Immediate results as entry point for community participation

摘要

To approach the Millennium Development Goals in the water and sanitation sector, alternative ways of thinking and creative development strategies have to be discussed. While working with development programs in both rural and urban areas of Africa, we observe an immense fatigue of the population as a reaction on too many assessments by people and organisations, too many promises, too many plans, but still only few results and small visible changes. During many project activities, we became aware of the fact that the population is almost hindering a development based on its negative experience with new project ideas, concepts and approaches. Therefore, an immediate negative reaction of the population - very often expressed in anger - has to be converted to a new starting point. They express the feeling of being misused in terms of becoming a study-object and becoming a case for organisations and donors. This is often due to the fact that assessments have to be carried out to define projects and to apply for funding. It is rare that implementation can start with supporting donors and funds already at hand when the population is approached.