public storytelling.
Session takeaways
Use the language of change to make ideas accessible and compelling.
Build movement narratives that highlight people, journeys, and the transformation sought.
Choose platforms strategically to amplify stories and reach the right audiences.
Closing note
Strong narratives inspire action, shape public imagination, and sustain movements over time.
MBFSI107: Digital Organising, Storytelling & Security
Facilitated by Elizabeth Wanda, Week 7 explored how digital organising, storytelling, and security combine to shape contemporary movement building. The session reframed digital spaces as active ecosystems for connection, resistance, and collective action rather than passive channels.
Participants learned frameworks for crafting digital narratives that are culturally rooted and strategically framed around the Story of Self, Story of Us, and Story of Now. The class also covered practical approaches to audience engagement, platform selection, and basic digital security practices to protect organisers and communities online.
Key takeaways
Treat digital spaces as living ecosystems that require care, strategy, and cultural grounding.
Build digital narratives that centre people, context, and urgent collective purpose.
Match platforms and formats to audience habits and safety needs.
Apply simple security habits to reduce risk while sustaining open, effective organising.
MBFSI108: Resource Development and Funding Strategies
Facilitators
Kabutu Kelvin; Sandra Mwarania, Amnesty International
Session summary
Kabutu Kelvin opened the session with a clear premise: resourcing a movement is not just about securing funds, it is about sustaining the entire ecosystem that keeps the movement alive. He urged participants to expand their definition of resources to include people, time, spaces, tools, legitimacy, and collective energy. Movements grow strongest when they activate community-driven pathways such as mutual aid, service exchanges, and trusted networks.
Sandra Mwarania shared practical lessons on ethical fundraising and financial resilience from Amnesty International. Her example showed how movements can build durable support: Amnesty sources 72% of its resources from individual supporters, demonstrating how alignment and trust attract sustained funding rather than the reverse.
Practical takeaways
Map your resource ecosystem beyond money to include social capital, spaces, and skills.
Prioritize values-based screening to protect credibility and mission integrity.
Explore community-led resourcing models like mutual aid and peer exchanges.
Build funding strategies that follow alignment and trust, not short-term transactions.
Closing note
Resourcing is relational and strategic. When movements invest in people, trust, and diverse resource pathways, they become more resilient and better able to sustain long-term change.
MBFSI109 Assessment and Impact
Session overview As MBFSI approaches its final session, we examined a core truth: movements cannot be captured as static snapshots. They evolve, adapt, face resistance, and interact with complex systems over time. Facilitator Moses Mwai Wang’ang’a guided a rich conversation on how to measure movements in ways that reflect their dynamic nature.
Three strategic lenses for measuring movements
Entity on the Move Track speed, velocity, and relative velocity to understand not only what activities occur but how those activities align with long‑term goals and respond to shifting political, social, and cultural conditions.
River of Life Measure beyond visible actions to capture the undercurrents that sustain a movement, including past strategies and ongoing practices that shape its direction.
Chess Analogy Treat movements as actors operating within structured systems. Measurement should capture influence on narratives, shifts in power, and resilience in the face of resistance.
Practical insights
Use dynamic indicators that reflect change over time rather than one‑off metrics.
Combine qualitative and quantitative methods to surface both visible outcomes and sustaining forces.
Focus on influence, adaptation, and resilience as core dimensions of impact.
Example and closing
Drawing on examples like the Green Belt Movement, we learned that meaningful measurement is about understanding movements as living, evolving entities navigating complexity. With one session left, the cohort continues to build a shared, adaptive approach to measurement that is complexity aware and practice driven.
MBFSI110: Power Dynamics
We closed the MBFSI2025 masterclass with a focused session on Power Dynamics, facilitated by Systems Practice Associate Mutile Mwongo. The class created space to reflect on the often invisible forces that shape our work and our world. Together we examined different forms of power – power over, power with, power within, and power to – and how each operates at individual, collective, and societal levels.
The conversation challenged common assumptions about empowerment and highlighted how programs can unintentionally reproduce the power structures they aim to change. Mutile pushed the cohort beyond skills building toward transforming the systems and mental models that shape relationships and decision making. From referent and expert power to coercive and reward power, the session underscored that power is never neutral and is always negotiated.
“Engaging in the Movement Building masterclass by Development Dynamics and B!ll! Now Now! was truly transformative. Connecting with like-minded youth from diverse African countries transcended borders, fostering valuable exchanges of ideas and lasting connections..”
"Participating in the Movement Building Masterclass was an incredible experience that deepened my leadership understanding. The masterclass also honed my communication skills, empowering me to be a more confident and effective leader and advocate."
"The Movement Building Masterclass was a dynamic experience, connecting me with diverse youth across Africa. Our exchanges revealed shared experiences, visions, and goals, highlighting the strength of unity and the power of collaboration for common goals. It was a collective learning journey celebrating shared connections and unique differences."
"I recently participated in the Movement Building Masterclass program cohort 1, gaining extensive knowledge on building movements. The support of Development Dynamics and BilliNowNow has been instrumental. The class empowered me to make a meaningful impact in my community, broadening my horizons."
