ࡱ> mol7 tbjbjUU %7|7|b|%l 8, ,X Ll " $# C   ]    v     B bb `&b H&bb${<bnb  Sequential Steps for Empowering Community Organisations for Local Development Anil C Shah Empowerment is enabling local groups to analyse their own problems, think of possible solutions according to their knowledge and understanding, examine alternatives that may be suggested by a facilitating outside agency, consider options, and deciding what appears the most appropriate development strategy and programme in their conditions. BOX: 1 - Significance of Sequence I was visiting a senior officer in charge of watershed development programme of a large state in India. He showed me with some pride the latest development when with the satellite imagery his department was preparing a village-wise colourful maps which clearly indicated the barren parts where greening needs to be done, the locations on the streams where rain water storage could be done etc. The state officer explained how the maps would be used to quickly work out a plan for watershed development for that village. State officer : The watershed expert would carry the map of the village with him and show it to villagers how it was now easy for them to plan watershed development. Anil Shah : What will be the role of villagers? State officer : Of course before finalizing the watershed plan, the expert would consider the views and suggestions of the villagers. When he found that I was rather feeling amused, he asked me if I had any reservations about new technique. Anil Shah : I would have liked the expert to keep his maps in his bag and first ask the villagers what according to them are the special features of the terrain and how development could be planned? After the villagers had expressed their ideas, preferably on a chart paper, the expert would tell them that there are some other experts who are interested in your village and with the help of photographs from the sky they could prepare development map that are more accurate. Would you be interested in looking at them? If the villagers show interest, they would take out the maps from his bag and show to them, explain the significance of different parts and colours and how they can be used for planning the watershed development. Thereafter they may offer their comments and suggestions for the expert to consider. The state officer was also amused at what I said. He mentioned with smile on his face, Well, it is more or less the same thing. Only sequence is different. I jumped at the emerging point and clenched the issue, Yes, the difference is in sequence. Real development and empowerment take place when villagers take precedence over the experts, of course the final decision may be blendings of the views of the villagers and of the experts. If in a good development process the people have to have precedence, then the role of outside agency should truly be of a facilitator. This means not imposing directly or indirectly or in a subtle manner their own ideas about what is good for the local groups before they have analysed their situation and worked out tentative solutions. Until this stage outside development facilitator should hold back the prevalent tendency amongst development workers, whether they belong to governmental or NGO, to offer solutions, or even give advice. Such a restraint is essential for facilitating the empowerment process that alone makes any programme sustainable, that is continually managed by the local groups, even when the facilitating agency has withdrawn or at least has diminished its involvement. This looks simple in principle but is extremely difficult in practice which is discussed in my paper Shoulder Tapping Do's and Donts The steps that follow are not inviolable prescriptions. They are not prescriptions, they are suggestions to be tried in an adaptive manner constantly keeping in view the nature of programme to be promoted, local situation, ones relationship with the community and local responses. What is important is to constantly keep in mind the basic principles of empowerment, which have been formulated based on ground experience of introducing programmes of natural resources development that would be sustainable, the activities and structures the local groups would like to maintain and use even after the project period is over and facilitating agency may not be around. Guiding principles of empowerment: People have enough problems of their own. They are not bothered about your the agency s  mission ,  programme ,  targets . Adopt methods of interaction, may be in group discussion with a chart paper on which the people express their understanding, concerns and problems which according to many of them are important. The principle is start with problem which should move the discussion towards possible solutions. This principle of Problem to Solution though looks simple and obvious is difficult to practice for the development workers who have mission of their own with schemes and targets. Encourage them to look for solutions from those within the village who have successfully dealt with similar problems. If local examples are not good enough for large scale application, explore with the local community successful examples in other villages; closer the better but they have to be really good even if far. After the local community and groups have considered various options to deal with problems they consider