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If your organization will need to undertake some community mobilization, you will want to add some of the activities below to your action plan.
Use your mouse or keyboard to expand each of the activity headings below. To add an activity to your action plan, select the Add button beside it.
Listed below are some fairly broad activities that need to be undertaken as part of mobilizing a community.
To mobilize a community to address disability issues and support the development and implementation of CBR, your organization will need to become knowledgeable about the community you serve.
You will need to develop an understanding of:
A situation analysis is an effective way to do this.
Identifying power structures in the community is an important activity for community mobilization. Start by identifying:
It is important to learn about these power structures because people with power and influence have the ability to mobilize others to support initiatives in the community.
It is also important to understand the current attitudes and behaviours towards people with disabilities and their family members. People’s behaviour towards others often reveals their attitudes; by observing their behaviour, it is possible to discern whether they are disrespectful, patronizing, oppressive, or neglectful.
It is important to take the time to establish trust and credibility with stakeholders in the community. CBR personnel should:
To successfully mobilize a community and gain support for disability initiatives, community members must first develop awareness about disability and begin to understand why it matters and what actions they can take. Many community members will have limited knowledge about disability and may as a result have negative attitudes and behaviours towards them. Disability may be perceived as merely a health issue, and approached with pity and stigma.
Creating awareness about disability in the community is a duty of the State, and there are many ways to accomplish it. For example, CBR could use group discussions, role plays, flashcards, storytelling, songs, drama, puppet shows, posters, films, radio and wall writing.
When working to raise awareness about disability in the community, it is important to remember:
Learn how a community’s attitudes were changed in Kenya
) button (above) to see how CBR and a disabled people’s organization worked together to build capacity in a Palestinian community.CBR needs to motivate community stakeholders to address disability issues and work towards inclusive development. CBR personnel need to convince stakeholders that CBR is a strategy that can ultimately benefit the whole community, by for example having accessible water points that benefit everyone in the community, including old people, pregnant women and children, not just people with disabilities. Sensitizing and orienting community members to the CBR strategy (concept, philosophy, goal, purpose) and how it can assist the community is therefore a very important activity.
Understanding what motivates community stakeholders is critical. In the early stages of community mobilization, it may be necessary to provide incentives to increase the interest and motivation of stakeholders. However, CBR should work to ensure that people understand the value of their participation and the satisfaction they can gain through participating so that incentives will not be necessary. For example, CBR personnel could invite key stakeholders to observe CBR activities, or organize field visits to other communities where CBR activities are working well.
Communities consist of many stakeholders, with different opinions, ideas, priorities and agendas. It is advisable to approach all stakeholders at the same time, but this may not always be possible. So different sections of the community can be mobilized at different times to participate in aspects of CBR.
Stakeholders can be invited to participate in CBR activities in the community, such as a situation analysis to help raise awareness about community needs, rights, resources, capacities and roles.
CBR needs to identify barriers that may prevent community stakeholders from participating, and to work with these stakeholders to overcome these barriers. Barriers to participation may include:
It is important to bring stakeholders together to initiate the discussion and negotiation required for action and change. Organizing regular meetings with the stakeholders in the community is a good way to do this. The balance of power must be taken into account in these meetings, to ensure that vulnerable groups are not excluded and disempowered.
Community members play a vital role in CBR, so it is necessary to consider the training they might need to upgrade their skills and knowledge.
Let’s take a look at how CBR in the West Bank of Palestine teamed up with a disabled people’s organization to build capacity and defend the rights of people with disabilities in their community.
Select the Learn more link below to watch a video of this story. As you watch the video, consider the steps that these partner organizations took and consider which ones it would be important for you to take in your community.
See how CBR and a disabled people’s organization worked together to build capacity in a Palestinian community.
When you are finished watching the video, identify some of the things that were done that might also be useful in your own community. Enter your thoughts in the box below; then select Save.
