Dispelling Public Misconceptions about Community Development as a Discipline and Profession. (Part 2)

Community Development and Philanthropy

Public misconceptions and distortions about the profession of community development are indeed prevalent and widespread. These misperceptions tend to dissuade individuals, especially the youths who desire to take up career in the field. Practitioners sometimes encounter misguided or misleading comments about community development from individuals who don’t actually understand what the profession is all about.

The media has not been helpful either. The relevance and role of the media and its impact in community building and development is an important one. The media has the capacity to promote awareness of the activities of practitioners in communities across the nation. But the reverse has been the case. The media have had a more limited role in promoting community development activities, especially in generating awareness and promoting community participation. What you find is that the media frequently report negative happenings in communities without recognizing what is being done by practitioners and the communities themselves to address such challenges.

Focussing on the problems and challenges alone by the media tend to cause greater fear of the issues than the actual reality of the reported problems and this also tend to enhance stereotyping in those communities.

Community development practitioners have traditionally dedicated themselves to work towards a better society and to fill gaps left by government and business sectors by directly or indirectly working with communities. They tirelessly work with local communities to design, plan and execute community projects that improve quality of life, yet these activities most times go unreported by the media.

On their part, the public tend to mix up community development and other disciplines like social work and many people out there think that they are the same thing. Some people are quick to tell you that community development is about taking care of the poor, the aged and vulnerable people in the society while others think it is all about physical development and that community development mostly concern itself with local people coming together to clear bush paths, keep market square clean, sink bore holes, repair dilapidated school buildings or build town halls.

The general opinion in the urban centres is that community development is all about improving the urban sanitation, keeping streets clean, engaging in refuse disposal and forming local vigilante groups to provide night time security among neighbourhoods. Others assume that community development has to do with rehabilitating drug addicts and taking care of juveniles. Some even think that community development has so much to do with the establishment and running of co-operatives societies. Yes, these varying ideas, thoughts and opinions are not entirely wrong as they reflect the vast and diverse domain of community development.

A former school mate of mine who is in the insurance industry was surprized when I informed him that I am a community development practitioner. He was obviously surprised and wondered how I came about the financial resources to be involved in community development. He reminded me of a particular Nigerian businessman and a philanthropist who used his stupendous wealth to assist many ordinary Nigerians. He told me that this man built and donated many health facilities and religious worship centres to many communities around the country, and even offered scholarships to countless indigent children and youths. My friend concluded by saying that the philanthropic gesture by this businessman encapsulates community development in totality. With a tone of finality, he explained that it is only very wealthy individuals who desire to assist poor people or communities especially those who may not be in position to repay such goodwill that can practice community development.

From the perspective of my friend, there is a mix up in his understanding of community development and philanthropy. However, it is important to note that like community development, philanthropy is driven by the quest to meet human needs, alleviate human suffering, and solve the problems that prevent human development and progress, so there could be a recognized degree of overlap in their practices, but they are not the same thing.

Philanthropy enhances community development through the process of giving. It is a substantial and growing source of funds and finance for community development programmes and activities. Philanthropy contributes to community development and capitalizes community development effort. Philanthropy gives to society in several ways but recently, it is mostly directed to supporting individual ingenuity and community/human development initiatives.

These are some of the myths and misconceptions about the profession of community development and the concluding part will be coming up in our next blog.

Dispelling Public Misconceptions about Community Development as a Discipline and Profession.

Dispelling Public Misconceptions about Community Development as a Discipline and Profession.

Community development means different things to different people. There are people out there who see themselves as being in the business of community development but have little knowledge about the discipline or profession.  Over the past decades, the field of community development has evolved and grown substantially as a profession and as a discipline with many degree and certificate programmes offered by many institutions locally and internationally. Many organizations also provide continuous professional training and education to strengthen the skills and technical competences of practitioners.

In the next couple of months, this blog will focus on providing relevant information that will clearly educate individuals and the general public about the field of community development in particular and the field of development in general while exploring the linkages between local and international development. Doing this will not only help to chart a road map for individuals with interest in community development, but will benefit and guide recent graduates, members of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), students, and other interested individuals who desire to take up career in community and international development.