important, bring in your own knowledge as supplement to the local knowledge and see if local knowledge and outside expert knowledge could be blended. Here comes second guiding principle of cost / benefit. Any solution to a problem has cost implications, cost to be incurred by the Government or by the community group or may be by individual beneficiary. No benefit is free. In fact as in our private life we have to weigh cost to be incurred till benefits start flowing in. Only when benefit is substantially more than the cost, the transaction is worth considering. The problem in development has been because cost is usually borne by public agency and the beneficiary derives the benefit which is usually more than the cost. Since we want sustainable development, such transactions taking place on a large scale, we as a development agency have village groups as our partners have to make sure that the benefit cost ratio is positive. Right sequencing of steps does not necessarily mean that every time in firming up a programme elaborate planning and implementation would be required. Right sequencing means people first, development agency next. More you develop understanding and experienced- based skills to handle this interactive sequencing, more your steps will quicken. Now look at the steps that are suggestive and not prescriptive. II. Dos and Donts Steps for Empowerment: As a development worker you go to a new village with a mandate to introduce a development programme in a participatory manner that the local community will consider it its own and manage it eventually in a sustainable manner. Step 1: Start meeting people in a casual manner to get ideas about who are the local formal leaders, which are the main communities/ castes, how many households in the village, etc. Step 2: Meet the local leaders and introduce yourself as a worker of a development agency that is interested in providing support to community based groups and organisations that are facing problems in local development. Do not go in the details of the scheme that you assume to be relevant to the development of that village. Step 3: For that meeting or the next meeting get more information and understanding of the local situation by visiting different parts of the village, preferably starting from the ridge and slowly moving towards the down slope. If it is a canal village it may be better to start with the tail-end so that you would learn maximum about the problems of the deprived. Stop whenever you notice anything interesting, such as an unusual tree or crop, or individuals or groups. Assuming that you have intense curiosity to learn about the local situation, ask simple questions about what you are observing and listen intently to what people have to say about their trees or crops or whatever has interested you. Step 4: Move on, and if you meet a large group sit down and try to bring the discussion to unfolding of their problems related to the programme that is your mandate. For instance, if it is watershed development, initiate discussion with the group about what crops were they raising; what was the yield; and why some have higher yields than others. To understand better the difference in different yields, ask them to explain the differences by drawing on the ground various locations or on a chart paper which you always carry with you, as your tool-kit. When hesitantly the villagers take your sketch pen and start drawing on the chart paper they perceive and understand the situation, you are already engaged in the process of empowerment. Because with your intense curiosity as reflected in your questions and probing, you have put the local community above you and your position as a genuine learner. Step 5: You might have by this time got general idea about the overall village situation in the programme that you are interested, whether it is watershed development or canal irrigation or drinking water supply. However, knowing that a village community is not one entity but consists of various groups, some better placed than others, it is essential that you take special care and initiative and trouble to go out to meet such marginalised groups - may be marginal farmers or lower castes. You may meet them where they live or go to the areas where they are likely to be found such as at the tail-end of an irrigation system. With intense curiosity, try to understand their situation and the problems as they understand and perceive them. Again bring out your chart paper and sketch pen and pass on the pen to them to delineate their situation. This is empowerment process with respect to disadvantaged. This has to be done cleverly without estranging the village leaders. Step 6: Now that you have a broad idea and a common understanding with a village group about the situation in the village and the options available as solutions related to the programme that you want to promote, it is time to hold a meeting with the larger community. Since you have already established contact with disadvantaged groups, make sure that they know about the meeting and attend it and present their problems and views. You are already becoming a development worker who has special concern for the disadvantaged. You are not their spokesman but trying to embolden them to present their views. This is the occasion to review issues that have emerged the general problems, as well as special problems