Community development : education and training for change and localization
Date
1999
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University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CA
Abstract
This thesis explores the ways in which education and training programs can contribute to the achievement of equitable, self-reliant, and sustainable community development. A case study was conducted on an indigenous affiliate of the Agency for Cooperation in Research and Development (ACORD) in Nebbi district, Uganda. ACORD is a broad-based international consortium o f European and Canadian non-governmental organizations. ACORD's main focus in sub-Saharan Africa is to help establish or strengthen local, non-governmental structures with a view to promoting equitable, self-reliant, sustainable development. The ACORD-NEBBI community development programme was chosen for the study for four reasons: First, it appeared to be consistent with the community development principles advanced in the literature. Second, it emphasizes long-term localization of the programme through a significant skills training and education component. Third, the ACORD-NEBBI programme is a mature (i.e. over 15 years old) community development effort with a variety o f programs under one umbrella. And fourth, the programme was accessible geographically and culturally to the researcher. The research methods included observation, document analysis, and forty-six semi-structured interviews. The interviewees represented community development workers, former participants of ACORD-NEBBI training programs, primary beneficiaries of ACORD-NEBBI development programme, and the programme personnel. Six factors were found to support the ability of ACORD-NEBBI education and training programs to contribute to the achievement of equitable, self-reliant, and sustainable development initiatives: first, application of a phased approach to change and localization; second, tailored training activities at the request and pace of the beneficiaries; third, support to and promotion of self-selecting group formation based on common interests that, in turn, allowed the functioning of groups with less social friction; fourth, the application of a development approach compatible with the socio-cultural traditions; fifth, the development of a multi-faceted programme that penetrated all vulnerable segments o f the society; and sixth, the application o f change agents who supported emerging community groups. Two factors were identified as hindering the ability of ACORD-NEBBI education and training programs to contribute to the achievement of equitable, self-reliant, and sustainable development initiatives: a) the poor state o f development instruments (i.e. accessible roads, clean water, and well equipped medical centres), and b) missed target groups ~ the poorest of the poor — who could not form groups through which training is delivered. The latter factor exists because the programme focuses on groups, and hence individuals who could not form or j o in the selfselecting groups were left out of the development process. Thus, the lower middle class strata o f the village communities have benefited the most because they already had the basic resources — work capacity, knowledge, capital — with which to gain access, influence and the much needed savings mobilization prior to group formation. The majority o f the rural poor do not possess these important resources.
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Keywords
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, ADULT EDUCATION, TRAINING PROGRAMMES, UGANDA, ACCESS TO EDUCATION, SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, VOCATIONAL TRAINING, SOCIAL EQUITY, SELF HELP