CAPACITY BUILDING OF COMMUNITIES

Developing community capacity enables members of a community to draw on the skills and resources they need to take control and improve their lives. The new approach to community capacity building aims to ensure capacity building is an empowering experience for communities engaged in development programmes, so that their capacity is sustained after the programme ends.

What is the approach to community capacity building?

Nine domains are identified on capacity building. These are areas where there are opportunities for individuals and groups to mobilize themselves for greater control over their lives. Considering these domains encourages strategic planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes:

  1. Improves stakeholder participation;
  2. Increases problem assessment capacities;
  3. Develops local leadership;
  4. Builds empowering organizational structures;
  5. Improves resource mobilization;
  6. Strengthens links to other organisations and people;
  7. Enhances stakeholder ability to "ask why";
  8. Increases stakeholder control over programme management;
  9. Creates an equitable relationship with outside agents.

The nine domains represent the organizational influences on the community's capacity. They link the inter-personal elements of the community with the programme's political, socio-cultural and economic context.

Implementing the Capacity Building approach

Capacity building is always a process. The approach is not a substitute for other elements of programme planning such as setting goals or objectives, but helps programme staff ask themselves at all stages whether the programme has helped to increase community capacity.

A four phases guide can be followed while implementation capacity building of communities:

Phase 1: Preparation

A period of observation and discussion before assessing community capacity will allow adapting the approach to the programme participants' social and cultural requirements. For example the use of a working definition of community capacity can provide all participants with a mutual understanding of the programme. The nine operational domains can be altered at this stage if necessary.

Phase 2: Assessments

The participants assess their community’s capacity using participatory appraisal techniques, which helps to describe different levels of capacity. This throws light on each of the domains mentioned above and the stage at which the community’s lie vis-à-vis these domains. The participants during the PRA closely describe their community's present situation. In this way the participants make their own assessment for each domain by comparing their experiences and opinions.

The participants record the reasons for assessing each domain. This helps when other people make an assessment later on and also provides some observable criteria for the selection. This helps in generating the baseline about the existing resources, skills and knowledge and later on helps in assessing the success of the capacity building component of the programme.

Phase 3 Developing a strategic plan for community capacity

The assessment must be transformed into action in order to build capacity. This is achieved through strategic planning in each of the identified and prioritized domains, which consists of: discussing how to improve the present situation; developing a strategy to improve the present situation; and identifying what resources are needed. Activities are designed to guide participants through these steps.

Phase 4 Follow-up and re-assessments

The approach uses a simplified version of logical framework project planning. The participants must meet every three to six months to review their assessment and strategic plan for building community capacity.

What are areas in which capacity building is done?

The capacity building of communities increase the access of the communities to:

  • Skills
  • Information
  • Resources – natural, financial and intellectual
  • Knowledge
  • Technology
  • Linkages

What are tools that can be used for Capacity Building?

The tools that can be used for capacity building are:

  • Intensive trainings
  • Focus group workshops, seminars, discussions
  • Exposure and exchange visits to successful projects