COMMUNITY MOBILISATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING
In line with the National Community Development Policy of mobilizing and building capacities of communities for sustainable development, Community Mobilisation Division has 2 main components
(1) Community Mobilization Programme
Community mobilization is a deliberate participatory process to engage local institutions, Community leaders, community groups, and members of the community to organize them for collective action towards common purpose. It starts with fact finding, then problem identification/needs identification, of priorities, local resources and talents and leads to developing a common action plan for implementation of the community-based activities. Community Mobilization seeks to establish a formal working relationship to accomplish a common goal. It is characterized by respect for the community and its needs.
The activities in the programme include:
- Mobilization of community action groups to identify and implement various action points which will solve their community problems
- Sensitising, persuading and influencing communities to implement development activities on self-help basis; where communities take initiatives for example to mould bricks for various, construct school blocks, teachers’ houses, police units, roads, bridges and market places with little or no support from outside,
- Publicising the importance of community development initiatives so as to rekindle self-help spirit.
(2) Community Capacity Building Programme
The programme aims at strengthening the community leadership and governance structures and community members through provision of knowledge and skills in identification, initiation and management of development activities at community level. The programme involves training community leaders and members in leadership and basic management skills with a view to enhance knowledge and skills to initiate, implement, monitor, supervise and sustain community development programmes at community level.
Activities in the programme include:
- Building leadership capacity of community leaders through Leadership Trainings.
- Training various leadership and governance structures in management of development activities.
- Orientation of community leaders including all chiefs (from GVH to Paramount) on development activities as planned by Government.
- Mentoring of community members, leaders and groups within communities so as to increase and rekindle their commitment to self-help-development.
- Supportive supervision and monitoring of all community development initiatives.
- Coordination of community development training institutions (Magomero, Liwonde, Kwacha, Monkey bay, Lilongwe, Ntchisi and Mzuzu) that build capacity of extension workers and community members. Currently Magomero and Liwonde are operational
