Community Participation Definition of participation <<< A process through which stakeholders influence and share control over development initiatives, decisions and resources which affect them. <<< World Bank, 1990 What is community participation? Community Participation is the way in which each member in a group or community takes part in decision making and implementation of a development activity, for example women empowerment, livelihood programs, total sanitation, education, disaster management, governance, disaster management etc. They work together as a group to achieve common goals for the development of the community and individuals. Objectives of Community participation • To reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen people’s coping capacity • To increase the resources required for DRR • To create ownership feeling amongst the communities • To achieve sustainability of the program • To reduce community’s dependence on external assistance Example: Post earthquake of 2001 in Kutch, Gujarat, the field survey and interviews with the stakeholders indicate that Soni has been the fastest recovering community in Bhuj city, in spite of their lower income level, compared to other groups after the earthquake. The questionnaire survey suggests that speedy recovery and satisfaction rate for the construction plan of Soni is attributed to its social capital. What is social capital? <<< …the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society’s social interactions. World Bank (2000) www.worldbank.org/povertyhem. <<< …the rules, norms, obligations, reciprocity and trust embedded in social relations, social structures and society’s institutional arrangements which enable members to achieve their individual and community objectives. Narayan (1997) Voices of the Poor: Poverty and Social Capital in Tanzania, World Bank, Washington D.C., USA. <<< disaster risk reduction drr with the community Stakeholders in community participation Stakeholders constituting of individuals and groups of people with a leader, NGOs, representatives from local administration, local business sectors and local academic institutions should work together as a community. Specific stakeholders who should be included in community based disaster management initiatives can include the following: • Elected representatives - MPs, MLAs and members of local bodies like Panchayats and municipalities, local bodies. • NGOs, charitable institutions and trusts, activists and credible opinion leaders in district, Block and Village settings. • Self help groups particularly of women, groups of farmers and agricultural labourers, cooperative society members, youth clubs, Mahila Mandals, teachers associations, particularly at the primary level, ex-servicemen. • Government representatives at local levels particularly those at block and village levels who can strike a rapport with the community because of their positioning such as the village level workers, revenue functionaries like lekhpals and patwaris, panchayat functionaries, health workers, ICDS workers, etc. • Corporate sector. • Volunteers, youth leaders like NCC, NSS, etc. • Military and Para-military forces.