COMMUNITY ORGANIZING:

ENSURING HEALTH IN THE

HANDS OF PEOPLE
Chapter Contents
 Definition of Community Organizing
 Core Principles of Community Organizing
 Phases of Community Organizing
 Goal of Community Organizing
 COPAR
Definition of Community Organizing
 Community Organizing as a process, consist
of steps or activities that instill and reinforce
the people’s self-confidence on their own
collective strength and capabilities.

 It is the development of the community’s

collective capacities to solve its own problems
and aspire for development through its own
efforts.
 CO is a continuous process of organizing of
educating the community to develop its
capacity to assess and analyze the situation
(which raising), plan and implement
interventions (mobilization) and evaluate the.
 CO is a process of educating and mobilizing
members of the community to enable them to
resolve community problems.

 It is a means to build the community’s capacity to work for

the common good in general and health goals in particular.

 In the context, CO is teaching the community to apply the

nursing process on its own, utilizing resources that are
available to it, thereby allowing the community to be active
participant in the process of development.
Common Goals of CO and Community
Health Nursing Practice

 People empowerment
 Development of self-reliant community
 Improve quality of life
The emphasis of CO in PHC:
 People from the community working together
to solve their own problems.

 Internal organizational consolidation as a

pre-requisite to external expansion.

 Social movement first before technical change

 Health reforms occurring within the context

of broader social transformation
 Community development is the en goal of
community organizing and all other efforts
toward uplifting the status of the poor and
marginalized.
 Community development entails a process of
assessment of the current situation, the
identification of needs, deciding the
appropriate courses of actions or responses,
mobilization of resources to address these
needs, and monitoring and evaluation by the
people.
3 BASIC VALUES
 Human Rights
 Social Justice
 Social responsibility
Human rights
 Are universally held principle anchored
mainly on the belief in the worth and dignity
of people; these includes the right of life,
self- determination and development as
persons and as a people.
Social Justice
 Means equitable access to opportunities for
satisfying people’s basic needs and dignity; it
requires an equitable distribution of
resources and power through people’s
participation in their own development.
Social responsibility
 Is premised on the belief that people as social
beings must not limit themselves to their own
concerns but should reach out to and move
jointly with others in meeting common needs
and problems; society has the responsibility
to ensure an environment for the fullest
development of its members.
CORE PRINCIPLES OF CO
 CO is people- centered
 CO is participative
 CO is democratic
 CO is developmental
 CO id process- oriented
CO is People-centered
The basic premise of any community
organizing endeavor is that the people are
the mean and ends of development, and
community empowerment is the process and
outcome.
 It is people- centered in the sense that the

process of critical inquiry is not meant for a

person-to-person interaction, with only a few
who will benefit from any undertakings and
activities.
 Overall the development is concerned withy
improving quality of life in the different
dimensions of the community- social,
political, economic, environmental, cultural
and spiritual.

 Emphasis is on the development of human

resources necessitating education.
 The educational processes are interactive,
empowering both the learners and the
teacher.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING IS A
PARTICIPATIVE
 The participation of the community in the entire
process should be ensured.

 The community is considered as the prime mover

and determinant, rather than beneficiaries and
recipients of development efforts, including
health care.

 The people are well informed about the

community activities and are aware of their
potential contributions to the common good.
 Decision making are in the hands of the
ordinary people, not just the elite.

 Distinction is not made among different

groups and different personalities.
Community Organizing is Democratic
 Community Organizing should empower the
disadvantaged population. It is a process
that allows the majority of people to
recognize and critically analyze their
difficulties and articulate their aspirations.

 Their decision must reflect the will of the

whole, more so the will of the common
people, than that of the leaders and the elite.
 Conflicts are inevitable in group dynamics.
The organizer and the leader must effectively
process and manage these conflicts.

 Efforts must be exerted to achieve a

consensus. This requires a participative and
consultative approach.
CO is Developmental
 Co should be directed towards changing
current undesirable conditions.

 The organizer desires changes for the

betterment of the community and the believes
that the community shares and their aspirations
and that these changed can be achieved.

 CO affords empowerment of the marginalized

people.
 Through the process, the community gains
insights, hones their capacities, and develops
their confidence in themselves and in each
other that will allow them to take the lead in
the holistic improvement of their
communities.

 Thus, CO seek human development.

CO is process- oriented
 The community organizing goals of
empowerment and development are achieved
through s process of change.

 Organizers should follow CO process to achieve

these goals. Allowing the community to
internalize an embrace the process requires time.

 Monitoring and periodic review of plans are

necessary.
 Simple problems - > confidence of the
community members -> sustenance of the
community organizing efforts.
PHASES OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
  Pre- entry phase

◦ Preparation on the part of the organizer and

choosing the community for partnership.