of the disadvantaged and groping for solutions. You may present stories and audio visuals of other villages that have faced similar problems and dealt with satisfactorily. Usually this should arouse curiosity to know more about such successful villages. Step 7: Exposure / learning visits are a crucial stage in the process of empowerment. The villagers would see for themselves how the situation is transformed by another village community which was facing problems similar to theirs. Let them find out from the villagers - men, women, leaders, dominant groups as well as disadvantaged groups how much better they feel after the development was carried out. Accompanying the visiting group you have again to restrain yourself from driving them to similar solutions of similar problem in their village. You have only to facilitate as much learning as possible, not only what was done, but also how it was done, who took responsibility for negotiating terms, how the contributory fund, if required under a scheme, was decided and collected, how groups were formed to execute the work to procure materials, get designs approved, account keeping, audit, check on quality, etc. Let the visiting group learn about the crucial issue of maintenance and operation, the costs, the fees, collection, etc. This is never smooth. A core group is usually formed that will have to take responsibility for tackling those who would like to disagree and throw roadblocks. The learning group will have to do all this in its own village and may benefit from the experience of successful village. Help them to learn as much as possible. Encourage them to ask questions and, for those who are literate, ask them to make notes. Step 8: You are back in the village with local groups - men and women excited about what they have seen and the possibility of undertaking similar development in their own village. During your next visit to the village organise a meeting of the entire community, large number of men and women including some who had joined in exposure/ learning visits and learnt about possible solutions to problems of their own village. First let them share their experience and ideas with the entire community, not one or two but as many as possible, men and women. They will be more articulate than you expect. This is the moment of elation and ferment in the village. You will feel a thrill in the air. It is now time to move carefully and steadily towards solutions. Not your solution, not your scheme, but peoples solutions and peoples decision to avail of your scheme. Step 9: They would like to now deal with their problems in their own way by applying lessons of what they have seen. They may turn to you; Is a similar scheme and funding available for their own village, as they had seen in the model village? Now it is time for you to inform them about your scheme and the role and responsibilities expected from the village community. Now it is time to recall the information that you had collected about the costs of the problem they were facing, the loss incurred in non-development - the amount they incurred in medicines when they drank contaminated water or by foregoing production because of unreliable supply of canal water or because of water running out on a sloppy agriculture land, etc. You may now quote the figures of the loss the villagers were suffering and in comparison the small contribution they would have to make for availing of the scheme. Usually this should work. Box1 Watershed Development Costs of Non-Development/ Benefit of Development In the community meeting you may proceed thus: * Say you are interested in helping the village community to increase agricultural production, productivity, and income level. You want therefore to understand what is the present level of agriculture productivity in the main crops of their village, * On the chart paper encourage the local group draw village boundary, indicate the slopes, draw the streams, present the areas of forest land, public land and common lands, area which has more facility for irrigation, village well and other facilities, etc. * Now it is time to start discussion on productivity of the main crop: Which part of the village land, which farmers have higher productivity, the possible reasons as perceived by the farmers may be enlisted. * Move to the issue of those farmers whose lands have lesser productivity, Why? What are the factors? What should they do to reach higher level of productivity? If it is a watershed programme, the factors that may come up are water facility, land shaping, erosion, etc. If such facilities are created in the village, where should they be located ? What would be the likely benefit, in yield and in money ? * Now is the stage when you will have all the temptation to mention that you have a programme of watershed development which can deal with these problems. You will be itching to tell the community that your agency can provide large financial support provided the local community gives small contribution. The villagers would also be wondering all the time when you would bring out your scheme with pots of money. Resist the temptation; hold back your knowledge of the scheme and the funds that can be provided . This is extremely difficult because the development worker has his/her own programmed targets to achieve. It appears the community has analysed its problems and it is