Briefly describe the community that the project is working with
Nairobi is one the largest cities in Africa and it is a home to more than 4 million Kenyans. As a city, Nairobi has been challenged both socially and economically and recently there has been a concern on regards to the city sprawl and the increasing unhygienic conditions. The problem is more prevalent in a number of urban settlements and communities. The community in this areas are characterized by the low standards of life and harsh economic conditions. Rarely can they be able to sustain a comfortable life and they would often work from hand to mouth. The rate of unemployment is wanting, only one out of seven people is absorbed in the formal employment (Purdey, 2014). The levels of crimes have been on the constant rise, the major reason behind this has been attributed to the low levels employment and the prevalent drug and alcohol abuse. The sanitation levels in this areas is wanting, in a span of 2 years, the number of people suffering from communicable diseases and food borne related diseases has been on the riise.The project therefore aims to provide an afterlife and breath a fresh hope in this community by addressing the sanitation crisis and providing sustainable solutions in this areas.
Briefly describe the community development project (background, context, goals and aims, and resources, including funding)
Around the world, communities and societies are currently embroiled in social and economically challenges. There has stemmed out a generation of poor people with dangling hope and probably no future for them. The people are economically starved and have perhaps they are learning to live with the reality and considering the situations that they are currently facing to be their fate. The community project I this case aims to create a value chain approach that will help in addressing the sanitation crisis and provide sustainable solutions in the slum community.
The main objective behind this project is to build viable sanitation infrastructures in the slum communities around the city. The project will be divided into four main facets. The first one will involve the building of low cost sanitation centers in Nairobi. The waste that will be collected from the sanitation centers will be collected and recycled. The recycling process will create value out of the waste because the byproducts will be sold out to both the local and the international entrepreneurs. The byproducts in this case can be used to create fertilizers and electricity which in one way or the other will put the community at the a better place
Briefly critically analyze how the project works towards social justice and empowerment
The project aims to create employment for a number of units in those areas. With the creation of employment it is almost certain that the primary evil of crime that exists in the slum areas will be tackled. The project is expected to generate a number of employment opportunities along the chain of its implementation. The collection of the wastes will be done through man made solutions. It is therefore evident that a number of youths will be required to train and operate this machinery. One of the objectives of the project is that no external expertise will be sourced. (Bhotes, 2000)The project also in one way or the other will encourage entrepreneurship. It is almost certain that the economic activities in the slum areas will sprout and the youths will have the employment youths will have the opportunity to start and manage their own businesses/The value of life in the slum centers will definitely increase and the people will have a stable source of income and in one way or the other they will be in a position where they can save and invest back in the community.Fundamentaly this will bring about social justice and the gap between the rich and the poor will evenly be reduced.
Briefly critically analyze how the project works towards social justice and empowerment
Every method or concept is certainly usually defined by principles that determine is very true nature. The principles are basically the identifiers that define the concepts down to its simplest state. Just like the materials used in the construction industry play a role in the overall structure of the building, the principles of community development lays down the structure that any viable development project can adopt. The principals of community development incorporated by this project include the following
Empowerment
Psychology has it that people will always do something that they are motivated to do. Empowerments acts a motivation vehicle for the community to pursue a cause genuinely and avoid the possibility of making it appear as if they are being forced to do it.Empowerment is what prompts the things to get done. The community project in this case has prepared a better salary package for anyone who will work with them-A standard salary that can make one to live and thrive comfortably within the city environment. A stable source of income means that the workers are also in a position to save and invest and also provide value to the community in a different dimension.
Another community and development principles embraced by this project is inclusion and diversity. As addressed earlier, the project will aim at absorbing the majority of the locals in its workforce, Most of the skilled and the non-skilled positions will be taken up by the locals. It is also important to note that the project will be based in a metro Politian area and thus the need to diversify the workforce by having all the communities represented. (Dhesi, 2000) The project will also aim at achieving gender balance by making sure the margin ratio of women and men employed is equal.
Discuss how you would work alongside community members on this project, utilizing learning from this course to justify your approach
Collaboration and participation will be ideal for the growth of this industry. Just as the name suggest, community development requires to be done as a communal thing. A lot of expectation is expected from the communities living within the slum. The waste collection process is not a walk in the park and that is why it will be required that each homestead make arrangements to manage its waste to easy up the collection process. The residents will be provided with dustbins to put any type of wastes that they generate. From there it will be easier for the employees tasked with the collection of the waste to collect it and move the wastes to the next process.
With all the stakeholders involved, my main aim first of all will require that I inculcate trust, acquire some supporters within the community that will help me in championing the course of my project. It is equally important to make sure that the needs and the interest of the community dwellers are taken into consideration.Comunity engagement will also be relevant on this course. A strategy will be required to have all the community and the stakeholders and the community involved to make sure that the project implementation is smooth and cyclical
The consultation process with the community dwellers will be integral in creating the desired relationships. This makes it easier to leverage the existing community resources and assets to use in the funding of the project. At the same time, the creation of the relationship will help in identifying the hurdles that the project is likely to face, this may include what may likely hinder the project or slow down the implementation of different facets of the project.
