This document discusses strategies for community mobilization for family planning programs. It defines stakeholders as national and local health organizations, donors, NGOs, health facilities, and community groups. Community participation is important for increasing ownership, behavior change, cost-effectiveness, and meeting community needs. Community mobilization is defined as a process where community members plan, implement, and evaluate activities to improve health. Key steps include collecting data, involving leaders, and using community resources. Challenges to community participation include less program control, costs, differing priorities between groups, volunteer motivation, capacity issues, and sustainability planning.
3. Examples of Stakeholders
MOH (National, Provincial/Regional, District)
Donors, CAs, Associations
NGO/CBO partners
Health Facility ( service providers, support staff,
outreach workers)
Community (chiefs, religious leaders, women leaders,
community group leaders, community resource
persons and traditional health workers)
5. Benefits of Community Participation
Increased ownership, support and responsibility
More likelihood of, and sustainability for, behavior
change
More cost-effective programming
Better response to community needs and concerns
6. Benefits of Community Participation continued:
More culturally appropriate strategies and messages
Increased coverage and access to information and
services
Increased demand
Increased advocacy for service and policy change
Increased success (results and sustainability)
8. Community Mobilization
A capacity-building process through which individuals, groups,
or organizations plan, carry out, and evaluate activities on a
participatory and sustained basis to improve their health and
other needs, either on their own initiative or stimulated by
others.
From How to Mobilize Communities for Social Change by Howard-Grabman and
Snetro 2004:3
10. Preparing for a Community Based Program
1. Collect geographic and demographic data
2. Collect baseline FP data; review research and
survey information
3. Contact existing organizations and institutions
(NGOs, CBOs, local MOH)
4. Involve national and senior officials
11. Channels for Reaching the Community
NGOs
CBOs
Local government
Local leaders traditional and formal
Community Resource persons
Special clubs or interest groups
12. Community Entry, and Gaining Effective
Participation
Contact meetings with community leadership to
establish interest, support and buy-in
Stakeholder sensitization workshops to determine:
- community participation
- involvement of men, women and other target groups,
- geographic and demographic coverage
- goals & objectives
- clear roles and responsibilities and level of
commitment (i.e community participation plan)
13. Community Action Planning:
Actions should:
1) address problems agreed upon by community partners
2) include strategies that:
-Address quality
-Increase access & informed choice
-Increase demand
-Increase FP coverage
-Outline persons responsible, resources needed &
where to obtain them
-Provide a timeline & M&E plan
-Address partners skills & capacity building needs
14. Challenges
What are some of the challenges or difficulties in
including community participation in programming?
15. Challenges of Community Participation:
Less control
Time and cost
Differing priorities
Stakeholders disagree
Community volunteer motivation
Community skills and capacity
Selection of community participants may be biased
Contraceptive insecurity
Need to plan for sustainability from beginning
Editor's Notes
#6: Community Participation not only increases ownership, but it also instills a sense of greater responsibility for the program & for FP in general.
Due to community support , enabling environment & role models Behavior change is more likely & more likely to be sustained.
Programming is more cost-effective b/c project resources are often supplemented by community resources (such as labor or in-kind resources).
B/c community members participate in problem identification, prioritization & decision-making, the program can respond better to their needs & concerns.
#7: B/c of the communitys input, FP program strategies & messages are often more culturally appropriate & acceptable.