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CREAW founder Ann Njogu. [Courtesy]
Institutions do not collapse all at once. Most often, they drift. They drift slowly from their founding truths. From the values that gave them purpose. From the sacrifices that built them. One day, they wake up to discover they still have offices, logos, programmes, and funding — but no longer remember who they are.
That is the danger facing many civic institutions today, including women’s rights organisations across Africa. And it is why, at the launch of CREAW’s Strategic Plan 2026–2030, I found myself returning not to policy language or donor frameworks, but to memory.
Because memory is what protects identity. I am Ann Njogu, principal founder of the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW). After many years away from a CREAW platform, I returned recently not to give a report, but to ask a question: what is the soul of this organisation, and who keeps it safe?
