Global Trade Mailing List Archive

["DSC" <<address removed>>]

Developing Community Empowerment on a Sustainable Basis

Reference: Vinay Chand?s contribution on ?Capacity for local empowerment,
dated May 22, 2004

For the three decades in Government working at various level for rural
development and thereafter as NGO leader, I have been working on developing
right approaches for negotiating with local community groups how a programme
should be initiated and developed that would become genuinely community?s
programme.

In my present organization Development Support Centre where I am a honorary
Chairman, we seem to have developed approach and methodology  that embodies
a process which helps the local community, step by step to consider their
problems,   analyze the reasons, examine options. At that point,  the
developing agency help the local groups to consider  more options
particularly by visiting success stories in the same field and then go back,
discuss within the community which options are more appropriate in their own
conditions. At that point the development agency again helps the local
groups to develop a programme which would combine local priorities and
knowledge and external experience and expertise. The agency would then
provide software support of community organizing, training and assist in
planning that could attract external funding.

This process has produced a remarkable results particularly in transferring
government canals to be managed by Farmers? Organizations ? called the
programme of Participatory Irrigation Management. Attached is a sheet
?Farmers as Managers? that summarizes the achievements of Water Users?
Associations which were promoted by Development Support Centre. The process
described about was followed and the supporting  association of Development
Support Centre with the WUAs has tapered down almost to the point that there
is no need for giving assistance  in decision making for the WUAs
established before three years. On the other hand DSC is using the leaders
of established WUAs to participate in conferences and programme where they
act as resource persons for sharing their experiences which now inspires
others to get organized as WUAs and take responsibility for management of
canals so far managed by government. I hope this experience will be of some
value in the issue raised by Vinay Chand in his email dated May 22 2004 on
the subject of ?capacity for local empowerment?.

Anil C Shah

Chairman

To:

Mr Vijay Chand

<address removed>



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