UTILIZATION OF COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION STRATEGIES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN SOUTH-EAST STATES, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study was on utilization of community mobilization strategies in the implementation of community development project in South East state. Three objectives were raised which included:  ascertain the extent to which capacity building for stakeholders has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States, determine the extent to which formation of community coalitions has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States, find out the extent to which direct engagement of community members has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States, find out the extent to which partnering with organizations has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States and find out the challenges affecting the utilization of community mobilization strategies in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from Enugu, Imo and Abia states. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).

Chapter one

Introduction

1.1Background of the study

Community development covers all forms of developmental activities in a community. It is aimed at the improvement of persons either as individuals, groups or society at large and their living situation. It is also aimed at securing the active participation and co-operation of the people in every community programme that is designed to raise their standard of living and promote their development in every form. Omoruyi (2001) noted that community development was first used in 1948 at the Cambridge Conference on African Administration that was organized
by the British Colonial Office. Then, community development was taken to mean the same thing as mass education. Community development was therefore regarded as a movement designed to promote better living for the whole community with the active participation and if possible on the
initiative of the community (Obetta, 2014). Universally, community development is accepted to mean the process by which the efforts of the people themselves are united with those of governmental
authorities to improve the economic, social and cultural conditions of communities to integrate these communities into the life of the nation and to enable them to contribute fully to national progress (Hyman in Obetta, 2004). Community development is therefore a process which seeks to empower individuals and groups of people by providing these groups with the skills needed to affect change in their own communities. These skills are often concentrated around building political power through the formation of large social groups working for a common agenda.

Community development, according to Anyanwu (1999), marks the stage in the life of a community at which the people plan and act together for the satisfaction of their felt-needs through programme formulation and implementation. The programmes of community development usually grow out of deliberate efforts to bring about social change in
communities. Adequacies of community facilities and services, opportunities for employment, quality of the community environment are elements in the life-wire of any community. Lee (2003) stated that community development is rooted in a broad understanding
of citizenship that sees people as having a right to influence and participate in the decisions that affect them and to have their experiences and views listened to and acted on. It is potentially a means or process whereby people can achieve such a right. This, therefore, can result to
participation in decision-making and collective action, leading to an agenda of social inclusion and amelioration of poverty. In essence, the delivery of community development and social welfare services is a human right well enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Charter (1995).
Over three decades, the approach to delivering community development and social welfare services has been changing from time to time. Presently, a bottom-top service delivery approach is in vogue. The approach implies that the beneficiaries of a service are helped to
understand their problems and take part in suggesting and providing possible interventions towards solving that particular problem. In other words, bottom-top service delivery approach is a demand-driven approach showing that communities are helped to identify a problem
affecting them and hence, the need to solve it (Twebaze, 2003).
The bottom-top approach contrasts sharply the top-bottom approach where the bureaucrats thought over problems for the communities and suggest interventions on their behalf. The top-bottom approach presupposes that communities have no capacity to
understand their problems nor do they have any capacity to suggest any meaningful intervention to solve their problems (Obetta & Okide, 2011). This type of approach became so popular during the colonial and post-colonial era up to the 1980s (Cinara, 2004). The top bottom
approach had short-comings as their services did not march the communities’ needs. Also, the communities had to look at the interventions as foreign and impositions on them. The institutions and facilities were looked at as “government things” and not those of the
communities. It means that the government either keeps servicing them or they collapse soon after installation (United Nations’ International Children’s Education Fund, UNICEF, 2000). Moreover, the institutions and facilities provided broke down when government funding and
responsibility dwindled. Hence, the top-bottom approach failed to yield the expected results. This scenario, according to Obetta (2014), led to the adoption of bottom-top approach since last two decades. UNICEF further asserted that in Nigeria, the bottom-top approach has been
adopted since the early 1990s as community development projects cannot be undertaken successfully without the bottom-top approach. The bottom-top approach entails mobilizing the communities, getting them involved, educating them to focus and prioritize their pressing
community development needs. Once they identify their needs, they are further helped to identify interventions to solve such needs. The bottom-top approach is also referred to as a demand-driven approach because it translates into equity possession of properties resulting
from a consultative approach process. The community therefore cares for the institutions and facilities, operate them and maintain them effectively and efficiently as they are aware that the institutions and facilities belong to them.

