Strategies of participation in development projects
This essay deals with strategies to mainstream
participation in development projects which involves different typologies,
processes and key methods. Participation is basically a process in which all
member of a community or organizations are involved and play different roles
regarding development activities and projects. Ensuring effective participation
in development process makes it more significant and successful among people
because each of a participant is contributing in it. This essay highlights view
points of different authors like Carl Bruch, Mayo, Arntein, Alen Reid and Eade.
It also discusses importance of participation and different ways of
participation which includes learning, education and awareness programs, need
assessment, capacity building and technology.
Bruch
collects many experiences and lessons to enhance participation and public involvement
in international watercourse management. He highlights successful mechanisms
and approaches to enhance participation which ensures that people have access
to information about watercourses that affects their participation in
watercourses activities. According to him, firstly participation needs
awareness among people that what factors are threats to environments. This
knowledge let them decide that whether the action is necessary or appropriate.
Also there is a need to aware people about ongoing projects and activities that
could affect watercourses. This builds trust, decision-making power and
empowers them. . One way to improve public access to decision-making processes
is to take the process to the people to make it easier for them to participate.
Secondly in order to realize effective participation it is necessary to address
historical, geographical and financial constraints. NGOs can also be play vital
role in improvement of participation process. They help to establish trust and
connection between government and civil society (Carl Bruch, Libor Jansky, 2005).
Participation
can also be made effective through videos, films and theatre; also they have
histories in community development. According to UN report on Popular
Participation in Development, this is one of the emerging trends to communicate
with people and make them active for participatory approach. This project based
on film-making technology at the disposal of the local people, who used the
process of making the film to explore and face their problems, and then
communicates their views directly to the provincial cabinet. Replies from a
cabinet representative were then filmed and sent back to the local communities
in question. Through these processes, communication was improved as attitudes
and awareness changed (UN 1971). Now
case study In Vietnam will be discussed that how this approach helped community
to participate in community development. Oxfam explored the prospects of
participatory video in Vietnam in nineties, and also started the videos
potential for reflecting back the voices of underrepresented which enables them
to communicate more effectively. This process helped to develop dialog between
community and decision makers. Also video tapes were made, played back,
discussed and edited, all with the villagers’ active participation. Women, men
and children all took part in lively discussions in their community issues and
development like water storage and irrigation issues (Mayo, 2001).
This case study clearly shows that videos and films can be also used as a tool
for active participation in different development projects.
Sherry
Arnstein gave a very popular and well known framework of participation in which
he used ladder as a metaphor for explaining participatory planning for
projects. Later on the Ladder model was modified and explained in different
ways. Basically this model provides typology of participation that helps
different groups and institutions like health professionals, social workers,
NGOs and youth organizations. Since in 1980s the Ladder has became a well used
model in planning, discussing and evaluating approaches in child and youth
participation in community based projects. The Ladder consists of eight rungs,
the below rungs of model are manipulation and therapy which deals with to
enable powerholder to educate participants. Then there are third and forth
rungs i-e Informing and consultation which allow the have-nots to hear and have
a voice. The fifth one is placation which allows citizens or poor to give
suggestions but power will be still remainwith powerholders to check
feasibility of a plan or suggestion. The sixth is partnership that enables them to negotiate and engage
in trade-offs with traditional power holders.. At the topmost rungs, (7)
Delegated Power and (8) Citizen Control, have-not citizens obtain the majority
of decision-making seats, or full decision-making power(Arntein, 1979).
Alan Reid connects participation and learning
process. He discusses different participatory approaches to education that
focus environmental, health and sustainable challenges. He argues that participatory
approaches to educations are tools of development, sharing knowledge and skill
that led to the community building.Education and awareness could be given to
the people by organizing participatory workshops in education and training;also
education should be given to children and youth to engage them in developmental
activities through schools and colleges(Alan Reid, Bjarne Bruun Jensen, 2007). I would further
stress on his argument that when people are fully aware and educated, then they
know what is good or bad, what is suitable for community, what should be done
and how? Also when they are given participatory education, they will more
likely to involve in development and betterment of the community.
There is another important tool which can
increase participation in community based development, that is need assessment
programs which refers to the identification of the assets of the community and
determine potential. An estimate of needs of a community is taken by simply
asking their opinion about issues they are dealing with. There are different
techniques of need assessment programs like key informants approach, focused
group interview, existing data interview etc. A public meeting is held and all
the members of the community are encouraged to attend to have discussions and
express their concerns and needs(IOWA
State University).
Participation
of people in development process can also be enhanced by building up their
capacities, in this approach people are not depending on the state or no
demanding aid and it can be an effective method of reducing poverty in long
term. In this way when people get mobilized, they participate according to
their capacities they can use them at best to attain their goals for instance
if people of some area have land and water resource at hand then capacities
should be build up by the organizations or their government to support the
rural people as Eade argues that people
become more vulnerable if they are not provided by the services which enhances
their capacities and he argues that project based interventions have made them
more vulnerable and aid dependent then before so in order to come out of any
crisis and gain their involvement, it’s important to build the capacities of
local people (Eade, 1997).Therefore
capacity building can also be an important factor of participation.
.Participatory
approaches must be gender sensitive. Both men and women should be given a
chance to participate without any differences. Cornwel argues that
participatory methodologies and approaches should clearly explore, analyse and
work with differences between women and women and men and women of different
social groups of society. Therefore gender mainstreaming is also important for
mainstreaming of participation because both men and women should have say and
opportunity to participate(Cornwel, 2001)
Conclusion
So
participation can be enhanced through many ways including need assessment
programs and capacity building. Also videos and films could improve participation
among people through which communication process is developed among local
people and decision makers. If children and young people are given
participatory education in schools, colleges, seminars and workshops they will
also come forward to participate in community-based projects. People should be
given a chance to give suggestion and advice for their community issues and
also their consensus is important to initiate any development project. So these
strategies should be used to enhance participation.
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