Development

A Community Perspective
 Development - A Community Perspective
Outline
Introduction
Learning Objectives
Definition of Community Development
What is Community Development?
Historical Background of Community Development
Components of Community Development
Steps for Initiating Community Development
Sustainable Community Development
 Introduction
• Every social worker who wants to bring about social transformation
must understand the concept of development. The term
‘development’ varies from person to person, depending on their
socio-economic background.
• Development is about local people taking control of their own lives,
expressing their own needs and finding solutions to their problems.
It relates to the needs and wants of the society, along with the
actions taken to satisfy those needs and demands. Such actions are
known as developmental activities.
• According to UNESCO’s, developmental activities are ‘conscious and
scientific processes that involve five elements: population (people),
social setup, environment, resources and technology; which when
used proportionately and in a qualitative manner ensure quality of
life at the macro and micro levels’. A community development
worker (CDW), should have a thorough understanding of all the
developmental needs and activities of a community.
Learning Objectives
 This topic enable you to:
 Define the term ‘community
development’
 Describe the scope of
community development
 Identify the steps for initiating
community development
activities
 Discuss the concept of
sustainable community
development.
 What is Community Development?
 Community Development (CD) is
 In your own words, what is the
meaning of the term ‘community defined as a continuous process,
development’?. through which community
members come together to take
collective action and generate
solutions to their common
problems.
 CD ranges from small initiatives
within a small group to large
initiatives that involve the broader
community.’
 CD produces self-reliant and self-
sustaining communities that
mobilize resources for the benefit of
their members.
 Community Development?
• The government plays a major role in community
development. Their role is to build and maintain
networks of relationships among people in a
community so that they can achieve economic and
social progress.
• As a Community Development Worker (CDW), one
play an important role as an ‘activist’ for
development. To be effective in your work, one needs
to understand the major challenges and
opportunities of the community where you work.
• This is important for strategic planning and
implementation of community development plans.
Community development has the following elements:
 Active participation against unhealthy social taboos
and social isolations
 Development of self esteem, sympathy, empathy and
confidence building
 Creative thinking and practical action
 Social adjustment and mutual support
 Involvement in the theory and practice of
community development
 Mobilizing funds to meet emerging needs
 Identification of priority areas by the community.
 Historical Background of Community
Development
 The concept of community development
has undergone drastic changes over the
years since primitive society. These
changes have been caused by the ever-
changing needs and wants of
communities.
 Let us look at how community
development has evolved from the
primitive and pre-industrial period right
through to the modern society.
 Primitive Period
 In the primitive period, the aim of community
development was to protect communities from enemies
or other communities.
 Their priority then was to establish a defense or a
strategic plan for community protection.
 Customs, traditions and taboos were the major guiding
factors in community development. A few people
guided and took leadership for community
development.
 The vast majority of members of the community were
supporters of the leaders and managers who stood for
community development.
 Pre-industrial Period
 During the pre-industrial period,
communities mobilized resources for
community development by capturing the
resources of other communities.
 The main focus of community development
was for manpower development, self-
defense and for conquering other
communities for resource mobilization.
 Industrial Period
• During this period, the main agenda for
community development was
infrastructural development and
resources mobilization for industrial
growth.
• The role of the manager in community
development was identified during this
period. However, environmental issues
were not properly addressed.
 Modern Society
 In the modern society, the focus (aim) of community development is people
and the positive elements in their social well-being. There is greater
involvement and participation of people in the planning and
implementation of community development programmes.
 Communities are empowered to make the best use of available
resources for community development.
 Human resource development is another change associated with the
modern society and one that is viewed as the ultimate goal in
community development. It is considered important to have people in the
right roles and to build their knowledge, skills and abilities. Human
beings are seen as the most important resource.
 Education, health and the quality of life of people, both at the micro and
macro levels are important in the present context of community
development.
 This shift has resulted in vast changes in the theory and practice of
community development. Peace and the ability to meet basic needs, such
as food are other essential requirements of a sustainable community.
 Components of Community Development
 Community development covers a wide range of activities and programmes.
These differ from one community to the other, and depend on the priorities,
issues, plan, problems and solutions of a community. The following are
the major components of community development:
 Child development programmes
 Adolescent development programmes
 Youth development programmes
 Women development programmes
 Welfare of the senior citizens
 Health and family welfare programmes
 Family life education
 Agricultural and allied activities
 Co-operative Service Society
 Education
 Communication
 These are discussed below:
 Child Development Programme
• Children are the future wealth of any nation
and therefore it pays to invest in their
development. The child development
programme may be viewed as a support
service for families with children from birth to
age four.
• It’s been found that the ability of parents to
support and foster the healthy and lifelong
development of their children is enhanced by
the provision of early intervention resources.
 Adolescent Development Programme
 Adolescence is a period of growth and human
development, in terms of physical, mental and
emotional maturity.
 It’s a period when adolescents are expected to
acquire adequate capacity, capability and skills
for future life. If adolescents are not well taken
care of, they can develop negative attitudes and