ready to take up the watershed development programme. This is not true. The village community has only analysed its problem and has thought of possible solutions but it still does not know what it would mean for the community and the individual members and what it can expect from the outside agency Box-2 Participatory Irrigation Management Cost of Non-Development/ Benefit of Development: * You have visited the canal, particularly the tail-end.You met several farmers from whom you have learnt about variety of problems of water conveyance and distribution through PRA mapping. You know the deprivation of the tail-enders. When you are holding meeting with the community of farmers who have their land in the command area of the irrigation system, you will have to proceed in a very cautious manner, not mentioning the Government scheme of participatory irrigation management. Using the chart paper helps the villagers to delineate the entire canal system and indicate what are the problems in water flowing to all parts of the system .You will have at this point again temptation to say that under the PIM scheme government would offer say 80% funds for rehabilitation of the deficiencies in canal, provided the farmers form a registered group and be ready with 20% contribution. Dont do it. It is premature. Farmers have still not fully analysed their problem in terms of cost / benefit and worked out possible solutions. * When they have shown the location of problems in their canal system take up one or two that are the most important and ask how does the problem affect the farmers who have their land in a particular area. The answer could be that they are not getting enough water they need. Ask, what is the consequence? The response would be less production. How much less? Say 200 kg per hectare. What does that mean in money terms? May be to Rs.2000 / hectare. Work out the financial consequences of the deficiencies in various parts of the canal system.. You may come up with a very large figure of the monetary loss suffered by the community on account of the unsatisfactory working of the system. Suppose the loss suffered by them is Rs. 2 lakh ( 1 lakh = 100,000 )a year. You work out in your mind that if the deficiencies are rectified, the additional income could be say Rs.10 lakhs per year. This should be an extremely worthwhile investment. But hold back and keep this calculation in your mind. * Suggest that you know of villages in the same or other irrigation systems where they faced similar problems and dealt with them satisfactorily. Would they like to visit? If the development agency has funds to contribute to exposure / learning visits with small contributions from the local groups. This would be the most worthwhile expenditure for a facilitating agency to promote sound development. Box-3 Drinking Water Costs of Non-Development: The Start Even in the case of drinking water where there is no productivity and apparently earning loss, it is possible to work out monetary implications of cost benefit for village women when they have to fetch water from long distances. Work out the number of hours they spend and the possibility of making some earnings with the time that they could save if water could be available close by in a convenient manner. Convert this into money and try to figure out what the village is spending on brining water from a distance. May be the water is contaminated . The villagers must be spending a large amount of money on medicines. Collect the figures of the money they spend and then keep this with you until you reach a stage when you have to discuss a scheme of, say, Swajaldhara, a Government of India scheme that requires 10% peoples contribution to obtain funds for improving village water supply that will enable all parts of the village to get water within 100 meters from their houses. But dont mention it until an exposure visit is made to villages that have successfully improved their water supply system. Step 10 : The development agency is lucky if the matter proceeds as envisaged. It may not and in some cases due to economic / social / political problem the proposal may have to be dropped or postponed until more successful cases create compulsive favourable environment. If however the response is positive, proceed to spell out the more conditions of responsibilities the village community has to take -- attend training programmes, preparing the plan and get it approved, executing it, maintaining accounts, keeping records, and very importantly maintaining the system thereafter at their own cost. Remind them that they will have to make regular maintenance contributions for using the facility such as for drinking water or for maintaining the structures as in watershed or for maintaining canals. Now is the opportune moment to recall the costs of not having a good system in terms of loss or opportunity foregone. This should not happen again. Proper maintenance and management are crucial for sustained development. Step 11: At this stage you should get into the nitty-gritty of organizing the community in developing and carrying out and then managing its own scheme. If the process has proceeded as envisaged, as a development worker you would also be full of excitement that your crucial role is almost over. The village community is ready to advance swiftly and accept the responsibility for development. You have only to