Community mobilization

Today we went for community mobilization and it is was fun all the way. I believe some one may want to know what Community mobilization is all about

It is a key strategy for increasing demand for and use of health services, is a process that helps communities to identify their own needs and to respond to and address these needs. Gaining the participation of community members can help providers raise awareness both of health issues at the community level and of social and cultural issues that may promote or inhibit use of information and services, as well as improve clients’ understanding of the methods or services being offered. Specific barriers to service access and use can be addressed and service utilization increased.

It can also be defined as a process whereby a group of people have transcended their differences to meet on equal terms in order to facilitate a participatory decision-making process. In other words it can be viewed as a process which begins a dialogue among members of the community to determine who, what, and how issues are decided, and also to provide an avenue for everyone to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

A process of bringing together as many stakeholders as possible to raise people's awareness of and demand for a particular programme, to assist in the delivery of resources and services, and to strengthen community participation for sustainability and self-reliance.

On the one hand there is quite a strong network in the favela in terms of interdependence or cooperation amongst friends, families, and neighbours. Unfortunately there is little formal organization and strategizing around community organizations which could potentially serve as a means to address their needs. This sense of immobility arises from a number of factors: (1) the misperception that politicians and bureaucrats will alleviate their problems for them (yet the problems of corruption and poor administration are evident), (2) a lack of expertise amongst the community to facilitate such organization, (3) the unwillingness of the community as a whole to give up individual interests to form a broader cooperative, and (4) an extreme shortage of available resources to facilitate the mobilization process.

Through this means it is suggested that the living conditions, facilities and services of the community will improve, along with the empowerment of the community.

In the context of Cachoeira there are a number of pre-existing community groups such as political and church groups which can potentially serve as a the basis for such a mobilization strategy. Based on the articulated goals of the community as indicated in the survey there is potential for new groups to be established to formulate strategies to address pressing problems in the community. In this regard our report looks at four central areas to be addressed: (1) Education and Health, (2) Employment (3) Physical Infrastructure, and (4) Land Tenure. We actually went to the community to create awareness about Health issues at the same time checked their vital signs and other Health problems followed with health talk.

It was a huge success