WORKING GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Group I. Community Participation
| Thierry Delrue |
|
Sumiko Ogawa |
| Dam Viet Cuong |
|
Lidia Anabel Rivera Perdomo |
| Jun Kukita |
|
Mahesh Raj Sharma |
ISSUES:
How to ensure community participation in implementation of essential drugs program:
1. Community acceptance or acceptance by the community
2. Imposition (no imposition, no problem)
3. Capacity building
a. training
b. backup
c. supervision
4. Matching needs
5. Unreliability of manpower, drug availability, quality
DEFINITION:
1. Community is the smallest cohesive unit (village/area)
2. Community participation should not be defined as participation of community, manpower, and resources only, but also participation in decision making at all levels from planning to execution and administration, monitoring, etc.
Basic principles we should follow to ensure active participation:
Step 1. Mobilizing and organizing community around needs ensures active community participation (from planning to planning cycle)
Step 2. Training and capacity building of the community
Step 3. Introduction of the concept
Step 4. Process design:
* creating awareness
* matching needs [passive vs. active (understanding will help)]
* training/capacity building
- community decision making (social mobilization)
- technical (accounting, MHR, etc.)
* planning
* execution/administration
* maintenance
* supervision
- suggestive supervision (technical back-up and referral)
- community supervision and support
* monitoring and evaluation (direction/policy change)
This entire process will lead to sustainability.
This will result in the empowerment of the community, where the community can, for example:
identify needs and match it with resources
exercise ownership (in resources/decisions)
have control leading to self-reliance and independence
OBSTACLES:
1. No sharing of power (central)
2. Donors' (outsiders') limitations
3. People's lack of awareness of right to exercise power (decision making)
4. Lack of capacity, resources and information
Root cause: lack of empowerment of the community
RECOMMENDATION: Follow the process.