In order to strengthen the effective and efficient care for the institutions and facilities (including their operation and maintenance), community mobilization was introduced. The idea of community mobilization was initiated by UNICEF and has since been adopted by
other development partners including World Bank, United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP), African Development Bank (ADB), Department for International Development (DFID) and United Nations’ (UN) Habitat in collaboration with line ministries such as
Agriculture and Rural Development, Environment, Health and Education among others (Parker, 1996). Initially, development partners could take on projects individually but presently, a common basket has been established where community developmental funds are pooled and budgeted among projects including component allocations for community mobilization.
Community mobilization is an important means for introducing the demand driven/bottom-top approach. It is an initial stimulus for communities to get involved and participate in developmental projects in the community. Although community mobilization shares many characteristics with related concepts such as empowerment and participation, its
major emphasis is on collective advocacy and organization as credible community members can enthusiastically support community development programmes when well informed.

 As an intervention tool in community development programmes, community mobilization seeks to create social change by building awareness and empowering community members to take
charge of their own development through engaging in a collective and interactive process (Parker, 1996). Community mobilization, according to Save the Children Federation (2012), is a process through which action is stimulated by a community itself, or by others. Such
action is planned, carried out, and evaluated by a community’s individuals, groups, and organizations on a participatory and sustained basis to improve their living standard. Community mobilization produces a growing autonomy and conscience as it is a continual and communicational, educational and organizational process. Above all,
community mobilization enables community members to participate in all possible ways through the contribution of ideas, materials and finances. Mobilization is a very powerful empowerment tool for the communities to own interventions that are intended to solve their
problems. Community mobilization helps in the formation of management committees and also encourages the management committees to be gender-balanced. In this way, the communities become part and parcel of their own problem-solving apparatus. Community mobilization is a continuous process in the society that is aimed at
bringing the society together for the purpose of generating ideas in relation to the problems they face or meeting their needs with the help of a facilitator (Memon 2004, and Michau & Naker, 2003). Mobilization aims at creating awareness and empowering the community to
identify their problems, prioritize them, suggest interventions to solve these problems and find means of sustaining such interventions. Furthermore, mobilization can also be referred to as a process that is aimed at enticing adequate community participation of stakeholders in the
community project management activity process including planning and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (Gou, 2001). The ultimate benefits of community mobilization include the improvement in the quality of life for the rural communities and
reduction in operation and maintenance costs which can be used to extend community development and social welfare services to un-served populations (Howard-Grabman, 2000). Community mobilization is needed in communities because decentralization and democratization require increased community level decision-making. Save the Children
Federation (2012) noted that community mobilization is needed in communities because communities have different needs and problems, different cultures, beliefs and practices.

Therefore, one programme may not fit in or be acceptable in all the communities. Also, community mobilization builds mechanisms and systems to sustain health improvements. Social structures and norms may need to be changed if true access to information and
services is to be achieved by those who mostly need them. Therefore, community mobilization can help to facilitate these changes. Community mobilization can increase community members’ awareness of their right to decent treatment and can strengthen members’ ability to claim these, and can also help to bring additional resources to the
community. Through community mobilization, communities can apply political pressure to improve services. Empowering community mobilization approaches can strengthen community members’ skills and capacity to address the underlying causes of community
problems and reduce barriers to access of information and services. From the on-going discussions, it infers that through community mobilization,
communities can play a critical role in the process of achieving an effective continuum of community development activities. Community mobilization can raise awareness of community development issues and motivate people to participate in activities that have been prioritized and planned from within the community. Otchere and Ransom (2006) stated that
community mobilization is an empowering strategy that includes carrying out careful and formative research in order to design a locally-appropriate and specific community mobilization strategy. It also involves selecting and training individuals who will facilitate the community mobilization process within communities.

