Community Change

Community level Development Initiatives have larger propensities of success and sustainability when the communities concerned exercise a greater sense of ownership for solving the problems that affect their everyday lives. When communities become capable of identifying problems and articulating project-based solutions, they attain their democratic rights and become responsible participants in the public problem-solving processes. When the communities get empowered with capacities for designing projects of their own and as well participating in projects designed and operated by government and non-government agencies, they become legitimate partners in development and can assert their rights over the development resources – governmental budgetary or development funding which are primarily meant to benefit individual communities driving change and development in the socio-economic ladder.

Community Initiatives of any kind, related to economic, livelihood, health, education, justice, safety, environment, human rights, political participation, and such other common good aspects can ensure sustainability and long-term success only when community inputs are taken into consideration while designing the schemes for being relevant to the felt needs of the community. Deeper social fragmentations and lack of employable, entrepreneurial and social awakening skills among the larger masses is a crippling reason for their perennial dependence on publicly funded freebies, subsidies and doles. By the same reason, they also subjugate themselves to the socio, political and economic exploitations.

Given the necessary resources and competencies of planning, science, technology and management tools for projects executions, and accountability for results, communities themselves are better placed to solve their problems and ensure sustainability and desired impact. However, people need to experience the impacts of the change even in a smaller scale to get convinced of their role in the change process and their commitment for sustaining the change. Triggering the thoughts of need for change, mobilising the community members and taking / facilitating the community through the change and action steps and working through the sustainability require people with Vision, Interest in the Common Good, and an Attitude for Change Making.