provide technical, administrative and financial support until the work is properly organised and implemented. Thereafter, you would have the satisfaction that the community has set up its own executive committees and other committees to look after and manage the scheme with efficiency, equity, and sustainability. The development agencys role is slowly but decisively diminishing. It has not withdrawn completely. Its services are always available for new problems and new opportunities that the community would face. Step 12: If the agency scheme has become the scheme of the community there would be new leaders who are now in a position to provide leadership to other villages. Now such a village would become a model, or demonstration village visited by newcomers. The new leaders would be enthusiastically explain how they developed their scheme and in the process of exchanging experiences, create confidence in new villages that they can also do the same. In fact such leaders of successful villages, men and women , traditional leaders and new leaders, would become resource persons to address conferences and gatherings and workshops and seminars where they would proudly present their achievements and to the great satisfaction of facilitating agency mention how they had greatly benefited by the assistance provided by the agency. What more reward can a facilitating agency expect? Step 13: Empowerment not through lure of subsidy but benefit of development, in Indian language not through lobh but labh This is the first stage of development, almost confidence building demonstration, that development benefits are much larger than costs. However, as long as the cost is borne by government or other donors, there are restrictions and limitations on growth. Local community groups and individuals cannot add on to what is permissible even if highly beneficial. They cannot experiment with or explore innovative ideas. Local groups and more so some enterprising individuals would always be trying new ideas at their own cost, drawing on whatever savings they have. This could only be small incremental benefits. To break the barrier of subsidy-based development, community groups and enterprising individuals need access to large flexible funds with only one condition - the additional income should be high enough to cover the cost of paying installments of loan with interest. That will be the credit-based investment a route that may open new vistas of locally preferred, appropriate development for which the groups and individuals are willing to take responsibility and risks. With successful experience of working together for local development as their social capital, it should be possible for community groups that have satisfactorily developed and managed local programmes to access funds from organized sources on reasonable terms and set out on a journey of development, adequately empowered to realize the full potential of growth. This should be the starting of real empowerment emanating from liberation from dependence on government/donor subsidy. As a development worker, your last role is to facilitate the 13th step of accessing an enlightened credit agency and help the local groups to negotiate terms of their first loan that will be reasonable to both parties. If you succeed in the first round, you may not be required in the second and subsequent rounds. Your partner has already graduated, adequately empowered.  Chairman (Emeritus), Development Support Centre, Ahmedabad / India  See Sudershan Iyengar and Indira Hirway (eds.), In the Hands of the People, Ahmedabad: Development Support Centre, 2001, Page 103-160. The paper narrates an experience when government technocrats were taken to see and offer their advice on proposed watershed plan prepared by the local village group. For acquiring proper understanding they were told that they should not give advice until they had listened to farmers and understood their idea behind the proposed plan . If the visiting experts started giving advice, the development worker tapped the shoulder of the visiting experts reminding them that it was still not time for offering advice!  For more information, discussion and recommendations, see, The Tail-enders and other Deprived a research study by Development Support Centre, Ahmedabad / India     PAGE  PAGE 9 OZ[]#grs|}d o & ABCET -8Xb¶­­­­­­­­­­­ŸŽ~­­oB*CJOJQJ^JaJphCJaJCJOJQJ^JaJ!j0JCJOJQJU^JaJ6CJOJQJ]^JaJOJQJ^JaJ5CJOJQJ^JaJCJOJQJ^JaJ'j0J5CJ!OJQJU\^JaJ!CJOJQJ\^JaJ5CJ!OJQJ\^JaJ!CJaJ+9O\]J K +$$d%d&d'd7$8$H$NOPQa$ $7$8$H$a$ $7$8$H$a$ $7$8$H$a$Hqtt CDEXY $7$8$H$a$+$$d%d&d'd7$8$H$NOPQa$ ""6#V##$$%%e&l&''))s*|*m,,--.//00S11113ꚹ6>*CJOJQJ^JaJ6CJOJQJ]^JaJ!j0JCJOJQJU^JaJ5CJOJQJ\^JaJ5>*CJOJQJ^JaJOJQJ^JaJ5CJOJQJ^JaJCJOJQJ^JaJCJOJQJ^JaJ2[\^!_!B#\$]$$$$$%%e&f& $7$8$H$a$J$7$8$EƀLfH$a$f&''s*t*-.11q33444559T;U;>>SBTBYBoBB+$$d%d&d'd7$8$H$NOPQa$ $7$8$H$a$34455T;[;I>k>m>q>r>>>>@@SBYBBBBJ+JKqKLNNPPRRWWxYYYYYڴړ{{ڴm5CJOJQJ\^JaJ OJQJ^J6OJQJ]^J OJQJ^JCJOJQJ^JaJ6]5\5CJOJQJ\^JaJ5OJQJ\^J6>*CJOJQJ^JaJ6CJOJQJ]^JaJ5CJOJQJ\^JaJCJOJQJ^JaJ6CJOJQJ^JaJ&BBBBCCDDEE*CJOJQJ\^JaJ6CJOJQJ^JaJ6CJOJQJ]^JaJOJQJ^JaJCJOJQJ^JaJ5CJOJQJ\^JaJ5CJOJQJ\^JaJOJQJ^JaJCJOJQJ^JaJ+?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZ[]^_`abcefghijknRoot Entry FPs0bp1TableOWordDocument%SummaryInformation(\DocumentSummaryInformation8dCompObjjObjectPoolPs0bPs0b  FMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89q