ORGANISING FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT IN GRENADA
The Ground up Participatory Strategy adopted by People in Action
By Dr. Jan Loubser
Outline
- A summary of the rationale for local community development
- Analysis of the situation in Grenada with regard to local community
organization
- Some criteria or principles of local community civic governance organs
- Outline of suggestions for possible forms of local organization
- Key elements of a commitment to and investment in local community
development
- Benefits Grenada and Grenadians can derive from local community
development
Why local community-driven development?
It:
- Complements market and public sector activities
- Enhances sustainability and self-reliance
- Improves efficiency and effectiveness
- Allows poverty reduction efforts to be taken to scale
- Makes development more inclusive of the needs and interests
of people living in poverty and vulnerable groups
- Facilitates integrated, holistic development
- Empowers people, including those living in poverty
- Builds social capital, especially at local community level
- Strengthens good democratic governance.
Analysis of Local Community Organization Situation in Grenada
The following features are important to note:
-
- Government is centralized and there are no plans for decentralization. Given the size
of the country, decentralization would probably not be viable.
- NGOs and CBOs are typically limited in membership and oriented towards specific issues or interests, such as the environment, women, youth, farming, etc. NGOs and CBOs with
development objectives work with local communities but are not representative and of
them and accountable to them.
- The result is that there are no organizations that are inclusive of all people in a particular geographical area or location, such as a parish or village. This becomes an issue when one wants to foster local community development because it affects the whole community and everyone is entitled to benefit from and participate in such development.
- What is required for local community development to be effectively planned and managed is a new type of civic organization that meets certain criteria or principles that characterize organizations that have the capacity to foster and sustain such development for the whole community.
The following principles are of key importance in the organization of local community development:
Some criteria or principles of local community civic governance organs:
Village Development Organ (VDO)
Status: Registered civic organization
Jurisdiction: The village as defined not necessarily recognized just by geographical boundaries,
but collaborative community. All inhabitants of the village are automatically members and entitled to attend general meetings and to participate in decisions.
Mandate: To take initiatives to foster the balanced and sustainable development of the village within the context of national priorities and to contribute to the achievement of the vision of Grenada. This would include planning priority actions the village can take or promote and to develop a longer term development plan for the village in a fully participatory and inclusive manner. It would also oversee the implementation of village development projects and reward and celebrate achievements. The VDO would select tie representatives of the village on the PDC.
Membership: Villages would select members that are known to have the development of the village at heart, are in a position and willing to contribute to the efforts that are required. The VDO should be small, ideally no more than 10 members. CBO’s and local businesses could be represented or invited to participate on appropriate occasions.
Executive Committee: The VDO would select a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer to lead the organ and to plan and manage its activities.
PARISH DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (PDC)
Status: Registered civic organization
Jurisdiction: The parish as defined by its recognized geographical boundaries.
Mandate: To plan, guide, promote, oversee and monitor the development of the parish in a participatory manner, working closely with the village development organs in the parish and with the national development institutions. The PDC would build village plans into the parish plan and ensure that all Parish wide and cross-border issues that affect the development of the parish are addressed effectively. It would monitor the implementation of the parish plan and the village plans, foster cooperation and competition among villages to excel in development implementation and reward and celebrate achievements.
Membership: Each VDO in the parish would designate two or three of its members, including ideally one man and one women. They would present the village plan to
the PDC and represent the village in the development of the parish plan and other
business of the PDC. For example, assuming one of a parish’s priorities is agricultural development, it could be suggested that one representative of a village be a member knowledgeable and experienced in that area.
Executive Committee: The PDC would elect an executive committee, including a
Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer, to plan and manage its affairs and act on
its behalf between meetings.
Key elements of a commitment to and investment in
participatory local community development management:
-
-
Ensure that the local community organs and processes are and are
seen to be non-partisan, fair and inclusive
- Empower local communities fully to manage their own
development in a participatory manner that includes their CBOs
and other partners, within the national framework
- Allocate adequate funds directly to local community plans to
ensure a minimum level of support to their plans and adjust the
budget structure in such a way that sectoral plans provide
support to the local community and parish plans
- Adopt a win-win strategy stance and resolve any conflicts or
setbacks that arise in a constructive and conciliatory manner
- Consider it an investment in human and social capital that will
deliver sustained returns for generations to come
Specifically for Grenada and all Grenadians local community
development would:
-
- Strengthen disaster preparedness, response and management at the
local level
- Build capacities for implementing development in local communities,
resulting in a more balanced development management capability and
more sustainable and robust economic and social development
- Strengthen local community cohesion, inclusiveness, peace
and cooperation, as well as in the society as a whole
- Strengthen local community civic self-governance within the framework
of a national vision, core values and principles, shared priorities and
mutual responsibility and accountability
- Provide a strong basis for political leadership to foster the even,
broad-based non-partisan development of the country as a whole
on the basis of solid community plans and priorities
- Making Grenada a showcase of sound, effective local community
civic self-governance and development in small island states.
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