◦ Delineate criteria and guidelines for site selection.

◦ Skills in CO are developed on the job or experiential

approach so student nurses are not unusual.
  Pre- entry phase

◦ For Novice organizers, preparation includes a study

or review of the basic concepts of CO.

◦ Self-examination is also necessary both negative

and positive attitude.
  Pre- entry phase

◦ Site selection is often crucial.

 Identification of possible barriers
 Threats
 Strenghts
 Oppurtunities
Communities may be identified through different means:

 initial data gathered through ocular survey

 review of records of a health facility
 Review of the barangay/municipal profile
 Referral from other communities or

institutions o through series of meetings

 Consultation from the LGU
Essential questions should be
answered:
 Does the community meet the GIDA? Criterion of
the DOH?
 Do the members of the community perceive the
need for assistance
 Does the community show signs of willingness or
hostility towards the organizer or the organizing
agency?
 Are the other individuals, groups or agencies
working I the area? If so, are they using CO
approach?
 Is partnership among all potential stakeholders
possible and feasible?
Entry in the Community (Entry Phase)
 Formalizes the start of organizing process.
This is the stage where the organizer gets to
know the community and voce versa.

 Make courtesy calls to the local formed

leaders

 Equally crucial but overlooked often is a visit

of informal leaders.
Considerations
 It is also important that the community
organizer introduce themselves and their
institutions to the community.

 A clear explanation of the VMGO and

activities must be given in all initial meetings
and contacts with the community.
Preparation of the initial visit includes

 Gathering basic information socioeconomic

conditions
 Traditions including religious practices
 Overall physical environment
 General heath and illness patterns
 Available health resources
 Informal meetings are also useful
 The community organizer must keep in mind
that the goal of the process is to build up
confidence and capacities of the people.
2 strategies for gaining entry in the
community as described by Manalili
 Padrino entry

– patron or padrino usually a barangay

official
- the padrino boost the organizer’s
image, tends to present project output and
thereby creating false hopes.
 Bongga entry

- easiest way to catch the attention and

gain approval of the community.

- dole outs

- contradicts the essentiality of CO

Community Integration
 Pakikimabuhay
 A phase where the organizer may actually live

in the community in an effort to understand

the community better and imbibe community
life.
 Establishment of rapport – successful

integration
 A gradual process – not a visitor or guess
 Respect for the culture and traditions is

important
Integration Styles (Manalili, 1990)
 Mow you see, now you don’t
 Boarder
 Elitist
People-centered approach in
Integration
 The organizers enter the community with a
well-conceived plan.

 The approach allows the organizers to

develop a deeper relationship with the whole
community through various techniques.
Manalili cited different techniques
 Pagbabahay-bahay or occassional home visit

- the organizer observe the daily schedule of

activities of households to avoid
inconvenience on the part of the families
 Huntahan

- Informal conversations help a lot of

integrating with the community. It can be
done in a variety of venues such as village
poso during laundry time, basketball court
and sari-sari store,
 Participation in the production process

 The organizer participates in the livelihood

activities such as farming in agricultural
community.
 The goal is to gain firsthand knowledge as a
basis for understanding the production
process and the economic system which the
community operates.
 Participation on social activities

 To get to know each other through face-to-

face encounters.
 Fiestas, wedding, baptismal, funeral wakes
and meetings
 The organizer remains a a role model and
must avoid activities and situations that may
undermine the reputation of the community.
Social analysis
 A process of gathering, collating, and
analyzing data to gain extensive
understanding of community conditions, help
in the identification of problems of the
community and determine the root causes of
these problem
 Social Investigation, Community Study,

Community Analysis and Community Needs

Assessment
 It is also called as Community Diagnosis
There should be a comprehensive
analysis of the ff factors:
- Demographic data
 Sociocultural data
 Economic Data
 Environmental Data
 Data on Health Patterns
 Data oh health resources
Identifying potential leaders

 Since organizing is not a job of one person, it

is imperative that the organizer identifies
partners and potential leaders who will help
lead the people.
Desirable traits of potential leader
 They represent the target group/ community.
 They possess or display leadership qualities.
 They have trust and confidence of the

community
 They express belief in the need to change the

current undesirable situation in the

community.
 Thy are willing to invest time
 They must have a potential management

skills
 Thus, one of the challenges of the community
organizer is to train and prepare the potential
leaders. This requires consistency and
persistence in training, and giving them
opportunities to assume various roles in
community activities.
 The key is to allow time for them to develop

and gradually assume leadership roles.

Core Group Formation
 As the community organizer prepares the
potential leaders, the membership of the
group is expanded, as necessary, by asking
them to invite one or two of their neighbors
or friends.

