Asset-based Community Development Principles - Report Example

Asset-based community developmend principles used to develop Community Asset Map The project “Community participation in environmental health: Eastern Azerbaijan Healthy Villages project” faithfully contemplates a full-pledged commitment to support asset-based community development principles since processes for its implementation espouse dynamic community involvement and participation (McKnight and Kretzmann, 1993). However, in order to design a community asset map for the said World Health Organization (WHO) proposed health village for the specified region in Iran, the traditional needs-assessment approach is required to sustain the said program. In their studies in the mid-1990s, John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann suggested that powerful community development is possible and sustainable when the capacities of the locale or community people and their associations are recognised. The proposed health villages by WHO aimed to strengthen community participation by making people work closer together through raising awareness of the need to improve environmental health and health conditions (Nikniaz and Alizadeh, 2003). In suggesting an alternative approach called asset-based community development (ABCD) McKnight and Kretzmann (1993), the key proponents of this approach, critiqued the needs-based approach for bearing drastic consequences in terms of how members of the community feel about themselves (as deficient and incapable), leadership is judged, transactions being made are more with external institutions, and the allocation of funds are devoted solely to filling the needs. The use of needs assessment approach cannot be completely ignored in building a community asset map since threshing out the needs or deficits to tailor a particular need can be used as a springboard to fully launch an asset-based community development system. With understanding of such approach, it may help the communities in Eastern Azerbaijan to determine how certain areas in their communities may be able to maximize the full potential of the community people. Moreover, the challenge of sustainability and maintenance in mostly poor and impoverished communities like Azerbaijan also emerge as one of the issues to be raised about the kind of approach to use in asset mapping. Although having reached a stage when the Azerbaijan communities may already become self-sufficient and self-sustaining, however, few other challenges may remain. Among these concerns, which are observed during the evaluation of the project include: a) poor collaboration by some public organizations, b) poor creativity of environmental staff, and c) insufficient attention to safety evaluation in the living environment, training people for building appropriate homes with safety standards, creation of job opportunites, attention to the determinants of health such as disease risk factors and lifestyles, continuous monitoring and evaluation systems Since the needs-assessment approach indicate that external institutions are to be dependend on in its implementation of programs, the project may require the continuous and perpetual presence of a third party, not as a sign of untrustworthiness, but to back an existing project and provide a psychological presence of a “father figure” to provide oversight role for the Azerbaijan communities. Azerbaijan Province Health Village Community Asset Map Some studies and researchers indicate that asset mapping may be had when one have identified and determined sufficient information about the capacities of the individual residents of a particular place, personal incomes, and list of locally- and home-based small local businesses. The Eastern Azerbaijan communities subject for the WHO project for health villages covered 1,680 villages with 3,605 training courses for health staff and village residents in a span of ten stages from 1992 to 2000. Implementing an asset-based community development project for the province of Azerbaijan, where its population comprises of majority-Turkic and majority-Muslim population, we will look into some demographic figures available such as its people, state of education, literacy, and others. As of July 2009, the CIA World Factbook (2009) estimates that there are 8.23 million people living in this country where the age structure is as follows: a) 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 1,042,132/female 926,495); b) 15-64 years: 69.4% (male 2,807,717/female 2,908,221); and, 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 204,410/female 349,697) (2009 est.). The Median age for both male and female is not more than 30 years old, which is a relatively good age to implement such program whereby it is considered that youth members of the society are generally more optimistic, idealistic and active. Moreover, given the political and governmental repression existent in Iran, the youth members may be considered a force to reckon with since most of those under 30s may still be in universities or college or fresh graduates whose awareness and consciousness about health and environment care may still be fresh. Based on the CIA Factbook data on the literacy level in Azerbaijan region, there are 98.8 percent who can read and write in the age brackets of 15 and over, where male registered 99.5 literacy level and female with 98.2 percent on educational life expectancy of 11 years since 2006. Another relevant figures that may give boost in the implementation of the project is the good data on the availability of good communication infrastructure in the country whereby since 2007, there are 1.25 million telephone lines in use across the country, with 4.3 million mobile cellular phones deployed or being used. Although the general assessment is that future undertakings to modernize the expansion of teledensity, however, the figures that show that there are about 50 telephones per 100 persons is already significant in a country that is considered poor and struggling. Internet users of 1.03 million since 2007 is a significant asset that can aid in empowering community people participation in expanding research and improving the communication means with other nationalities in order to learn from the best practices in community development in