We will equally be exploring the boundless career/occupation/ job opportunities available in the field that has largely remained untapped by youths. While you are still reading this material, new programmes/projects are constantly being established to address both the existing and fresh challenges facing many communities locally and globally, and with such rapid expansion, there is always a corresponding increase in the demand for professionals in the field. The world is actually looking up to development specialists for solutions to various complex problems and challenges facing communities around the world. Currently, global development finance and philanthropic resources are being channeled to development organizations to support young men and women with innovative ideas and insights on how to address numerous social and environmental problems. The demand for community development practitioners are therefore steadily increasing even as recognition of social issues affecting global communities grows.

Through this blog, we also hope to bridge the workforce knowledge gap for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the development field by empowering them with the technical knowledge and valuable career skills. This platform will serve that purpose by preparing and providing practitioners and other stakeholders with the knowledge to conceptualise and manage sound programmes and the skills to effectively build and run successful development organizations.

Emerging development leaders and volunteers will gain the knowledge they need to be successful in the field, while experienced practitioners will get fresh perspectives that will enable them to perform better on their jobs.

Community Capacity - Building and Participation: A Pre – requisite for Sustaining Governments’ Development Assistance at the Grass Roots.

Community Capacity -  Building and Participation: A Pre – requisite for Sustaining Governments’ Development Assistance at the Grass Roots.

Government implement policies and provide public services such as health, education, transport, water, sanitation, law and order, welfare and social support, and invest in physical infrastructure and maintenance through the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

These programmes/projects and services are ‘delivered’ to communities as passive recipients and beneficiaries of government development assistance. The non-inclusion and non-participation of the local people in the decision – making process and the government failure to enhance the capacity of the local people to participate in such project implementation takes the control outside the communities. Government experts remain in charge of the entire project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes. The inability of the government to consult the local people through community forum/platform means that community people are not given the opportunity to participate in making decision with regard to the government’s development assistance. This also means that community capacity building plan may not be part of the project.  Ultimately, communities may be unable to maintain or sustain such facilities and services when they are delivered to them.

 In their effort to implement various public interest programmes/projects and services, governments over the years have failed to consider how to address the capacity of communities to manage or co-manage their development assistance. To ensure the sustainability of its development projects, government should begin to adopt a strategy that support and encourage community management and maintenance of such facilities by empowering the people and building the capacity of the local communities. It is through such capacity building effort that local people can gain valuable skills to promote self-help and self-reliance and ensure community ownership, maintenance and sustainability of government programmes/projects and facilities at the community level.

 The ‘Top Down’ approach adopted by government over the years has only solved short term problems as majority of government services and facilities built in many communities are not adequately maintained. The “Top Down” approach restricts community capacity and initiative, disempowers local people, creates the mentality of dependence on the government, and stifles local leadership and local organizing. In fact, the outcome of this approach can best be described as enslavement camouflaged as public service. It is not just unsustainable; it provides temporary relief in terms of service delivery to the people.

 However, the ‘bottom – up’ approach adopted by social enterprises recognize that communities are diverse, consisting of a wide range of sectors, institutions, groups, associations and individuals with differing perceptions and interests, whose potentials must be harnessed to ensure their full participation in development. A key strategy is to ensure capacity building and empowerment of the local community people. It is often said that there is no development without participation and any approach that will be successful, should recognize the critical role of the local people themselves in determining their own development.

 While the ‘top down’ approach limits the participation of community networks, the ‘bottom – up’ strategy supports the building of social and human capacity, encourages community participation, and the inclusion of diverse range of people including those who have traditionally been marginalized by the mainstream society in development effort. Involving the local people in every development process, as well as improving the capacity of the local people can foster a sense of communal ownership and sustainability of governments development programmes/projects and services.

Community Capacity - Building and Participation: A Pre – requisite for Sustaining Governments’ Development Assistance at the Grass Roots.

Community Capacity -  Building and Participation: A Pre – requisite for Sustaining Governments’ Development Assistance at the Grass Roots.

