guidelines for community development

How the church can foster a vibrant community in

Sesheke & other parts of Zambia’s Western Province

David Mutemwa

An empirical investigation showed that the church failed

to transform the Sesheke community

Refer to the “Sesheke church's transformational task” slides to learn more…

Specific guidelines for community transformation in

Sesheke

1

Understand community transformation

The following aspects apply:

Ensure full community participation throughout

“Before action can take place, it must be approved or legitimated by those holding such power in the community”

Understand community transformation #1

Emphasise change from within

• A key feature of community transformation is action at grassroots

• Change in the developing communities must predominantly come from within


Identify concrete community felt needs

• Identification of the concrete felt needs is a pre-requisite for action

• Local people must be involved in identifying their own needs


Employ a holistic & integrated approach

Address all aspects of human life and environment…


Employ a holistic & integrated approach

Address all aspects of human life and environment…

Spiritual, social, political, cultural, economical & environmental aspects should all be considered


Empower local people

Empowerment should emphasise

• community knowledge & resources,





• self reliance,





• self reliance,

• self initiative, and





• self reliance,


• decision making.





• self reliance,


• decision making.

All people possess strengths upon which they can build.


Ensure sustainability of transformational projects

• Seek medium to long term viability & permanence of changes




• Use of natural resources must not reduce resources available for future generations.




• Use of natural resources must not reduce resources available for future generations

• Efficient use of available resources is a precondition


Effective planning and implementation

Ensure that all stakeholders are involved:

• The people directly affected by the plan and

• those who will implement it should participate


Effective planning & implementation: checklist

• Does the plan address the real issues?




• Have tasks been identified and written down?





• Is there somebody responsible for each task?






• Do the people understand the finer details of the plan?







• Is the implementation done step by step?








• Have previous tasks been completed before embarking on the next ones?








• Have previous tasks been completed before embarking on the next ones?

• Have all the tasks been completed?


Community research

• To determine real needs and

• Local resources that are available


Ethical implications

Test practices against Biblical and universal ethical principles

i. Environmental protection should not be done at the expense of human survival





ii. Use of natural resources should not reduce resources available for present and future generations





ii. Use of natural resources should not reduce resources available for present and future generations

iii. Adhere to the principle of equal regard as held in Old Testament narratives and ministry of Christ


2

Identify local barriers to transformation and possible

remedies

The following barriers to transformation and possible remedies apply to Sesheke:

Lack of requisite education

• Lack of skills, knowledge, and training necessary for transformation to take place

• Work at translating population growth into economic growth with the help of education

Identify local barriers to transformation and possible remedies #1

Cultural and language barriers

• Cultural diversity and practices in Sesheke pose reasonable challenge to the transformational task

• Embrace the concept of “ubuntu” (humanness) – a person is a person through other persons


Accessibility of communities

• Lack of transport and non-existence of ideal roads to many communities

• External aid and government lobbying for transport and road construction is necessary


Natural resource abundance trap

(natural resource curse or Dutch disease)

Overdependence on timber production as a primary economic activity and export product





• Consider alternative livelihoods e.g.:






i. Agriculture






i. Agriculture

ii. Export diversification






i. Agriculture

ii. Export diversification

iii. Orientation toward good neighbours, e.g. Namibia & Botswana


Being landlocked

• Landlocked by default as part of a landlocked country


Being landlocked


• Connected to Namibia & Botswana - good neighbours


Being landlocked



• Linked to the sea via the Trans-Caprivi Corridor


Being landlocked



• Linked to the sea via the Trans-Caprivi Corridor

• Sesheke’s location can offer opportunities for cross-border trade


Bad governance

• Relates to Zambia as a country and to Sesheke by default


Bad governance


• Bad governance can cause poor economic growth & performance


Bad governance



• Physical command of natural resources by government or hereditary elite may not welcome checks and balances necessary for economic growth


Bad governance



• Physical command of natural resources by government or hereditary elite may not welcome checks and balances necessary for economic growth

• Church should advocate for checks and balances


3

Identify areas of influence

The following are the areas of influence for community transformation in Sesheke area

The local church and other faith-based organisations

Churches and other religious organisations have very strong influence on society and should be mobilised for community transformation

Identify areas of influence #1

Culture

Promote cultural diversity and embrace the concept of “Ubuntu” – humanness


Politics

Politics can be categorised in three forms:

• Government politics

• Community politics

• Church politics


Government politics

• Government projects are either a positive contribution or a negative hindrance

• Critically strategize to harness political influence for community transformation


Community politics

• Desperate competition for resources at community level


Community politics


• Demands for rights to be heard, to have a voice, to be consulted and to become full members of the political community


Community politics


• Demands for rights to be heard, to have a voice, to be consulted and to become full members of the political community

• Equality should be the guiding principle as taught in the Bible


Church politics

• Seeking ways to find recognition, competing for resources, gaining public voice, arguing for rights, and winning converts and friends


Church politics


• The church should rather promote equal distribution of wealth, resources, and social justice


Church politics


• The church should rather promote equal distribution of wealth, resources, and social justice

• Equality again should be the guiding principle


External aid agencies/donors

• They can have either positive or negative influence on the transformational task

• Church should have necessary skills and understanding of working with donors from a broader perspective


4

Utilise local resources

Strengths, resources, and potentials present in community

Community audit

• Focused on detailed inventory of community assets

Utilise local resources #1

Community audit


• All community assets in terms of values, strengths, opportunities, gifts, skills, capacities, etc. should be mobilised


Community audit


• All community assets in terms of values, strengths, opportunities, gifts, skills, capacities, etc. should be mobilised

• This basic and Biblical truth about the giftedness of every individual and community is important for transformation


Local capacity building

• This is central to the quest for sustainable development


Farming

• Participants identified farming as an asset and alternative livelihood in Sesheke


Farming


• Most economies in Africa invest in agriculture


Farming


• Most economies in Africa invest in agriculture

• Agricultural concerns are central to rural development activities


The local church

The local church is a major stakeholder in community transformation


The working of the Holy Spirit in transformation

• The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to be selfless and care for those in need and

• give them wisdom and guidance


Place for aid

i. Providing education across all sectors of community


Place for aid


ii. Improving access to health services for all communities


Place for aid


ii. Improving access to health services for all communities

iii. Transport and communication


Conclusion perspectives

• Community transformation is about meeting the affected people’s concrete felt needs



• Local people should fully participate in the transformation process




• Change must come predominantly from within




• Change must come predominantly from within

• The most effective tools we can wield on behalf of the poor and needy is Biblical truth and the working of the Holy Spirit

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guidelines for community development

Education