Other activities include raising community awareness about the local community development projects’ situation; working with community leaders and others to invite and organize participation of those most affected by and interested in community development
projects, exploring with community members the local practices, beliefs and attitudes that affect community development projects, and supporting communities to set local priorities for action. Helping community members to develop and implement their own community
action plans and working with communities to build their capacity to independently monitor and evaluate their progress towards achieving improved standard of living are also the
activities of community mobilization.

Based on the foregoing, Tedrow, Morin, Sweat, Zelaya, Kennedy, Khumalo-
Sakutukwa and Celentano (2011) stated that community mobilization strategies include capacity building for the stakeholders, formation of community coalitions, direct engagement of community members, and creation of partnerships with organizations. The capacity
building for the stakeholders is an important community mobilization strategy. It involves identifying existing community resources and assessing the gaps that exist to implement the
community mobilisation. The gaps identified are supplemented by capacity building of the community groups and other relevant stakeholders in the community involved in community mobilization.
The aim of capacity building is to establish a group that can influence community mobilization activities. It usually consists of partners that have a stake in the issue as well as influential groups and members of the community such as formal and informal leaders and
religious and traditional leaders. Tedrow, et. al., (2011) referred to the stakeholders as gatekeepers. These are people that are highly regarded in the communities—the chiefs, the sub-chiefs, and any other persons in the position of leadership. These categories of people are
the ones that community development officers have to talk to first in order to open the gates for community development officers to go down to the grassroots level and then be able to interact with the people. The stakeholders accompany community development officers to the
people, introduce them to the people and then help them to sell their ideas to the people. Formation of community coalitions is another community mobilisation strategy. Community mobilization for a coalition requires recruiting a critical mass of active participants, and engaging key community constituencies or sectors. Coalitions seek to
consolidate local power and knowledge to address substance abuse and other related problems in the community. Lasker and Weiss (2003) emphasized that coalitions seek to bring people together across social, economic, and political ties to address common
community interest. An essential element of an effective coalition is the creation of structures and operations that maximize community inputs and ensure goal attainment. An effective coalition requires a strong and stable organizational structure that clarifies roles and
procedures, and adequately addresses task and maintenance function (Florin, Mitchell, Stevenson, & Klein, 2000).
An effective coalition creates a formalized set of structures and practices, such as written roles and procedures (e.g., by-laws). Coalition develops and maintains quality organizational management strategies such as effective communication, conflict resolution, perception of fairness, and shared decision-making. Centre for Prevention Research and Development (2006) asserted that high levels of coalition organizational effectiveness result in a positive work climate, higher member satisfaction and communication among committee members. They also establish linkages with community organizations, and reduce conflict.
Coalitions require a common vision, high quality communication, strong relationships both internally and externally, targeted outcomes, and human and financial resources to be effective (Foster-Fishman, Berkowitz, Lounsbury, Jacobson, & Allen, 2001). The coalition
builds capacity for action by increasing members’ knowledge and skills (Florin, et. al., 2000), and empowering individuals by getting them involved in the issues that affect their lives (Lasker & Weiss, 2003).
Such coalitions include: Community Working Groups (CWGs) and Community- Based Outreach Volunteers (CBOVs) (Campbell & Cornish, 2010). CBOVs are extremely valuable assets to the community mobilization process. CBOVs help community development officers gain trust and acceptance in communities, and disseminate information
regarding community project execution. CWGs provide another avenue for community participation in the mobilization. The CWGs consist of local leaders, representatives from community organizations, churches, schools, health clinics, and traditional rulers. CWGs
served as a link between communities and community development programme staff.

A third community mobilisation strategy is direct engagement of community members through door-to-door canvassing (community/home visits), community meetings, workshops, seminars, radio, talk, shows, staging drama, promotion weeks, distribution of
flyers and informal group discussions. Campbell and Cornish (2010) affirmed that in this strategy, community mobilisation teams and community-based outreach volunteers engage community members in conversations about community development projects. It is an
excellent way of understanding the community, thereby allowing CBOVs to tailor their messages to address local opinions. Community mobilization teams and CBOVs develop outreach strategies and events to increase community participation in project-related activities. The community mobilisation teams arrange sporting events, community dramas,
dancing competitions, and even movie showings in some sites. Sometimes, local celebrities and community leaders would attend these events, dramatically increase participation. Theseevents are ways of raising community awareness about projects in the community.
Creation of partnerships with organizations is another mobilization strategy. In a community, there are various partners that work independently to achieve similar goals.

