Community Participation

Step 5: Involve all stakeholders from start to finish

It is important that all stakeholders are heard from start to finish, and ideally even that the community plays a leading role. So not only in the planning - for example through a needs assessment - but also in the implementation and evaluation: when does the community feel that the people concerned are self-reliant? So this goes beyond asking for a financial contribution or a contribution in kind.

Real-life experiences

• SHIPO (2001) is an NGO in southern Tanzania that has over 20 years of experience in rural areas with projects in WASH, microfinance, agriculture and irrigation. SHIPO sees itself as an intermediary between all stakeholders: They 'dance' between the different interests, trying to get everyone on a leash.
  
  How can you promote community participation?
  "Involve the people concerned in all phases of the project cycle: visit the community timely, regularly and informally: Continue to listen (openly) to what they themselves want."

• The Gambian organisation Casa-Gambia (2015) is particularly committed to quality education.
  
  How can you promote community participation?
  "Be aware of the different opinions regarding the desired change. Ensure that key stakeholders are aligned from the beginning, as both co-creators and investors. The community identifies the problem and sets priorities. Casa Gambia verifies need and feasibility. During implementation, the community fulfills the role of 'watch dog' and thus has a monitoring function."