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| The
word "target" is used two ways in development jargon. Both come from its
orthodox meaning, as in training for warfare, shooting arrows, the "target"
being the device that is set up which you shoot towards and try to hit. |
. |
One
way it is used, perhaps the earlier, is as "target group," meaning the
beneficiaries
to which some benefit (or project output) is aimed. |
...
| The
second use of "target" is as a quantitative number meaning how many (of
some output) are desired. |
. |
The
second derives from factories where a target number of manufactured goods
are set in the plans. |
...
|
Some professionals
object to the word target used either way because of the military and/or
materialistic implications.
|
.
.
| Technological
Dimension of Community: |
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| The
technological dimension of community is its capital, its tools and skills,
and ways of dealing with the physical environment. It is the interface
between humanity and nature. See "Community." |
. |
Some
persons assume that "development" means only the increased sophistication
of technology; that is only one of the six
cultural dimensions that change as a community develops. |
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.
...
The most important
two words in obtaining funds, and
non monetary support, including guidance and advice, and running a successful
NGO, CBO or community project, are the words, "Thank you."
Many NGO staff wondered
why enthusiasm for their activities dried up, and funds, support and advice
cease to roll in; the simple cause is that they forgot to acknowledge and
thank donors.
.
. .
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| The
term "top down" implies decision making that originates from highly placed
officials in centralised agencies, ministries or departments. The
effect of mobilization and the empowerment of low income communities is
supposed to be a decrease in "top down" decision making processes. |
. |
Where
the decision making process is seen to be less democratic, starting from
high officials or central agencies, working its way down the official channels
to the common people in the communities, it is deemed to be "top down." |
.
. .
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| The
word "tourist" is used in a derogatory way to describe VIP visitors from
headquarters, politicians, officials from international donor agencies
and others who visit the area of a project, and expect to be shown the
progress of a project. In general their visits take away resources (human
effort, transport, time) from ongoing operations. |
. |
Senior
members of the project are expected to stop their usual work in order to
act as tour guides. While any one such visitor is welcomed, it becomes
a serious burden when many visitors choose to see the field. |
.
.
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| Training,
as an element of strengthening community based groups, is not just the
transfer of information and skills. It is training
mobilization, not just training
mobilization. |
... |
If
you want to learn something just for the sake of learning something just
for the sake of learning, go to a philosophy professor. We train for action. |
.
| The
six purposes for community management training are: 1. Awareness
raising (there is a problem); 2. Information imparting (there is a solution);
3. Skill acquisition (how to solve the problem) 4. Encouragement (do it;
do not get discouraged), 5. Organizing, and, most importantly: 6. Mobilization
(Bringing people together, organizing for unity, determining priorities
of the whole group [not only the leaders], deciding upon action, planning
and then implementing that action; in short, training
as organizing for effectiveness and transparency of decision making
and actions). |
. |
A
mobilizer trains in order to mobilize. See Training
for Action, and see Training for Mobilization. |
.
.
...
| To
transcend is "to go beyond," and to look at something from a higher level
of perspective. Whereas a tree, for example, is made up of lifeless elements,
most in the form of atoms, the life of a tree, its living, goes beyond
the mere composition of atoms. |
.... |
The
laws that govern the actions of atoms are not sufficient to describe the
action of trees, as living things, as they grow. Similarly, while communities
are made up of biological entities (human beings) they go beyond the natural
laws that make up the biology of human beings. |
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| The
"biological" or "organic" level of nature is made up of the inorganic elements,
but transcends them. That they have "life" which they would not have unless
they are combined in the way they are, means that the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts. |
. |
Similarly,
the "cultural" or "superorganic"
is made up of organic elements (human beings) but transcends them. The
addition of "culture" or "society" similarly means that the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts. |
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.
...
| When
money is given to someone, it is merely passed on from one owner to another.
No wealth is generated by this. |
. |
Some
people mistakenly think that when money is given to poor people that there
has been income generation. If there is no value added, there is no generation
(creating) of wealth. |
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.
...
| Transparency
is a very important element of strengthening a community (see elements
of empowerment).
The word "transparent" here means the ability to see through something. |
.... |
When
civil servants try to do things (ie make decisions, allocate resources)
in secrecy, hiding their activities from the people, they are not being
transparent. They are giving the people the "mushroom
treatment." |
...
| This
promotes mistrust, apathy, and marginalization (important factors of
poverty
and community weakness). Your job as a mobilizer is to promote transparency.
You do it by explaining what it is, and that the people have a right and
a responsibility to know what is going on (awareness raising). |
. |
You
also do it by ensuring that it is a key element of the community organizations
that you form or re-organize. Laws, such as the "Freedom of Information
Act," or similar laws which ensure that details of government spending
must be of public record, available to the people, are intended to promote
governmental transparency, although some officials will attempt to subvert
the spirit of such laws. |
...
| If
you hide a problem, cover it up or deny that it is there; you surely hinder
its solution. |
. |
If,
instead, you uncover it, admit it, and honestly examine it, you are well
on the way to solving the problem. Transparency strengthens. |
...
| (Bahasa
Indonesia: transparansi,
Deutsch:
die
transparenz, English: transparency,
Español: transparencia,
Filipino/Tagalog:
naaaninag
o pagiging bukas, Français:
transparence,
Ελληνικά:
Διαφάνεια,
Italiano:
transparenza,
Português: transparência,
Romãnã: transparenta,
Somali:
Waadix, ردو
(Urdu): شفاف) |
.
...
| Trust
is one of the sixteen elements of strength, power or capacity of a community
or organization. See: Elements of Community
Strength. It is the degree to which members of the community trust
each other, especially their leaders and community servants, which in turn
is a reflection of the degree of integrity (honesty, dependability, openness,
transparency, trustworthiness) within the community. |
. |
More
trust and dependability within a community reflects its increased capacity.
(Dishonesty, corruption, embezzlement and diversion of community resources
all contribute to community or organizational weakness). When simulating
a community to organize and act, the mobilizer needs to be aware of the
role of trust in empowering that community or organization. |
.
..
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| Two
bulls came over a hill and spotted a hundred cows in the valley. "Oh, Uncle."
said the young bull. "Let us run down and do a few." "No." said the
old bull, "Let us walk down and do them all." |
.
|
This
story, from Northern Ghana, is good to tell at community meetings.
It is a way to teach the lesson that we should not be in a hurry, but take
time and do things right. |
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