Evaluating community participation in development projects

Community participation is a concept that is frequently mentioned in community development.Practitioners in development believe that in order for projects to succeed, communities need to actively take part in designing, implementing and shaping the projects that affect them.The aim of this thesis is to evaluate community participation by measuring quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation.It is important to note that there are no universal indicators of participation.The thesis presents three projects as case studies.In order to measure participation in the three cases, the quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation of Oakley et al. are reviewed.The indicators are applied across all three cases and the analysis indicates whether they were high, low or absent.It is also important to note that to measure participation effectively requires one to spend lengthy periods at the project site and this proved to be a challenge, as will be shown in the thesis.The thesis also demonstrates that to a large extent community participation is contextual.Of the three projects, two were rural projects and one an urban project.The two rural projects, Mongoaneng Development Forum and TsweloPele Women"s Co-operative, were initiated by members of the community and aimed at addressing issues of poverty.The urban project, Motherwell Youth Development Forum, was specifically targeting young people with the aim of providing them with skills.Key findings include the fact that each of the cases was highly diverse, and furthermore, when measuring these cases, a common thread was that not all participation indicators were present at any given stage.Another key finding is that co-operation amongst project members tends to yield positive results and the reverse yields negative results.Another finding relates to the sustainability of the projects, pointing to the fact that even though two of the cases were doing well, their sustainability was questionable.The fundamental question for development practitioners still persist, namely how to design methodology to measure community participation accurately.iii OPSOMMING Gemeenskapsdeelname is 'n konsep wat dikwels in gemeenskapsontwikkeling gemeld word.Praktisyns in ontwikkeling glo dat vir die projekte om suksesvol te wees, gemeenskappe aktief moet deelneem in die ontwerp, implementering en formering van projekte wat hulle affekteer.Die doelwit van hierdie tesis is om gemeenskapsdeelname te evalueer deur kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe aanwysers van deelname te meet.Dit is egter belangrik om aan te toon dat daar geen universele aanwysers van deelname is nie.Hierdie tesis verteenwoordig drie projekte in die vorm van gevallestudies.Om die deelname in hierdie drie studies te meet, is Oakley et al. se kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe aanwysers van deelname hersien.Hierdie aanwysers is toegepas op al drie die studies en die ontleding daarvan dui aan of die aanwyser hoog, laag of afwesig was.Dit is ook belangrik om aan te toon dat om deelname effektief te meet, vereis dat 'n persoon lang periodes op die perseel van die projek deurbring.Dit op sigself is 'n uitdaging in hierdie projek, soos aangedui sal word.Die tesis demonstreer ook dat gemeenskapsdeelname grootliks kontekstueel is.Van die drie projekte, is twee plattelandse projekte en een 'n stedelike projek.Die twee plattelandse projekte, Mongoaneng Development Forum en TsweloPele Women's Co-operative was geinisiёer deur sekere lede van die gemeenskap, wat daarop gemik was om die kwessie van armoede aan te spreek.Die stedelike projek, Motherwell Youth Development Forum, was spesifiek gemik op jong mense met die doel om hulle van lewensvaardighede te voorsien.Sleutelbevindings sluit die feit in dat elkeen van die studies redelik verskillend was en verder, dat by die meting van hierdie studies, 'n algemene bevinding was dat nie al die aanwysers teenwoordig was by al drie projekte op 'n iv gegewe tydstip nie.'n Ander belangrike bevinding was dat samewerking tussen projeklede positiewe resultate opgelewer het en dat die teenoorgestelde, negatiewe resultate opgelewer het.'n Verdere bevinding verwys na die volhoubaarheid van die projekte, deur te wys op die feit dat, hoewel twee van die projekte goed presteer het, volhoubaarheid bevraagteken was.'n Fundamentele vraag vir ontwikkelingspraktisyns bly steeds, om 'n metodologie te ontwikkel wat gemeenskapsdeelname suksesvol kan meet.