COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

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 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
INTRODUCTION
Social mobilization is the primary step of
community participation. It allow people to think and
understand their situations and to organize and initiate
action for their recovery with their own initiative and
creativity. Through mobilization people can organize
themselves to take action collectively by developing their
own plan and strategy for recovery rather than being
imposed from outside.
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• Communities that take charge of their own
recovery will make informed decisions reach
sustainable solutions and achieve better results
faster while at the same time enhancing their
solidarity and capacity to undertake
development initiatives.

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 DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Community Participation is defined as the
involvement of people in a community in projects to
solve their own problems. People cannot be forced to
‘participate’ in projects which affect their lives but
should be given the opportunity where possible. This
is held to be a basic human right and a fundamental
principle of democracy. Community participation is
especially important in emerging food and nutrition
programs.

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COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AS A PROCESS
Community participation in development
is the process by which groups of community
residence affects the planning, implementation,
management, utilization or maintenance service,
facility or activity.

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WHAT IS A COMMUNITY ?
Made of people or families who have the following
characteristics :
• living in the same geographical area
• Share common problems and aspirations
• Have similar development goals
• Have similar interests and relationship at local level
• Have a common way of communication
• Sociologically and psychologically linked

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. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
IN DIFFERENT SITUATION

1. Top – down - approach

As a traditional approach the decisions are made
by senior persons so called “ Experts.

2. Bottom -Up Approach

• Traditional approach we make decisions and
Expert them to follow. All the decision making
and priorities are set by the external agency

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AIMS OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

The community develops self- reliance

The community develops critical awareness
The community develops Problem solving skills

TYPES OF PARTICIPATION

Passive Participation
Active Participation
Community Involvement

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 PASSIVE PARTICIPATION
• In this type of participation individuals or families
are mere spectators

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
• In this type of participation they may carrying out
some tasks in a program but are not involved with the
final decision making in what is to be done. The final
decision in such cases are made by people who are
not members of the community in such situations, the
community does not develop a sense of self- reliance

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 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• In this type of participation the community is
involved in a all aspect of a program. This type of
approach allow the community to participate
willingly to improve its own socio economic status.
It is important for a community to participate in
every stage of any program for it to have long
lasting results.
i.e. Thinking, planning, acting and evaluating

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DIMENSIONS OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Community participation has three dimensions

1. Involvement of all those affected in decision

making about what should be done and how

2. Mass contribution to the development efforts

i.e., to the implementation of decision

3. Sharing in the benefits of the program

(World Bank, 1978)
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 ACTIVITIES OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Expressing opinions about desirable
improvements , prioritizing goals and negotiating
with agencies

PLANNING
Formulating objectives, setting goals, targets

MOBILIZING
Raising awareness in a community about needs,
establishing or supporting organizational
structures within community 12
TRAINING
Participation in formal or informal training
activities to enhance communication,
Construction, maintenance and financial
management skills

IMPLEMENTING
Engaging in management activities; contributing
directly to constructions, operation, and
maintenance with the labor and materials
;contributing cash towards cost, paying of services
or membership fees of community organizations

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INCENTIVES OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
• Community participation motivates people to work
together – people feel a sense of community and
recognize the benefits of their involvement
• Social. Religious or traditional obligations for
mutual help
• Genuine community participation – people see a
genuine opportunity to better their own lives and
for the community as a whole
• Remuneration in cash or kind

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 FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE THE DEGREE OF
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION POSITIVELY.

• Relevance and Accountability

• Education status of the community
• Community Infrastructure
• Economic factors
• Social and cultural factors
• The level of inter sector collaboration
• Political stability
• Good leadership
• Motivated community
• Locally available resources

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 BENEFITS FROM COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
• Community Participation comes from a variety of
sources , including lessons learned from the failures
of conventional top down planning as well as the
achievement of community based programs.
• Communication often have detailed knowledge about
their surroundings.
• It makes sense to involve communities in making
plans because they know local conditions and
possibilities for change.
• If the community is involved in choosing priorities
and deciding on plans , it is much more likely to
become involved in the program and take up the
services.
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 TYPES OF COMMUNITY GROUPS
Pressure Groups
A group of self- appointed citizens taking action on
what they see to be the interests of the whole
community putting on pressure to improve the
school, garbage collection do something to bad
roads etc.
Welfare Groups
Exist to improve the welfare of a group
e.g. feeding programs

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 APPROACH AND OBJECTIVES

AWARENESS BUILDING APPROACH

A conscious process of organizational
development and empowerment of the
disadvantaged people at the grass root level.