behaviour that can affect the development of a
community.
 It is therefore, the responsibility of the community
and CDWs to carry out programmes that promote
the all-round development of adolescents.
 Youth Development Programme
 Youth are a priceless gift to any society.
Being in a productive age group, they can
contribute a lot in the process of
community development.
 Investing in youth development in a
holistic and comprehensive manner will
pave the way for sustainable community
development.
 Women Development Programme
 Women are the silent but effective
contributors of community development.
Their contributions in domestic and non-
domestic fields are of great importance in
community development.
 It is the responsibility of a community to
nourish, care and promote the total
development of women, including their
reproductive health.
 Welfare of Senior Citizens
 Ageing is a natural phenomenon and a part of
our life cycle. The expertise and experience of
senior citizens should be utilized for
community development initiatives.
 Protection and social security of the aged
population should be the responsibility of the
community.
 Reorganization, acceptance, caring and
rearing are part and parcel of community
development.
 Health and Family Welfare Programme
 The health and family welfare
programme is an important activity
under the community development
programme.
 It includes the physical, mental and
social well- being of individuals.
 Reproductive and child health activities
are also important components of a
community development programme.
 Family Life Education
 Family life education is another important area
which needs much attention in the present context of
our social system.
 The traditional Kenyan family system is very strong
and has laid the foundation for our cultural and
family life.
 Family life education teaches individuals, their
duties and responsibilities in the family.
 It also covers the role of the family in
community development and societal
empowerment.
 Agricultural and allied activities
 Agricultural and allied activities provide healthy food for the
community. As part of community development activities, a
community should produce most of its essential food items. It
should address nutritional deficiencyby enhancing agricultural
production in the community.
 The community should also promote the use of organic and
eco- friendly agricultural initiatives in order to achieve
sustainable agricultural production. In addition, there should
be development of agro-based industries and initiatives to
protect the fertility of land, such as, the use of organic
manure.
 The community should also maintain the essential vegetables
and meats log.
 Co-operative Service Society
 The health co-operative service societies are the
backbone of community development. The co-
operative sector touches all fields of community
development.
 The community development worker can acquire
the capacity and capability to run and manage
cooperative service societies in different fields.
This would help community development through
group intervention.
 Another aim of the co-operative sector is resource
mobilization and the proper utilization of
resources for community development.
 Education
• Education is a crucial tool for community development. There
are three main types of education: formal, non formal and
informal. Formal education is a classroom-based activity
provided by trained teachers and guided by a structured
curriculum leading to certification.
• Non-formal education is a loosely organized learning
activity may or may not be guided by a formal
curriculum. This type of education may be led by a
qualified teacher or by a leader with more experience.
Whereas informal education is the learning happens
outside of a formal learning environment. Here the
teacher is simply someone with more experience such as a
parent, grandparent or a friend as well as the community and
the environmenthe/she lives in.
 Education
• Each of these types of education has its own
importance in community development.
• Non formal education can address the issues of
adult illiteracy as well as vocational and other
skill development needed to support
community development.
• Formal education produces thinkers, planners,
managers, policy makers and other
professionals needed for community development.
Indeed, as we mentioned earlier, Human Resource
Development (HRD) is an essential component of
community development.
 Education
 Education plays a pivotal role in human resource
development. Education also helps to develop skilled
manpower who can either generate employment or
be deployed in various sectors of the community. For
example, the skilled and qualified laborer's can be
utilized for the production of manpower for
community development.
 The CDW should collect data from the community on
unemployment, underemployment and
employment. The concept of a labour bank and its
effective use is very helpful in utilizing
manpower for community development.
 Communication
 Effective communication is an important aspect in
community development. Communication in this context is
not merely verbal communication, but includes various
other forms that bring people together, physically and
ideologically. For example, the construction of roads,
transportation and communication facilities helps to link
members of the community with each other and with the
globalized world.
 Communication and infrastructural development helps the
process of community development in two ways: by
creating awareness on global opportunities; and
increasing the scope for marketing, HR and other
products.
 Steps for Initiating Community
Development
Every community has its own features /l
characteristics which makes it different from
another community.
The differences may take the form of
availability and utilization of resources, culture,
attitude, behaviour and social development
needs.
The steps for initiating community
development are:
 Step 1: Goal setting
 Goal setting is the first step in the initiation of
community developmental activities. It comes before
planning and implementation.
 During goal setting, the Community Development
Worker should consider the socio, economic,
cultural and demographic aspects of the community.
 They should also look at availability of resources
like, manpower, planners and implementers.
 The goal should be “simple” in nature.
Step 2: Understanding the people in the
community
 Before planning and implementing a community development programme, it is important
to learn about the people in the community. You can do this by finding out the
following information:
 their needs,
 educational levels and requirements,
 cultural and religious compositions,
 the problem and issues they face,
 their history,
 political setup and political leaders,
 attitude of the society,
 issues relating to health,
 quality of life,
 socio-economic situation,
 employment opportunities,
 availability of co-operative sectors,
 self help groups.
 Step 3: Identify the opportunities, problems and
issues on community development

