SOCIAL MOBILIZATION

Specific Objectives:

At the end of the module, the students should be able to:

1. define social mobilization and the elements of social mobilization

2. discuss the benefits of social mobilization to the community

3. relate the management process and role of community workers

4. draw the mobilization cycle

5. come up with situation analysis report of their community.

Effective social mobilization goes beyond community organizations, harnessing the potential

and efforts of government or non-government sector and citizens to work sustainable social,

economic and political development. The benefits of social mobilization to community

organizations and its impact locally and nationally can be best sustained within an enabling

political, policy and regulatory environment and where mechanisms for linking experiences and

lessons at the community level to policy are developed.

The Concept of Social Mobilization

Social mobilization is an approach and tool that enables people to organize for collective

action, by pooling resources and building solidarity required to resolve common problems and

work towards community advancement. It is a process that empowers women and men to

organize their own democratically self-governing groups or community organizations enabling

them to initiate and control their own personal and communal organizations which enable them

to initiate and control their own personal and communal developments, as opposed to mere

participation in an initiative designed by the government or external organization.

Key Elements of Social Mobilization

From worldwide experience there are four (4) basic elements of social mobilization:

Organizational development - a process in which community members and, especially the poor

form their own groups or organizations based on common development interests and needs

that are best served by organizing themselves as a group. "Before one becomes a member of a

CBO, the individual struggles against a harsh environment. Once he/she is organized in a broad-

based group, the individual has the leverage with which to address and tackle problems which
he/she could not have done alone" (Pandey, 2002).

Promoting self-reliance, especially of the poor members of the organization which would in

turn, enhance their ability to participate in the organization's affairs on an equal basis.

Capital Formation for Development through Community Savings

Capital formation (through mobilization of savings) enhances a community

organization's power to realize its full potential. "Savings generated by individual members are

the assets of the community organization and are the first step towards their self-reliance"

(Pandey, 2002). Accumulated savings can be used for internal credit with interest to enable

individual members to engage in income generation activities whilst, at the same time,

accumulating the organization's capital base. They can also be used for enterprise development

at the community level. Savings can serve as the basis for access to external services, for

example, micro-finance. They can also form the basis for community organizations' contribution

to local development initiatives, which is essential in localities where government capacity to

address all social needs of a community are very limited.