other nations. Although one prevalent issue that confound Azerbaijan is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, drug abuse, and forced labor, an opportunity or asset should be seen in this case in order for the implementers of projects for Healthy Villages to further intensify and increase the ways by which reaching out to these impoverished people can be extended to save them from completely being feeling demoralized and hopeless. By understanding then designing a community map to establish health care reforms and environmental sustainability in the Azerbaijan region will kindle the process of asset-based community development. Hence, with a list of the individual and organizational assets and capacities of the villages, reorganization of the existing system can reap for the community the maximum benefit. Process of engagement in strategic planning in Healthy Villages project in Azarbaijan province in Iran Based on the key objectives of the Healthy Village program of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the rural communities in Azerbaijan, we can surmised the following strategic issues that may be encountered to complete the phases of development – Expected Outcome First Year i. Health worker trainees, community people shall be able to understand their role with respect to the program’s mission ii. Community participants’ (health workers, male and female volunteers, community people) performance is measured iii. Current and recruited trainees and staff have attained highly possible competency level Succeeding Years i. The culture within the Health Village Volunteer Program is one of continuous learning ii. Skill level requirements and training plans have been identified for each Healthy Village trainees Challenges: First Year i. Community participant’s acceptance of the program implementation processes such as trainings, public awareness promotions, etc. ii. Requirement for health care trainings for non-schooled volunteer-trainees. iii. Size of volunteer limits fand staff growth opportunities Succeeding year i. Recruiting of health workers, participants ii. Changing the Health Village organizational culture Actions: First Year i. Clarify and communicate community participant roles and responsibilities ii. Develop an organizational service and quality culture among volunteer trainees in health care and environmental protection iii. Introduce an accountability framework through volunteer/health worker volunteer development planning Succeeding years i. Identification of long term health worker requirements ii. Develop and implement a succession plan for health workers Promotion of Public Awareness Expected Outcome First Year i. Community participants (health workers, male and female volunteers, community people) and the general public understand the work of the Healthy Village Succeeding Years i. Community participants (health workers, male and female volunteers, community people) and the general public actively participate in the works of the Healthy Village program of the World Health Organization Challenges: First Year i. Current public image ii. Creating effective educational and information drives to generate knowledge about Healthy Village program. Succeeding year i. All constituents and concerned public’s confidence in satisfaction meansure ii. Reaching a representative sample of all constituents Actions: First Year i. Foster a mutual understanding of the role of Healthy Village with its constituents. ii. Work with constituents groups that are representative of the Health Village health workers. Succeeding years i. Identify and implement necessary tools for measuring constituents’ satisfcation with the Healthy Village health worker trainings, assistance in the rural village. ii. Communicate constituents’ feedback. Draft Strategic Plan for Community Participation in Environmental Health The Strategic Plan for “Community participation in environmental health: Eastern Azerbaijan Healthy Villages project” may focus on three critical success factors: Asset-based Community Development Mapping Community Participation Sustainability of the Program This document will document the strategic issues and particular actions to guide proposed implementers toward significant improvement in each of these areas over the next three to five yeras. Stakeholders With this project, the target audience or the stakeholders with whom this project will have a positive impact are the community people in the identified villages as sample population for this project. Background/Rationale The biggest challenge in coming up with a strategic plan for the community people in the villages of the Azerbaijan province of Iran will be to enact a program that will encourage participation and involvement of the beneficiaries of the project, who are in the rural setting, in view of the data available about the demographic profile, educational condition, economic development and cultural aspects, and more. In 2000, the program has been consumed and considered done after passing the ten phases of development from 1992 to 2000. Thus, with this strategic plan to boost community participation in promoting environmental health, it is assumed that this paper may offer a small yet significant impact on the community that can soon be viewed as model for future undertakings. The asset-based community development approach is a new field in community development and as such still have to be observed while being implemented to achieve the proposed critical success factors to achieving the goals of this program. Project Aims To fully utilize the asset-based community development approaches in mapping the existing participant-communities in Azerbaijan that will be useful beyond the duration of the project implementation in 2000. To expand the participation of neighboring communities, public organizations and groups. To ensure that sustainability of the program beyond the duration of the project. Objectives To raise public awareness and establish inter-cooperation among various sectors in Azerbaijan in helping and assisting community people in their health and hygience training. To strengthen policy programs for the public promotion of community participation and involvement in the conduct of health and hygience training. To establish a village