 Keeping the group size manageable, 8 to 12

members, facilitates arriving at a consensus
(common date and time for meetings).
 A small group may be overwhelmed with the
task given to them.

 Initially, forming a single core group is

usually suggested. But as the community gets
better organized, the first group may decide
to have separate core group or communities
for specific sector of the community.
 The formation of a viable, functioning core group is
the focal point of community organizing. This
requires a series of training sessions to transfer the
technology of community organizing ,enabling the
core group to take charge of the subsequent
organizing process.

 Since the core group will serve as the foundation of

community organization, ay facilitative or negative
factor not properly harnessed or addressed during
core group formation may affect the outcomes of
community organizing efforts.
Community Organization
 Through various information dissemination,
the core group, the core group, with the
assistance of the community organizer,
instills awareness of common concerns
among other members of the community.
 Subsequently, on the initiative of the core
group, the community conducts the
assemblies, with the goals of arriving at a
common understanding of community
concerns ad formulating a plan of action in
dealing with these concerns.
 The organizer must remember that it is their
project to be done in their community. The
organizer must let them decide.
 If the community decides t formalize the
organization, it must have the following
concerns:

 An organizational name and structure

 A set of officers recognized by the members
of the community
 Constitution and by laws stating the VMG
rules and regulations of the organization and
duties and responsibilities of the officers and
members.
 The community may then decide to seek legal
recognition by registering the organization
with appropriate government agency.

 The organization may also established

linkages and networks with other government
agencies, or other people’s organizations that
will further strengthen and expand the
organization, facilitating the attainment of its
goals and organizations.
ACTION PHASE

 AKA Mobilization Phase

 Refers to the implementation of the

community’s planned projects and programs
Important Considerations

 Allow the community to determine the pace

and scope of project implementation.

 The process is as important as the output. A

project may fail, but as long as the
community gins valuable experience and
learns from the process, it is not a failure in
itself.
 Regular monitoring and continuing
community formation program are essential.
Evaluation
 It is a systematic, critical analysis of the
current state of the organization and/or
projects compared to desired or planned
goals or objectives. Ideally, evaluation is
done periodically (formative) during
mobilization and at the end of the prescribed
project period(summative).
 In CO, there are 2 major areas of evaluation:

1. Program-based evaluation
2. Organizational evaluation
 Area of Evaluation General Evaluation Parameters
Program-based Were the goals and objectives of the programs
achieved?
What strategies were implemented? What worked?
What did not?
What is the overall impact of the project on the
community?
How were the resources of the organization and
community utilized/
Organizational Were the VMGO achieved?
How are the organizational policies being
implemented?
What is the level of participation ob the affairs of
the community organization
How were the resources of the organization
utilized and managed?
What type of interpersonal relationship is shaped
Exit an Expansion Phase
 The organizer must have a clear vision and a
general time frame in mind.

 s articulated by Manalili, “ the best entry paln

is an exit plan”.
INDICATIONS FOR READINESS FOR
EXIT
 Attainment of the set of goals of the CO
efforts

 Demonstration of the capacity of the people’s

organization to lead the community in
dealing with common problems

 People empowement
 During the exit phase, the organizer may
start exploring another community to
organize, that is, expanding to another area
but stays in touch with the first community,
periodically visiting.
Goals of CO
 People’s Empowerment
 Building relatively permanent structures and

people’s organization
 Improved quality of life
COPAR
 Par is an approach to research that aims at
promoting change among participants.

 Members of the group being studied

participates as partners.

 It was introduces in mid 1990’s

 Both COPAR and traditional research
approach in nursing endeavor using methods
of scientific. However, they differ in certain
ways
Points of Traditional Research COPAR
Comparison
Decision Top- down Down to up
Making Expert/nurse-driven process Community-driven
Emphasis Much premium is placed on process
the data and output Premium is placed on
the process
Roles Nurse- researcher Community members-
Community- subjects or researcher
objects of research Nurse-facilitator
Data analysis is done by the Data analysis is done
nurse by the community
Methodology Predetemined by the CO Identified by the
community
Output The study is packaged, Conclusions and
submitted to the agency, recommendations are
published. Recommendations made by the
Who is the Community Organizer?
 Has exemplary professional and moral
qualities
 Possesses good communication/ facilitation

skills to be able to call and lead small group

discussions and trainings and community
meetings.
 Has the ability to set good leadership

examples for the community to emulate

Who is the Community Organizer?
 Displays a charismatic personality that draws
people toward organizing work and
community activities.
 Adopts and enjoy working and living with all

types of community/ people.

 Can empathize with the people of the

community she/he is working with

 Believes on the vision of change,

empowerment and development

 Has a personal conviction consistent with the
values and principles being advocated.
Participatory data-gathering methods
for COPAR
 Transect Walk
 Mapping
 Venn Diagram