 The information you gather about the

community will also help you identify the
opportunities, problems and issues
related to community development.
 It is important to list them out before you
plan and implement developmental
activities.
 Step 4: Prioritize issues and problems
 Once you prepare a list of issues and problems in the
community, the next step is to identify the ones that
need to be tackled first.
 This should be done in consultation with the
community. The issues that demand urgent
attention should be addressed first.
 Thus, prioritizing the needs and problems of the
community according to their necessity and urgency
is an important step in community development.
 Step 5: Resource mapping
 Once you have identified and prioritized the
needs and issues, the next step is resource
mapping.
 What is resource mapping?
 It is the identification of all the available
resources i.e. manpower, material and finance
etc., required for particular development plans.
 It is very important to analyze the quality and
quantity of each resource and how it can be used
to address community development needs.
 Step 6: Plan and prepare the activity
 Once the goals have been set, the needs
identified and resources mapped, the
Community Development Workers (CDWs)
should plan and prepare activities for the
achievement of the goals.
 They can do this with the help of social workers,
decision makers, policy makers, implementers
and organizers, who are supposed to play an
active role in the planning and preparation of
community development activities.
 Step 7: Prepare the Design for implementation
 This process will help the planners and
implementers to understand the theory and
practicability in implementing the
activities/programmes.
 Special focus is to be given to the strategies of
implementation while preparing the design.
 Environment creation, ensuring resource
support and people support will become the
part and parcel of the design.
 Step 8: Prepare Time and cost estimates
 Time and cost estimates are two important aspects
that one should consider when planning and
implementing community development activities.
 A reasonable timeframe should be given for each
sub-activity and main activity.
 The cost estimate should be prepared carefully and
one can seek help from people who have the
expertise and experience.
 By utilizing community support and other
resources, the cost of implementation can be
reduced to the maximum.
 Step 9: Implementation of community development
activities and programmes
 After planning, preparing activities, designing
and preparing the workplan and budget, the next
step is implementation.
 The aim of this step is to tackle the priority
problems and issues that you had identified.
 This requires effective coordination and
preparation of the important activities in
implementation.
 The process of implementation should be
systematic, scientific and time bound.
 Step 10: Documentation of the activity
 Documentation simply means creating a record of
all the processes involved in the programme,
from the beginning to the end.
 You should remember to document the
successes and challenges of the programme as
clearly as possible. This will be circulated to
community people and experts for collecting
feedback and opinion.
 It will help you get the support of the people and
to develop a positive attitude among community
members.
 Step 11: Monitoring
 During monitoring, one continuously tracks the progress of
the activities you are implementing in order to ensure that
they are going as planned.
 Monitoring enables one to analyze the challenges and
successes of the activities you are implementing, so that you
can take corrective measures in good time. Monitoring
involves the following tasks:
 Recording what is happening as well as what is not
happening
 Checking or observing the activities
 Collecting facts and figures on activities and results
 Assessing whether implementation is going in the right
direction or is achieving the desired results.
 Step 12: Evaluation
 Evaluation allows one to make a judgement about a
project’s achievements.
 It measures how well the program’s activities have
met the aims, goals and objectives of the project.
Proper evaluation demands:
 Accuracy and attention,
 External – outside agency, the external evaluation is
nothing but the evaluation carried out by someone who is
not directly involved in the process implementation
 Internal– implementing agency, the evaluation carried out
by some from the actual project team.
 Compares Monitoring and Evaluation.
Differences between monitoring and evaluation.
Basis Monitoring Evaluation

