COMMUNITY ORGANIZING - PARTICIPATORY
ACTION RESEARCH
Roles and function of the community organizer
o community organizing is the process where
the community members
o develop the capability to assess their health
needs and problems
o plan and implement actions to solve these
problems
o put up and sustain organizational structures
which will support and monitor
implementation of health initiatives by the
people.
There are two goals that must be achieved in
addressing community problems:
A. Task goals – tangible results and outputs
B. Process goals – methods and processes used
to Solve problems
IMPROVEMENT AND CHANGE IN THE
COMMUNITY'S CONDITION are the practical and
short term-goals of community organizing.
EMPHASES OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING IN PHC
o community people work together to solve
their own problems
o internal organizational consolidation as a
prerequisite to external expansion
o social movement first before technical change
o health reforms occurring within the context
of broader social transformation
Approaches in community organizing
o Class-based organizing where class interests
like wages, and land ownership form the basis
for action
o Issue-based organizing where concrete and
small issues in communities like shortage of
water and inadequate housing are integrated
in bigger issues like environment or foreign
debt
o Project-based organizing where the
community is organized for development
projects like health, livelihood
o Sectorial organizing where organization-
building is focused on different sectors such as
farmers, tribal groups, fisher folk, women, and
urban poor
o Territorial organizing where communities
classified as strategic; like squatter or tribal
areas are organized and community
organizing work is expanded to nearby
squatter and tribal communities.
GENERAL PHASES OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
PREPARATORY PHASE
a) Area Selection
o Is the community in need of assistance?
o Do the community members feel the need to
work together to overcome a specific health
problem?
o Are there concerned groups and
organizations that the nurse can possibly
work with?
o What will be the counterpart of the
community in terms of community support,
commitment and human resources?
b) Community Profiling
o Identification of the contact person; usually a
community leader, regardless of social or
political status
o Core group formation who would assist the
nurse in community profiling
o Perform community profiling
c) Entry in the community and Integration with the
people
Guidelines:
o recognize the role and position of local
authorities
o adapt a lifestyle in keeping with that of the
community
o choose a modest dwelling
o avoid raising expectations of the people
o participate directly in economic production
o participate in some social activities
ORGANIZATIONAL PHASE
Social Preparation
o the nurse deepens and strengthens her ties
with the people
Spotting and developing potential leaders
Core group formation
o they serves as training ground for developing:
a) democratic and collective leadership
b) planning and assumption of tasks
c) handling and resolving group conflicts
d) critical thinking and decision-making
process
Nurse’ functions:
o assists sectoral representative in forming core
groups in their respective sectors
o facilitates skills acquisition of core group
members related to tasks
o setting up the community organization
o the nurse must ensure that the members have
maximum participation and control of the
organization activities
o organizational structure must be simple
o working committee must be created
EDUCATION AND TRAINING PHASE
a) conduct of community diagnosis:
o local health situation will be the basis for
the health programs and services
b) training of community health workers
c) health services provision and mobilization
o consider resources availability and
problem prioritization
d) leadership formation activities
o allow leaders to conduct meetings,
assessment, planning, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation
INTERSECTORAL COLLABORATION PHASE
a) networking
o relationship among organizations
exchanging information about each other’s
goals and objectives, services or facilities
b) Coordination
o a relationship in which organizations
modify their activities in order to provide
better services to the target beneficiary
c) Cooperation
o a relationship in which organizations
share information and resources and
make adjustments of their respective
agendas to accommodate other
organization’s agenda
d) Collaboration
o organization help each other enhance their
capacities in performing their tasks and
services
e) Coalition or Multi-sector collaboration
o all parties give priority to the good of the
community; requires great investment in
terms of time, effort, trust and the will to
make the change
f) Advocacy work
o informing the people about the rightness
of the cause
o Thoroughly discuss with the people
alternatives, their content and possible
consequences
o Support the people’s right to make a choice
and to act on their choice
o influencing public opinion
PHASE OUT
o nurse turns over the work and develops a
plan for monitoring and subsequent follow-
up of the organization’s activities