The Community Basis

It is one of the axioms of development work. It is not to be discussed or negotiated. It is the magic word that promises sustainability, social justice, and reduced poverty. It adds that little extra to your proposal, and increases the likelihood of funding. 

Community-based is good. 

I also like community-based programmes, where communities can decide and move on with activities to improve the lives of their children. But there are different readings of “community-based”, and some I do find rather disagreeable. 

Take basic education. By all accounts, the United States have the prototype of a community-based education system, where neighbourhoods pay for their local schools. But 50 years after Brown vs. Board of Education, the ethnic divide in learning achievement is almost as big as ever. And while there are jubilee commemorations for this milestone in the history of Human Rights movements, some educators[1] seem to remain mystified why Afro-American and Hispanic children in America -on average- do not do as well in school as other children do.

I can’t find no mystery. Because there are poor neighbourhoods and rich neighbourhoods. And if the schools are to operate on the budgets of their neighbourhood, then some will end up with small budgets, poor learning environments, and poorly motivated and supervised teachers, and some will end up with the 5-star classroom and the best teachers that money can hire. And the children of the poor remain poorly educated and poor. 

We can’t expect poor people to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. Education is a public, not a private good. Community-based must not become a euphemism for a theory that everyone has to look after himself.

So before we again rush to agree on something community-based, let’s agree on what we are talking about: community-financed, co-financed or fee-based? Designed by communities? Managed by communities, or co-managed? Monitored by the community? Validated by community members? Designed with consideration of community views….? …..? ….

(2 April 2004)

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