Engaging the stakeholders and the community will make it easier for me to explain the vision that I have towards the project. When the vision is understood, it will easily be shared and in one way or the other a number of people will come up to support the project. Currently there are number of leaders and guardians who are concerned with the levels of unemployment I this area of the world. I therefore reasonable believe that a lot engaging the communities will bring support and breathe positive energy in my project.
Before rolling out the project, it will be equally important for me to design a comprehensive consultation strategy. The consultation strategy will basically allow the members of the society to bring on to table suggestions that can make the project better. Primarily the consultation process will aim at contextualizing the project by incorporating the views of the locals. The consultation process will aim also to explain to the community what they stand to benefit if at all the project will be successful.Consultaion will also make it easier to understand the legal framework that define the community projects. This is necessary as it ensures the smooth implementation of the project without or few legal battles.
It will also be important to put into consideration the fact that the project must respond to the local needs. The vision of the project must correspond to the assets, resources and the needs that are within the community. Factors like the social demographics, language, the local history and culture will be addressed, this makes it easier to tailor the message to the community by clearly addressing the needs. Understanding this will be new way out in understanding and avoiding the hurdles that might be experienced at the implementation project. It is also important to dedicate time and resources to identify the cultural assets and creative resources that you can build upon.
The following is some of the way in which I will involve the community
New slaters/flyers
I will be dropping of letters on postal walks to all the households within the community and the business in the neighborhood get to understand of the project.
Using information sessions and town hall meetings
The meetings will provide a form where I it will be easier for me to interact with the people from the community. First of all I will be making presentations about the project and its benefits and then request the members to ask questions to make clarifications.
Information open houses
I will dedicate myself to book appointments in different houses in the afternoon to meet the community dwellers personally and talk to them about the project. These format can be useful in diffusing anger or mistrust that could be developing. It will provide a tangible way in which people with the contrary opinion to be heard and be helped or be enlightened about the importance of the project or the value that the project will be creating to the society. This will also help to avoid inconsistencies and during the implementation process of the project.
Use of the e-bulletin and the social media
This will involve gathering the list of emails and constantly remind the subscribers about the ongoing project and possible allow them to give views in regards to what is happening.
Hoarding and signage
While the project is under the progress, it will require protective hoarding that will make it possible to include images, information and website addresses.
Community events
One way to get the audience will be to participate in the community organized events. This will provide a way through which the community ca be enlightened about the ongoing project and the benefits that accompanies it.Sometimes it can be very difficult to land on this community based events or due to the protocal,it may be impossible for you to given the desired time to explain what is happening. To avoid this, I can as well organize an event in the community within the community to specifically raise awareness about the project. This can be done inform of a football tournament or a charity event within the area.
Interviews and face to face communications
Meeting people face to face and interviewing them will be one of the way to engage the community in the projects. Of course there are a number of concerns and the only way that they can express this is through the interviews. Interviews can also help to determine their expectations in regards to what they expect from the project and how likely is it that they will benefit from the project. The internet also will be maximized. Tools like the request for expression interest will be used to send emails to the community dwellers who issued them. Luckily, there are many people who are connected to the internet. The Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) is a briefing document that may be used as a tool to stimulate and assess interest in a project and to solicit useful information from interested parties.
Discuss the community development roles and skills that you would use
As a community development expert, am excited about bringing about social change and improve the quality of life around the area. On that regard therefore I will be working with a number of individuals from different backgrounds and interests’ will act as the link between the people and the authorities that are in place. We will also work hand in hand with people with well-wishers as we seek to raise funds or the project.
My responsibilities will include dedicating myself to make sure that the project makes sense to the locals by constantly sharing the vision and the benefits that will come about after the project has been successfully implemented. I will also be in charge of responding to the queries and making sure that issues raised by the locals are properly addressed .Empowerment and active involvement of the community in this project will certainly have a hand in propelling the project and making sure we move towards completion in a steady and smooth manner.
There are a number of skills that are integral to the success of the project. The first skills is communication skill. With these skill, I will be able to ta address all the concerns of the locals together by making sure that they are satisfied with whatever response that answers their querry.Networking skills are also very crucial in this context (Palincsar, 2008). You have to work with a number of people from different backgrounds and at the same time you work hard to make sure that you have enough resources to help in your project. In this regard therefore it requires that you keep in touch with a number of people that you can rely on whenever you are in need of something.
References
Africa, S. (2019). 22 of the Most Fascinating Social Good Startups Changing the World. Retrieved 4 September 2019, from https://thedailybanter.com/2015/06/22-of-the-most-fascinating-social-good-startups-changing-the-world/
Botes, L., & Van Rensburg, D. (2000). Community participation in development: nine plagues and twelve commandments. Community Development Journal, 35(1), 41-58.
Dhesi, A. S. (2000). Social capital and community development. Community development journal, 35(3), 199-214.
Palincsar, A. S., Magnusson, S. J., Marano, N., Ford, D., & Brown, N. (2018). Designing a community of practice: Principles and practices of the GIsML community. Teaching and teacher education, 14(1), 5-19.
Purdey, A. F., Bahadur Adhikari, G., Robinson, S. A., & Cox, P. W. (2014). Participatory health development in rural Nepal: clarifying the process of community empowerment. Health education quarterly, 21(3), 329-343.