Therefore, it is important to identify relevant partners through a simple mapping exercise. With respect to community development programmes, religious institutions, community based organisations (CBOs), governmental agencies and international agencies, among others are relevant also as partners. Community mobilization staff establishes partnerships with
community organizations. By forming partners, project teams utilize pre-existing forums to disseminate their information. For example, mobilization teams attend immunization campaigns in partnership with government health clinics, facilitate sessions during  community meetings called by other organizations, gave presentations in churches, and used schools as forum to mobilize youth (Campbell & Cornish, 2010). Mobilization teams also develop partnerships to address needs and issues raised by communities. Also, partnerships help to enhance the sustainability of the community mobilization. In South East of Nigeria, there are five states namely; Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States. These states have numerous autonomous communities located both in urban
and rural areas. Community development is needed in both areas. Hence, Mabogunje (1999) emphasized that development is essentially a human issue as it is concerned with the capacity of individuals to realize their inherent potentials and effectively cope with the change in
circumstances of their lives. It also involves the total mobilization of a society towards a self-centred and self-reliant position with regard to not only the processes of decision-making but also, in production and consumption patterns. Community mobilization is indispensible to
the effective execution of development projects and as such, community development officers are at the fore-front in the community mobilization process. This is because they are experts in the area. Therefore, there is the need for the community development officers to
mobilize community members for effective involvement in the social, economic and political advancement of their communities. It is therefore important that in mobilizing communities for development process, none of these two facets of communities (urban and rural) in the
South-East States of Nigeria should be neglected.

After the Nigeria/Biafra civil war of 1967 – 1970, there was improvement in the formation of indigenous community development organizations in both rural and urban communities in the present South-East States. Most of these communities, in a bid to grow, adopted community mobilization strategy. Prominent among the community development
organizations is the town union. It is located in the community, as an association that belongs to the community, established by the community and for the community (Warner, et. al., 2006). The community development officers help the town unions by employing community
mobilization strategies in addressing some community development issues. Such issues include the implementation of primary health care, rural water supply and sanitation, leadership development, rural credits, eradication of illiteracy, agricultural projects, rural electrification projects, rural feeder-road and maintenance projects, and income-generation
projects. The community mobilization strategies employed are building capacity for the stakeholders, formation of community coalition, direct engagement of community members and creation of partnership with organizations.
In Enugu State, there are instances where communities have been mobilized by community development officers. The employment of the mobilization strategies such as capacity building, coalition formation, direct engagement of community members, and partnership creation with organizations have resulted in the completion of health centres at
Nguru-Nsukka, Ozzi-Edem and Ezebunagu, respectively. Others are provision of 86 desks for primary school pupils at Nguru-Nsukka; sinking of bore-hole at Nru-Nsukka, construction of rural feeder road at Anuka, building of secondary school science laboratory block and
examination hall at Edem-Ani and Breme (Eha-Ndiagu), respectively. Presently, building of health centre is in progress in Anuka Community, all in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. In a related development, Obetta (2009) cited instances with the sinking of borehole
projects at Uda, Enugu-Ezike in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area and Ohom-Orba Community in Udenu Local Government Area.
In Anambra State, civic centres were built in Nimo Community of Njikoka Local Government Area and Ukpo Community of Dunukofia Local Government Area.