Objectives:
- Social Empowerment
 Increased community control over
resources and decisions
 Institution building
 Increased political participation
- Economic upliftment
- Participation as an end in itself 18
 PROJECT APPROACH
- is a project centered approach initiated through solid
interventions by both government and other
community like the NGOs.

• Objectives:
- Economic upliftment through
 PROJECT COST SHARING – beneficiaries may be
expected to contribute labour, funds, materials or
to undertake maintenance of project

 INCREASING PROJECT EFFICIENCY – consultation, with

beneficiaries during planning or beneficiary
involvement in the management of project
implementation or 0peratins.
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 INCREASING PROJECT EFFECTIVENESS –
Beneficiary contribution in project design so that
appropriate activities are included to ensure that
objectives are achieved and benefit those that need
them

 BUILDING BENEFICIARY CAPACITY –

Training beneficiaries to prepare them for active
involvement in planning and management of the
project

 EMPOWERMENT –
Increasing the control over community resources and
processes affecting their lives.
 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT –
Participation as a means of project implementation 20
 LEVELS OF INTENSITY IN PARTICIPATION
OF COMMUNITIES
The following levels of intensity in participation
are presented in a sequential order:

Information Sharing:
Project planners and managers may share
information with beneficiaries in order to
facilitate collective and individual action

Consultation:
Beneficiaries are not only informed by consulted
as well on key issues at some or all stages of the
planning cycle
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Decision making:

Beneficiaries have a decision making role in planning

and implementation. Decisions may be made
exclusively by beneficiaries or jointly with others
specific issues or aspects relating to the project.

Initiating action:

Beneficiaries are able to take the initiate in terms of

action or decisions pertaining to a project: Initiative
implies proactive capacity and the confidence to do
things independently.

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 COMMON OPERATIONAL FEATURES OF
PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT APPROACHES

Clear focus on the target groups :-

The communities of the poor and disadvantaged
groups (landless, small marginal farmers, women,
backward classes, tribal communities,
unemployed, depressed occupational groups, city
slum dwellers etc.)
Institutional grassroots organization characterized by
• Clear social objectives
• Accountable leadership
• Homogeneity of interest(based on class,
grades, community, occupation or social
groups) 23
 Conscious involvement of rank and file members of
the group in :

• Identification of community interests

• Articulation of development objectives
• Formulation of action plan
• Group action for implementation of deployment
projects
• Generation of local and external resources
• Selection of leadership style
• Collective evaluation of self-criticism

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MICRO LEVEL DEVELOPMENT ACTION OR
GREATER WELFARE OF THE GROUP
THROUGH ENHANCEMENT OF ITS
POLITICAL/ SOCIAL POWER AND HIGH LEVEL
GROUPS THROUGH:

• Project activities and investment choices

based on estimates of benefits and costs

• Technical assistance
• Project management
• Projects evaluation
• Other technical functions, e.g. extension,
credit etc
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 MAIN CATEGORIES OF IMPACT IN THE
EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION:
EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS
PROJECT MPLEMENTATION

IMPACT OF THE PROJECT LEVEL

• The efficiency of project implementation

• Effects on project costs
• Speed of project implementation
• Quality of facilities and services

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- IMPROVING PROJECT EFFECTIVENESS

• Condition of project infrastructure facilities

• Beneficiary involvement in the process of
project maintenance
• Financial and labour contribution of projects
Beneficiaries to projects maintenance.
• Beneficiary involvement in the process of
project maintenance
• Financial and Labour contributions of project
beneficiaries to project maintenance
• Beneficiary involvement in the process of
project management
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- BUILDING BENEFICIARY CAPACITY
• Creation and strengthening of community
organization which can manage the project
• Initiation of new projects by the community
• Beneficiary negotiation with outside organizations
involved in the project

- IMPACT AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL

• Increased community control over resources
• Increased resource mobilization in the community
• Increased access to outside resources
• Increased community involvement in project
planning and in monitoring of the use of externally
provided resources
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- INSTITUTION BUILDING
• Increased participation in community political and
cultural activities
• Evolution of representative community organizations
to include organizational and administrative capacity
of community organizations

- INCREASED POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

• More active community participation in the activities
of local and national organizations
• More community involvement in labour and cultural
activities of the city/ municipality/province/region
• Beneficiary negotiation with outside organizations
involved in the project
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 SUMMARY
• Social Mobilization is a process of community
participation
• The whole community shares the responsibility in
solving problems through increased awareness,
organizing, linking and sharing of services and
resources and joint decision making.
• Political participation is reconciled with actions of
community at large.
• Community participation can be project-centered
and process-oriented to building awareness.
• The impact of community participation is
measurable at community level.

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