committee made up of village residents to oversee activites and oversee activities and mobilize the community and facilitate their participation and contribution. To increase community and health workers’ awareness and conduct health and hygience training. To improve the water supply and sanitation systems, solid refuse collectin and disposal and food safety. To enable the village residents to become partners for improvement of the rural environment. To improve coordination among different public organizations to improve the rural environment. Project Partners Village residents Publc organization – These groups can be tapped to provide immediate access to fundings or other relevant assistance in the fulfillment of the program. Media Networks – The media can provide the needed exposure for the project to achieve the primary aim of this strategic plan to build public awareness and support from public organizations. The media can also lend through reportage their credibility to the project about community participation for environmental health. Proposed Strategic Issues and Actions 1. Policy mapping with the different health sectors and finding partners who will assist the project (from non-profit, profit media, to government areas). 2. Establish partnership with media, who can provide the exposure needed to boost reinforcements from volunteers and help from outside sources (community, health sectors, etc.) 3. Create key partnerships with health professionals in the community and involving them to support the project even by giving at least a day’s worth of their service to the community. The compensation will be the inclusion of their names and organizations in the reports to be published online. 4. To ensure the continued public awareness campaign and gain support of wider networks, a website will be opened to massively promote the activities and to make an account of the activities. Evaluation The success of the project can be evaluted based on the following: Asset-based Community Development Mapping Community Participation Sustainability of the Program Tensions, strengths and limitations between the strategic planning process and the ABCD approach in relation to the Healthy Village program for Azarbaijan communities The principles of strategic management may be applied to not-for-profit organizations although some such organizations are not very engaged in this process (Katsioloudes, 2006) due to the limited sense of competition among its peers, and on account that volunteers may not be aware or knowledgeable of the process and sometimes due to lack of time because of very limited resources. However, in this case study, the use of strategic planning may complement the use of asset-based community development asset identification approach to thresh out the challenges to the program’s short and long-term goals that will direct the Health Villages toward its mission over the next five to ten years. Among these goals are – 1. To increase the public understanding and awareness about the Healthy Villages values and mandate so that community participants, health workers and other constituents can work toward common goals. 2. To foster ongoing inter-coooperation between Healthy Villages and other inter-agency partners. Following below are factors whereby strategic planning and asset based community development approach become useful to this case study: 1. Tensions. We can use the strategic planning approach in identifiying the weaknesses of this study. Among the weaknesses identified in the case are as follows: a. Poor collaboration by some public organizations b. Poor creativity of environmental staff c. Insufficient attention to safety evaluation, training people for building appropriate homes with safety standards, creation of job opportunities, and continuous monitoring and evaluation, among other factors. 2. Strengths. In this regard, both the strategic planning and asset-based community development approach can be used. Among the identified strengths throughout the whole course of the program include – a. There is a prominent role that women played in almost all stages of the East Azerbaijan project, especially thorugh women’s health committees. b. There is also an active participation showed by the children through dynamic participation in projects through environmental cleaning exercises and writing and drawing about sanitary problems in their village. 3. Limitations. There are limiting factors in the project such as the availability of resources to ensure the continuous implementation of the project that only with strategic planning approach can be utilized since asset-based community development approach is useful only in asset identificaitons or the strengths for a project to fulfill its goals. 4. Opportunities. In identifying this aspect of the project, both strategic planning and asset-based community development approaches may be used. In this project, the opportunities identified are – a. Health committtees can attract community financial support and the successful implementation of the project. b. Role of women as principal caregivers for the family and the health and environmental needs of children should be given priority. References Used Central Intelligence Agency. 2009. Azerbaijan. [internet] Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aj.html [Accessed 25 July 2009]. Katsioloudes, IM. 2006. “A strategic planning process (SPP) model for the nonprofit sector,” Strategic Managmeent: Global cultureal perspectives for profit and non-profit organizations. Buttersworth-Heinemann, Burlington, Massachusetts, pp. 245-68. Mathie, A. And Cunningham, G. (2003). “From clients to citizens: Asset-based Community Development as a strategy for community-driven development.” Development in Practice. (Vol. 13, No. 5). November 2003. Califax Publishing. McKnight, J. and Kretzmann, J. (2005). “Mapping Community Capacity,” in M Minkler (ed.). Community Organizing and Community Building for Health. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick , pp. 158-72. Nikniaz A. and Alizadeh. M. 2003. Community participation in environmental health: Eastern Azerbaijan Healthy Villages project. [Online] World Health Organization, Available at http://www.emro.who.int/Publications/emhj/1301/PDF/22.pdf [Accessed 25 July 2009]. Read More