WRITTEN BY ERYN AUSTIN BERGEN
Have you ever looked around your
neighbourhood and not known where to start?
You see dysfunction, but
can’t figure out the cause; you see pain, but can’t figure out
the cure. The city runs an anti-litter campaign but it fails; a gym around the corner offers a summer kids' camp that’s poorly attended; a local
church hosts a neighbourhood outreach potluck to which only church
members come. You scratch your head and wonder why, after so many
efforts, your neighbourhood hasn’t changed.
Perhaps it's because successful
community development has to start with the community. “Insiders”
are often too close to their challenges to find a way out alone, but “Outsiders” cannot identify the true needs of a group with which
it has no relationship.
Sustainable change takes partnership.
In light of this reality, a key part of
FH’s work is helping communities identify their own development
priorities so they can create their own preferred strategies for
transformation. An excellent case study for the success of this process is the community of Cachiman, Haiti. Take a look at
three areas of progress they’ve made and how they got there.
1. Agriculture & Nutrition
The Issue
It was easy for everyone in Cachiman to
see that they were suffering from post-harvest crop losses; 80 per
cent of farms in Haiti are unable to produce enough food for even the
farmer’s household. Organized discussions between local
farmers and FH Staff revealed that depleted soil, poor quality seeds,
and lack of education in efficient farming techniques were
significantly contributing to the presenting problem.
After cooperatively identifying the
issue, Cachiman residents and FH Staff worked together to create a
strategy to tackle the problem. They decided they needed to promote
innovative and environmentally friendly farming techniques; doing the
same thing over and over again just wasn’t working. Farmers also
asserted that they needed access to quality seeds and livestock to
improve crop yields and diversify farming activities.
The Results?
Since beginning this cooperative
troubleshooting process, 50 households have been trained in
Keyhole gardening techniques and 40 of them have established their
own Keyhole gardens. These compact, compost-rich and
drought-resistant gardens can be made entirely with local recycled
materials—sometimes even entirely for free!
A group of farmers have
also been trained on leek and cassava harvesting techniques, and
members of this initial group are now teaching others using their own
farms as “demonstration plots”.
With livestock, the first group of farming families have received rabbits and goats. As payment, each family agreed to give their animal’s first offspring to another family in need, and so far the “repayment” rate is at 100 per cent!
2. Health & Sanitation
The Issue
Groundwater pollution, crop
contamination, and the spread of serious diseases are all observable
threats to communal health due to a lack of sanitation. Why did
Cachiman lack sanitation? Were they just dirty people? No! About
three-quarters of households in Cachiman are without sanitary
latrines (i.e. toilets). That’s not just an inconvenience - it’s
a life-threatening situation!
The Strategy
Interestingly, instead of rushing to
the plumbing, Cachiman decided to invest in community mobilization
and education instead. Similar to North American campaigns on drunk
driving or smoking, the message is that an individual’s actions can
threaten the health and safety of everyone else. It matters where you
dump your “waste” bucket.
Recent Progress?
The community is rallying for
collective change! They’re discussing how to introduce widespread
sanitation measures in locally appropriate and innovative ways.
Representatives from 50 per cent of households have attended formal
trainings (when was the last time half your neighbourhood showed up
to a public meeting?). In response to these collective efforts, about
20 households have already dug pits in preparation for latrine
construction.
3. Microfinance & Savings
The Issue
Farmers were struggling to open larger
farms or invest in necessary tools and seeds primarily due to limited
access to formal banking and microfinance services.
The Strategy
The people of Cachiman determined to
establish a network of Savings and Loans Groups with the help of FH
training. These groups will continue to grow and multiply long after
FH is gone.
Recent Progress
Thus far, five groups of 25 members
each are in training to self-manage their accounts and to fill the
different roles required in microfinance operations. Group members
are saving money in a safe and secure way and accessing small loans
from their collective savings. They all benefit as the interest gets
paid back to the group, which helps grow their capital without any
financing from outside lenders!
Your Neighbourhood?
If you were to combine the “issues”
from these three areas without seeing the strategies and outcomes,
you would probably be overwhelmed. But when a group of individuals,
the “Insiders”, comes together as a community, and partners with
the fresh perspective of a group of “Outsiders”, it’s much
easier to identify the root issues beneath the presenting problems,
develop appropriate strategies, and enjoy sustainable outcomes. So
what do you think? Can you apply this process to your neighbourhood?
To access tools that will help you
and your community apply these principles, visit FH Canada.
