MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

GROUP 1
CAROL TISIBELE R223978B
ANDREW RUNESU R2119484J
KUDZAI PATIENCE MUSEKIWA R224928Z
PROGRESS MLAMBO R224576X
SHINGIRAI KURIMWI R221207C
CYNTHIA MUTANHUKI R0723266A
BRIDGET TIVAVONE R223560C
LINDIWE MUTAPI NDODA R224290T
VENGAI HWACHI R223706H
MAYBE TAGA R184919E

MODULE : ADVANCED COMMUNITIES

LEVEL : 1:2
MODULE CODE : DSWK 538
Elaborate on the applicability of the following theories on
community development in developing countries; ecological
ecological systems theory and empowerment theory

Community social work involves understanding the power dynamics and social relations
that govern the relationships between various structures and diverse communities and
working to achieve social justice through structural change. This community practice is
also known as macro practice. It is a branch of social work that focuses on larger social
systems and social change. Theory is a set of principles on which the practice of an
activity is based. These are also assumptions about cause and effect relationships
through empirical testing. Theories give social workers a way to address community
problems through a research –based lens. They help social workers better understand
complex human behaviors and social environments, which influence their clients lives
and problems. The essay will give focus on ecological systems theory and
empowerment theory in regard to how these theories apply in community development
in developing countries.

ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY

Generally ecological ecological systems theory was first proposed by Urie

Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) as a universal of the organization of parts into wholes. A
ecological system theory was defined as “ a complex of interacting elements. Although
this paradigm was initially applied to the physical world (mathematics , biochemistry ), it
was adopted by the community social workers in order to formulate an understanding of
systems comprising communities. Ecological systems theory assumes that human
behavior is the result of a larger system comprised of several elements including the
relationships between these elements, as well as external factors such as a person’s
family, peer, school, work or community. Action in one component of systems produces
change in all the subsystems.In most developing countries such as Zimbabwe the
Coronavirus Pandemic affected the family system and its effects were felt in other
system such as the education systems, transport system, health systems and
business systems therefore action in one system produces change in all the
subsystems. This brings up the complexity of the interacting elements within societies.

A charity programme called the Zimbabwe Rural School Development Programme was
implemented as a means to counteract the lack of education that affects many children
in the country. Since its creation it has created several schools including the Peace and
Good Hope Primary School in Bulawayo among others. This then attributed well to
issues such as unemployment due to lack of qualifications, early child marriages as a
result of idleness. The ecological systems theory argues that human behavior is a result
of a larger system which comprised of several elements including the relationship
between these elements. With this notion we can safely conclude that the ecological
theory holds water in its relevance to community development in developed countries.

Community development is defined as the employment of community structures to

address social needs and empower groups of people” (Mendes, 2008).Sociologists
have identified many different types of systems including micro-systems, meso-
systems, exo-systems and macro systems bearing in mind that social work is eclectic.
Social work professionals examine how the systems in the community affect their
behaviors for instance how living in a system of poverty can have a significant impact on
how a person makes decisions. Therefore strategies can be derived based on these
systems in order to provide a more concise plan. In Zimbabwean rural areas especially
those of Marange community, it is most crucial make an influence starting from the
leaders, involve them in defining the problems they are facing, the kind of intervention
they need and in the decision making process. With this approach the ecological
systems theory well inform the community development workers on the approaches to
take for active and maximum participation by community members in community
development. Precedence is also seen in the adoption of the Rural Horticulture Plan in
Zimbabwean rural areas which was highly influenced by the Indigenous knowledge
systems within various societies and their day to day ways of doing things.These
projects were being practised by many societies but not as a profit making project. The
major aim of these projects was to then create employment,profit making and self
sustaining communities With this assertion the relevance of the ecological systems
theory in community development can be noted.

The advantages of this theory is that it considers dynamic interaction among systems
and offers a holistic approach to community conditions and environmental factors to
gain a better understanding of why they face issues or hardships. There are many
moving parts to a systems approach which allows for partialisation in community
development. Major evidence is noted in developing countries wereby all the members
of the community come together from the youth up to the leadership in addressing
social ills faced within the society they live in. Zimbabwe Field Handouts (2021) noted
the creation of a weir dam in Buhera Guukwa Ward 11 Zimbabwe in response to water
shortages. 75 households were involved in the dam construction together with local
leadership and external organizations that provided the necessary resources such as
the World Vision, EMA and Natural Resources Management. It can be greatly noted
that the systems theory offers an evidence based framework that can be greatly used in
community development especially in developing countries.

It is also important to take note of the Mafure Piggery and Madekufa Goat project in
Mutare District. This was a small income generating activity focusing on piggery and
goat farming. The program was funded by IRC, IDF, Ministry of Youth. The mandate
was to demonstrate, through the successful execution of youth focused community
initiatives, that capacity-bidding efforts can be transformed into action for the benefit of
youth and communities. In this case it can be noted that the targeted populace was the
youths in the communities. Looking at the ecological systems theory which note that
action in one component of systems produces change in all the subsystems, it generally
means that the children to these youths were going to be well sustained as well as the
elderly which are probably parents or guardians to these youth resulting in the
enrichment and development of these communities.
However identifying many systems is not an easy task and can confuse the social
worker during the assessment ,diagnosis treatment and interventions. It is also not ideal
when dealing with communities who are coerced for example vaccination of children
from apostolic theories. The ecological systems theory emphasizes that everything is
balanced but in actual sense everything is really not balanced.

REFERENCES
Zimbabwe Field Handouts (2021) https;//usaidgems.org

Perkins and Zimmerman (1995)

Van Wormer & Besthorn (____),

McVeigh (1995)

John Perkins (1982)

Mendes (2008)

Bertalanffy (1968)