In January 2025, SeeChange's executive director Rachel Kiddell-Monroe was a guest on an episode of the "The Power Shift: Decolonising Development" podcast, hosted by Professor Kate Bird and Dr. Nompilo Ndlovu of the Development Hub.
Rachel discussed her journey in the humanitarian sector, her disillusionment with its evolution into a structured industry, and her motivation to establish SeeChange in 2018 to promote a community-centered approach and decolonization.
Rachel elaborated on the Community First pilot project with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which co-created health strategies with affected communities. She also highlighted her work with Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic, addressing tuberculosis and mental health issues through co-created initiatives.
Rachel described the challenges of working in remote and expensive regions like Nunavut, the ongoing colonialism, and the lack of political will to change. She emphasized the importance of community engagement and the need for humanitarian organizations to reflect on their practices.
The conversation touched on the broader issues of complicity in structural racism and coloniality within the humanitarian and development sectors. Rachel advocates for practical actions, such as standing up in meetings, refusing to participate in non-diverse panels, and supporting anti-racist and decolonial movements.
Rachel also introduced three practical tools developed by SeeChange: a pandemic response roadmap, the CommunityFirst framework, and a participatory monitoring and evaluation toolkit. These tools aim to facilitate community-centered approaches and improve outcomes in humanitarian work.
Read the transcript of the interview.
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