Purpose Determine project inputs, Determine the effects

activities, outputs and impacts of the project
Data gathering Primarily quantitative data Primarily qualitative data

Source of data Project staff Project beneficiaries

Tool for gathering Generally short monitoring Generally long

information form questionnaire or
interview schedule
Time for gathering During implementation Generally after
data implementation
Frequency of More frequent and routine Less frequent and
gathering periodic
Personnel to gather Monitoring staff of the Outsiders
and analyze data project
Use of data Primarily for decision Primarily for assessing
making and during project the programme/project
 Step 13: Recycle the Planning and Implementation Processes

 The feedback one receives from monitoring

and evaluation is very important.
 During this step, one uses data from
monitoring to address those activities that
need adjustment in order to achieve the
intended outcomes.
 Similarly, one uses data from evaluation to
help him or her improve the design, planning
and implementation of subsequent
programmes.
Sustainable Community Development
 Sustainable Community Development
 Refers to a stage of development, during which the community
is able to meet its present and future needs with its own
resources. The primary needs of a community are poverty
eradication and community organization. The
satisfaction of community needs and aspirations is a primary
objective of sustainable community development.For
sustainable community development to be achieved, a number
of things need to be considered. These are:
 standardizing the consumption of resources for long-term
sustainability;
 creating an environment for equitable access to resources for
better quality of life;
 Sustainable Community Development - Cont..
 minimizing the demographic dividend (A demographic
dividend is the freeing up of resources for a country's
economic development and the future prosperity of its
populace as it switches from an agrarian to an industrial
economy) in order for the community to explore resources
in optimum and reasonable way.
 Sustainable development emphasizes the maintenance of
existing and future resources rather than continued
growth.
• Equity is a major concern of sustainable development.
Equity here means equality. It refers to the impartial
sharing and conservation of resources in the community
irrespective of region, religion, caste and creed.
 Sustainable Community Development - Cont..
 For sustainable development to be achieved, the following issues are
important:
 Reduced consumption of natural resources and reasonable
consumption of consumer goods
 Qualitative change (refers to an increase in subjective personal
wellbeing) for maintaining dynamic equilibrium with environment
 Prevention of environmental risks
 Close monitoring of population growth
 Putting emphasis on human capital development
 Economic development alone cannot ensure sustainable
development
 Scientific, systematic and judicious management of resources
 Maintaining desirable climatic condition towards sustainable
development.
 Sustainable Community Development - Cont..
 Thus, sustainable community development is a
process that builds a balance between environmental
concerns and developmental objectives in the most
desirable and progressive manner. Enhancing the
quality of life of the local people is just as
important as environmental protection.
 Regional and national level programmes for
sustainable development have their own limitations
and obstacles because they serve a wide population
with multifaceted issues and problems. However,
programmes at the community level are easier to
manage.
 Sustainable Community Development - Cont.
 The active steps towards sustainable community
development are:
 increased community self-reliance,
 localizing economic production,
 commerce.
 Attaining sustainable community development requires the
active participation of social workers, constituent actors,
groups and associations in the community.
 Note:
 The concept of sustainable community development refers to
a stage of development, during which the community is able
to meets its present and future needs using its own resources.
Thank You