May 18, 2011
ACDI/VOCA Expert Advocates ‘Bottom-up’ Approach for Community Empowerment
Participation Empowers Local Communities, Supports Sustainable Impact
Empowered local communities lead sustainable development, says ACDI/VOCA’s community development expert Lori Yamamoto.
“ACDI/VOCA utilizes a participatory, bottom-up approach that is community-led and community-driven,” says Yamamoto.
Yamamoto shared ACDI/VOCA’s approach at an event organized by Spark MicroGrants on May 9, citing as examples the organization’s programs in Iraq, Liberia and the Philippines. Over 15 community empowerment practitioners from around the world discussed lessons learned via Skype and in-person at the New York City confab.
Participating organizations included among others Africa Digna Foundation, DIMAGI, Inc., Changents, Global Grassroots, People’s Health Movement and Coded in Country.
Integrated Programming Supports Community Empowerment
ACDI/VOCA designs its programs to be integrated and multisectoral to address the full spectrum of causes of poverty.
Yamamoto explained that ACDI/VOCA’s community development activities include food security, enterprise development, financial services and agribusiness to address holistically the social and economic needs of communities.
Building Local Capacity Promotes Sustainability
ACDI/VOCA’s approach includes robust work to foster direct citizen participation in the rehabilitation of their communities.
“ACDI/VOCA supports decentralization processes and long-term development, and invests heavily in institutional and human capacity building,” says Yamamoto.
These investments include training in project and grants management, leadership, procurement and budgeting, among other subjects.
Yamamoto drew out as an example how ACDI/VOCA engages with local communities in Iraq.
“We work with community action groups (CAGs),” says Yamamoto. “At town hall meetings, hundreds of people from each community participate, illustrating to local government how motivated citizens are in voicing their needs.”
After the CAGs set priorities for solving their problems, ACDI/VOCA provides grants (using USAID funding) to support the initiatives. Projects include construction of classrooms and community halls; repairing electric, water and irrigation systems; providing hospitals, youth and women’s centers with equipment and supplies; and facilitating youth apprenticeship programs to develop skills for entering the workforce.
Matching funding is provided by the communities and the Iraqi government, creating a sense of local ownership.
The community action groups monitor the project as it is developed and afterwards to make sure it meets the specifications of the community.
ACDI/VOCA provides training and technical assistance to local councils so they can work with the CAGs to address and advocate for the communities’ needs, and mobilize resources from the provincial and national levels of Iraqi government.
Local Engagement Drives Change More Effectively
In the Philippines, ACDI/VOCA conducts trainings and workshops for community members, health professionals and government officials. These include trainings in improved health practices; community organizing and outreach for local leaders; and communication skills and lobbying for stakeholders and health professionals to advocate for improved health services and delivery.
ACDI/VOCA engages community-led health action teams to encourage healthy behaviors and provide training in the remote provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Maguindanao. Tawi-Tawi ‘s archipelago of 307 islands and Maguindanao’s mountainous terrain make it difficult for individuals in these remote areas to access health services.
Yamamato explained there are 143 volunteer teams, known as CHATs, each assigned to a particular village. They provide training and advice on maternal and newborn health and family planning services, meet with local residents for health discussions and even tailor activities for the respective villages.
Innovations include working with local religious leaders to create culturally appropriate messages to encourage healthy living and counter stigmas against health practices such as family planning. CHATs also use SMS text-messaging technologies to contact the nearest health care provider or facility for emergency referrals.
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