Strategies for
Community Mobilization
Basics of Community-based Family Planning
Who are Stakeholders?
Who do you consider to
be stakeholders in FP
programs?
Examples of Stakeholders
MOH (National, Provincial/Regional, District)
Donors, CAs, Associations
NGO/CBO partners
Health Facility ( service providers, support staff,
outreach workers)
Community (chiefs, religious leaders, women leaders,
community group leaders, community resource
persons and traditional health workers)
Community Stakeholder Participation
Why is it important to
involve community
members in FP programs?
Benefits of Community Participation
Increased ownership, support and responsibility
More likelihood of, and sustainability for, behavior
change
More cost-effective programming
Better response to community needs and concerns
Benefits of Community Participation continued:
More culturally appropriate strategies and messages
Increased coverage and access to information and
services
Increased demand
Increased advocacy for service and policy change
Increased success (results and sustainability)
Community Mobilization
What is community
mobilization?
Community Mobilization
A capacity-building process through which individuals, groups,
or organizations plan, carry out, and evaluate activities on a
participatory and sustained basis to improve their health and
other needs, either on their own initiative or stimulated by
others.
From How to Mobilize Communities for Social Change by Howard-Grabman and
Snetro 2004:3
Key Steps in Community Action Cycle
Preparing for a Community Based Program
1. Collect geographic and demographic data
2. Collect baseline FP data; review research and
survey information
3. Contact existing organizations and institutions
(NGOs, CBOs, local MOH)
4. Involve national and senior officials
Channels for Reaching the Community
NGOs
CBOs
Local government
Local leaders traditional and formal
Community Resource persons
Special clubs or interest groups
Community Entry, and Gaining Effective
Participation
Contact meetings with community leadership to
establish interest, support and buy-in
Stakeholder sensitization workshops to determine:
- community participation
- involvement of men, women and other target groups,
- geographic and demographic coverage
- goals & objectives
- clear roles and responsibilities and level of
commitment (i.e community participation plan)
Community Action Planning:
Actions should:
1) address problems agreed upon by community partners
2) include strategies that:
-Address quality
-Increase access & informed choice
-Increase demand
-Increase FP coverage
-Outline persons responsible, resources needed &
where to obtain them
-Provide a timeline & M&E plan
-Address partners skills & capacity building needs
Challenges
What are some of the challenges or difficulties in
including community participation in programming?
Challenges of Community Participation:
Less control
Time and cost
Differing priorities
Stakeholders disagree
Community volunteer motivation
Community skills and capacity
Selection of community participants may be biased
Contraceptive insecurity
Need to plan for sustainability from beginning