Government implement policies and provide public services such as health, education, transport, water, sanitation, law and order, welfare and social support, and invest in physical infrastructure and maintenance through the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

These programmes/projects and services are ‘delivered’ to communities as passive recipients and beneficiaries of government development assistance. The non-inclusion and non-participation of the local people in the decision – making process and the government failure to enhance the capacity of the local people to participate in such project implementation takes the control outside the communities. Government experts remain in charge of the entire project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes. The inability of the government to consult the local people through community forum/platform means that community people are not given the opportunity to participate in making decision with regard to the government’s development assistance. This also means that community capacity building plan may not be part of the project.  Ultimately, communities may be unable to maintain or sustain such facilities and services when they are delivered to them.

 In their effort to implement various public interest programmes/projects and services, governments over the years have failed to consider how to address the capacity of communities to manage or co-manage their development assistance. To ensure the sustainability of its development projects, government should begin to adopt a strategy that support and encourage community management and maintenance of such facilities by empowering the people and building the capacity of the local communities. It is through such capacity building effort that local people can gain valuable skills to promote self-help and self-reliance and ensure community ownership, maintenance and sustainability of government programmes/projects and facilities at the community level.

 The ‘Top Down’ approach adopted by government over the years has only solved short term problems as majority of government services and facilities built in many communities are not adequately maintained. The “Top Down” approach restricts community capacity and initiative, disempowers local people, creates the mentality of dependence on the government, and stifles local leadership and local organizing. In fact, the outcome of this approach can best be described as enslavement camouflaged as public service. It is not just unsustainable; it provides temporary relief in terms of service delivery to the people.

 However, the ‘bottom – up’ approach adopted by social enterprises recognize that communities are diverse, consisting of a wide range of sectors, institutions, groups, associations and individuals with differing perceptions and interests, whose potentials must be harnessed to ensure their full participation in development. A key strategy is to ensure capacity building and empowerment of the local community people. It is often said that there is no development without participation and any approach that will be successful, should recognize the critical role of the local people themselves in determining their own development.

 While the ‘top down’ approach limits the participation of community networks, the ‘bottom – up’ strategy supports the building of social and human capacity, encourages community participation, and the inclusion of diverse range of people including those who have traditionally been marginalized by the mainstream society in development effort. Involving the local people in every development process, as well as improving the capacity of the local people can foster a sense of communal ownership and sustainability of governments development programmes/projects and services.

Improving Urban Basic Services in Nigeria

    Improving Urban Basic Services in Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the fastest growing and the most rapidly urbanizing countries in the Sub – Saharan Africa. However, living in the nation’s urban centres is posing a great challenge to people’s lives. Nigeria is already grappling with the plight of the urban poor. Basic services such as housing, water and sanitation, health infrastructure etc. are far from accessible to a large proportion of urban families and dwellers.

While the nation’s policy makers and planners are battling to come to terms with the complex task of urban development, there are fears of the adverse effects of population pressures. Experts are of the view that population needs may in near future outstrip the nation’s ability to adequately provide the basic human services.

Today, urban development issues have taken the front burners in any serious development discourse even as they have become increasingly important in determining the living conditions of many families, especially as they affect the poor. In Nigeria, the number of the urban poor and the number of extreme poor has been on the rise in recent times. The current economic recession, caused by low economic growth and rising youth unemployment has undoubtedly increased the number of the urban poor.

While many poor urban families are struggling to survive, the social safety nets have been weakening, further worsening their plight. With the limited number of citizens who can be reached with government’s social security programmes, religious organizations, informal micro – credit groups, and mutual assistance systems are being established as alternative coping mechanisms to support individuals in need.

To address this matter, efforts should be made to properly implement national urban policy that support urban poverty alleviation and improve urban development through the provision of basic services.

NGOs should continue to promote access to micro – credits, skills and training aimed at enhancing micro – businesses which will enhance the livelihoods and the earning capacities of poor families, women and youths.

NGOs and Community – Based Organizations (CBOs) should continue to implement local programmes of action that target low – income areas such as slums and squatter settlements in major cities in the country.