 There were also bore-hole projects executed in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area and in Abatete, Idemili North Local Government Area. In Ebonyi State, there abounds evidence of community development projects executed by the communities through the mobilization
efforts of the community development officers. For instance, as at 2013, there are 12 microprojects completed out of 22 embarked upon in 10 communities of Ohaozara Local Government Area. The projects ranged from primary and secondary school buildings, handpump
and motorized bore-holes, market stalls, health centres to road construction and maintenance (Okike, 2013). In Izzi Local Government Area, health clinic project has been completed in Offerekpe, Ezzainyimagu Community while civic centre project is abandoned in Mgbalukwu Community. In Afikpo South Local Government Area, Amoso Town Hall and Ubeyi-Amoso Rest House projects are abandoned while Bux Culvert at Uzo-Ubi is completed, all in Etiti Edda Community. In all the instances given, community development projects are implemented by town unions using community mobilization strategies. However, there are still cases of abandoned and/or uncompleted community development projects in
many communities within the South-East States. Therefore, the strengthening of communities’ capacities to solve their own problems
through community mobilization strategies is one of the fundamentals of sustainable community development (Majale, 2003). The strengthening of communities’ capacities makes communities to employ community mobilization strategies such as capacity building for stakeholders, formation of community coalitions, direct engagement of community
members, and creation of partnerships with organizations in the implementation of community development projects. As the employment of community mobilization strategy is important in the implementation of community development projects, the training of town unions in the
various communities by community development officers became inevitable. This is because there are still cases of abandoned and/or uncompleted community development projects in many communities within the South-East States. There is therefore the need to determine the
extent to which these community mobilization strategies have been utilized in the implementation of community development projects. It is against this background that the researcher carried out this study.

Statement of the problem

The communities in the South-East States of Nigeria are noted for embarking on different community development projects in the form of self-help. Over the last two decades, the implementation of the different community development projects has been possible through community mobilization strategies that have been applied in the various
communities by community development officers. As a result, lots of investments are employed into the projects. Even though, some successes have been reported from the use of these strategies, not much is known about the extent of the success as the detailed
assessments of the effectiveness of the strategies is not readily available. Records available inthe various local government areas showed that there are many completed and commissionedcommunity development projects. However, there are also cases of uncompleted and/or abandoned community development projects within the area. Without independent,
systematic and objective assessment, it is difficult to ascertain, consolidate and strengthengood practices, discontinue or modify poor tools and deal with challenges. Furthermore, it seems that lots of investment put into these community development projects are not commensurate with the outcome.
More so, the level of community involvement in the planning, financing, execution, operation and management of community development projects is still in doubt in some communities. Without detailed assessment of the effectiveness of community mobilization in the area of capacity building for stakeholders, formation of community coalition, direct engagement of community members and creation of partnership with organizations, it is difficult to justify the extent to which community mobilization strategies are utilized in community development projects. Hence, as at present it is not possible to state the extent to which the various town unions in the South-East States have been mobilized by community development officers to implement community development projects using community
mobilization strategies. Therefore, the problem of the study posed as a question is: To what extent have community mobilization strategies in terms of capacity building for stakeholders, formation of community coalitions, direct engagement of community members, and creation
of partnerships with organizations been utilized in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States of Nigeria?

Objective of the study

The objectives of the study are;

1. ascertain the extent to which capacity building for stakeholders has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States.
2. determine the extent to which formation of community coalitions has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States.
3. find out the extent to which direct engagement of community members has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States.
4. find out the extent to which partnering with organizations has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States.
5.  find out the challenges affecting the utilization of community mobilization strategies in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States.

Research hypotheses

The following research hypotheses were formulated

H0: there is no extent to which formation of community coalitions has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States.

H1: there is extent to which formation of community coalitions has been utilized as community mobilization strategy in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States.

H0: there are no challenges affecting the utilization of community mobilization strategies in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States

H2: there are no challenges affecting the utilization of community mobilization strategies in the implementation of community development projects in South-East States

Significance of the study

The study will give a clear insight on the utilization of community mobilization strategies in the implementation of community development project. The study will be beneficial to students, youths and the government of Enugu state which the study will be limited. The study will also serve as a reference to other researchers that will embark on the related topic

Scope and limitation of the study

The scope of the study covers utilization of community mobilization strategies in the implementation of community development project. The study will be limited to selected communities in Enugu state

Limitations/constraints are inevitable in carrying out a research work of this nature. However, in the course of this research, the following constraints were encountered thus:

1. Non-availability of enough resources (finance): A work of this nature is very tasking financially, money had to be spent at various stages of the research such resources which may aid proper carrying out of the study were not adequately available.
2. Time factor: The time used in carrying out the research work is relatively not enough to bring the best information out of it. However, I hope that the little that is contained in this study will go a long way in solving many greater problems.

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