Organize the Community for Action

STEPS
  1. Orient the community
  2. Build relationships, trust, credibility and a sense of ownership with the community
  3. Invite community participation
  4. Develop a "core group" from the community

STEP 3: Invite community participation.

Early on in the Organize the Community for Action phase, you need to identify those people and groups who are most affected by and interested in the CM health issue and invite them to participate in the program. These are the people who most directly experience the effects of the problem and who need to be involved in finding appropriate solutions. You may also want to consider inviting those who are successfully dealing with the problem (despite difficult circumstances), the “positive deviants,” to share their experience. While some of these people will no doubt attend the community orientations described earlier, it is important to be proactive in identifying others who may not immediately come forward for a variety of reasons. In most cases, this can be done by looking at epidemiological data to identify demographic/geographic patterns (if available), consulting community organizations and leaders, and inviting participation at general community meetings through local media and other means.

VIETNAM: Humor

Trust took time to build in the PANP community mobilization project in Vietnam, given that the initial SC team did not speak Vietnamese, that collaboration between SC communities had initially been directed by district officials, and that SC was one of the first American organizations working in post-war Vietnam. "Trust was established through clarity of purpose," a staff member later observed, "[through} transparency of intention, mutual respect, working side by side, learning from each other, admitting and learning from mistakes, celebrating small successes, and humor, humor, humor."

Monique Sternin, SC Vietnam

Development agencies have tried many different approaches to involve community groups. These approaches are usually based on the goals of the program, the organization’s development philosophy, the assumptions the program team makes, and the program’s resources and constraints. Here are some examples of strategies that have been used to invite community participation.

  • The CM program team holds several meetings with local leaders and/or specific community groups to explain the program’s goals and objectives, the approach the team is taking, details about the strategy they are using, and logistics. The leaders then introduce program team members to the broader community at a regularly scheduled general community meeting, or they may announce a special meeting if no regular meeting is planned. The invitation to attend is through formal, pre-existing community communication channels or may be through house-to-house visits to deliver personal invitations or through local media.

  • The program team identifies community organizations that are already working on health issues and asks to be included on the agenda for an upcoming meeting. Those who attend the meeting are already engaged in similar activities and may or may not be directly affected by the specific CM health issue. This approach limits the initial group of attendees to those who are already interested in similar issues.

  • The program team undertakes a study of social networks in the community to identify those key people who communicate with and influence many others on subjects like the CM health issue. These individuals are then invited to a community organizing meeting, along with others who are interested in or affected by the issue.

MOZAMBIQUE: Building trust

In 1988 in Mozambique, local authorities were initially skeptical about a U.S.-based organization working in a socialist political environment. Likewise, mobilization of communities was often linked to political causes or 'events' and not necessarily to participation in health-related activities. In many cases 'participation' was mandatory to show political support rather than a response to a genuine community need. In order to create the necessary trust to begin to work with communities, the program team used a number of strategies:

  • Held initial meetings with community and local leaders to assess interest and ask permission to work with community.
  • Conducted introductory meetings in all barrios (community neighborhoods) focused on: who they were (emphasis on nonpolitical, nonreligious nature of organization); the health and development goals of program; and, the participatory, empowering approach they were committed to.
  • Organized youth group and barrio leaders for community mapping exercise.
  • Organized house-to-house numbering for health information system (not mandatory).
  • Conducted voluntary family registration (collection of health and demographic information) in combination with growth monitoring and vaccination session.
  • Held feedback sessions in all barrios on health status and demographic data (how many children <5, woman of child-bearing age, number of children and woman vaccinated, percent malnourished/well-nourished, etc).
The family registration process was not mandatory. The teams for the initial registration were easily accessible in each barrio. Information on the day and time was made available by using signs in the local Shangaan language. It was a demonstration of desire and 'true participation' that nearly 98% of all the families turned out during their barrio registration day. Men's participation was high as it was encouraged that heads of household be present. Having men participate in their families' health and experiencing work with the NGO first-hand was a powerful way to gain support and trust for further collaboration.
Save the Children Federation- Mozambique field office

“Participation” has become popular in community development circles, and some community mobilizers may be under pressure to demonstrate an especially high level of participation. This pressure may come from donors, supervisors, community members, or others or may be self-imposed. To ensure high participation, teams may make promises of material gain or other incentives. In the short run, incentives for participation may yield great attendance. However, incentives do not set a good precedent, and when the incentives stop, so will most participation. It is usually preferable to work with a small, committed group that does not need enticements other than the opportunity to learn and the chance to improve the health of their families and the community.

Factors which influence participation
Raising awareness
Overcoming barriers and resistance to participation