Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Importance of Community Participation

Fount of Mercy deeply believes in the importance of community participation. When the community is included in the development process, they see the project as their own and they also see their responsibility in the work. The process in establishing a project is every bit, if not more important, than the end result of the project. Investing in the process is absolutely crucial! Not only are community effort and empowerment vital, but even mistakes can play an important role in leading up to the community "owning" the project. Though this can be a slow process, the project is much more likely to survive. The organizations in Uganda that we work with tend to move at a different pace. They move at a pace that is much slower than our quick decision, fast-paced world. The communities we are working with often come up against a serious learning curve in regards to making a project sustainable. In order for these projects to be successful and have long term success it is important that we move slow and go step by step. And, it's important that they are included in every step of the journey. Fount of Mercy