INTRODUCTION

Community development is a complex and interdisciplinary field of study

 One that is boundary covering in its scope and multidimensional in its applications.
 Community development not only concerns the physical realm of community, but
also the social, cultural, economic, political and environmental aspects as well.
 Evolving from an original needs-based emphasis to one that is more inclusive and
asset-based, community development is a now a distinct and recognized field of
study.
Today, scholars and practitioners of community development are better equipped
to respond to the challenges facing communities and regions. Because its
applications are wide-ranging yet always aimed at improving quality of life,
 it is important to understand the underlying foundations and theory of community
development as well as the variety of strategies and tools used to achieve desired
outcomes.
 INTRODUCTION CONT…
• Community development has evolved into a recognized discipline drawing
from a wide variety of academic fields including sociology, economics, political
science, planning, geography, and many others
• Community development has many varying definitions. Unlike mathematics or
physics where terms are scientifically derived and rigorously defined,
community development has evolved with many different inferences.
• The terms community development and economic development are widely
used by academicians, professionals, and citizens from all walks of life and
have almost as many definitions as users.
• The beginning step in defining community development is to define
“community.”
 WHAT IS A COMMUNITY
In a review of the literature you can find many definitions of community such as:
• Community can be referred as a location (communities of place) or a collection of individuals
with a common interest or tie whether in close proximity or widely separated (communities of
interest).
• People who live within a geographically defined area and who have social and psychological ties
with each other and with the place where they live. (Mattessich and Monsey, 2004: 56)
• A combination of social units and systems which perform the major social functions . . . (and) the
organization of social activities (Warren 1963 cited in Mattessich and Monsey 2004: 57).
• Whereas, Batten (1957) defines community is a territorial organized system of people who share
some common facilities, goals, meaning and there is effective communication among members.
• According to Garcia at el, (1999) community is defined as a group of people that shares a
common territory, a set of common resources and a common culture that interact frequently and
that considers as part of a social group.
 Community cont.

Community can be viewed as Structural and Functional Entity

Community as a structural entity –
• it refers to the way people and their environment as whole fit together.
• This implies that each structure such as a rural hamlet, a village, a town or a city has a different
set up which require a special intervention to organize a workable solution to the problems
facing it. community development work.
Community as functional entity
• Community becomes functional as a result of structural patterning such as social
networks generated in every day life.
• The functions of community include production whereby the community members
organize themselves to engage in economic activities such as farming, livestock keeping
etc.
• all of which form the basis for individuals socialization whereby the members are nurtured
to become responsible and ethical in accordance to norms and values set by a particular
community.
 Community cont.

• These definitions refer first to people and the ties that bind them and second to
geographic locations.

• They remind us that without people and the connections among them, a community is
just a collection of buildings and streets.

• In this context, community development takes on the function of developing stronger

“communities” of people and the social and psychological ties they share.
 Community Development (CD)
• community development can be defined as an educational process to enable citizens to
address problems by group decision making (Long 1975 cited in Mattessich and Monsey
2004: 58)
• The United Nation (1955) defines community development as the process by which the
efforts of the people themselves are combined with those of the government authorities
in order to improve the economic, social and cultural conditions of communities to
integrate these communities into the life of the nation and to enable them to contribute
fully to national progress.
• In the UN definition, community development is seen to be made up of two essential
elements: on the one hand, is the participation of the people themselves in efforts to
improve their level of living with as much reliance as possible on their own initiatives.
• On the other hand, the provision of technical and other services in ways which
encourage initiatives, self-help or mutual self-help and consequently make these
services more effective.
 Community Dev. Cont..
• Schurink (1998) defines community development as a process designed to create
conditions of economic and social progress for the whole community with its active
participation. Community development strives towards economic and social
progress for the whole community with its active participation and reliance on the
community’s own initiative. The government authorities may or may not be part of
the process.
• All of these concepts of community development focus on the process of teaching
people how to work together to solve common problems.
• Other authors define community development more in terms of an action, result, or
outcome: local decision making and program development resulting in a better place
to live and work
• or a group of people initiating social action to change their economic, social, cultural
and/or environmental situation
 Community Dev. Cont..
• These conceptions show that community development should be considered
as both a process and an outcome. Therefore, a working definition of
community development in simple but broad terms is:
 A process: developing and enhancing the ability to act collectively,
and an outcome: (1) taking collective action and (2) the result of that action for
improvement in a community in any or all realms: physical, environmental,
cultural, social, political, economic, etc.
 Ways of Viewing Community Development
• For the community development concept to be fully understood one needs to
examine the manner in which it is viewed
• Sanders (1958), in his work pointed that; there are four ways of viewing
community development. They include;
i. Process,
ii. Method,
iii. programme
iv. and movement.
 1. Community Development viewed as a Process
• Community development as a change process moves from one condition to
the next according to specified criteria.  
• According to Batten (1957), the process of community development (or
creation) is envisaged in two stages:
 first, development within groups as the members become more
knowledgeable, more friendly and co-operative, and more able to conduct
their business without outside help and guidance;
and secondly, development in the community at large as the characteristics
developed within the groups influence the conduct of members in their
homes and neighbourhood.  
• In essence, community development as a process allows people to progress
in phases, making decisions about what can and should be done to change
the situation and move in the direction of achieving goals and objectives.
 Community Development as a Process cont.

• Has Man as focal point

• Allows the process to progress in phases

• Allows for the presence of a worker to accompany the process, and support of the
community

• Demand self-help and self decision as a prerequisite

• Demands collective action from the community, that is community involvement and
participation

• Allows the community to identify needs by themselves; and

• Formulate specific goals which must be achieved

 2.Community Development viewed as a Method

• Community development is viewed as a system or an orderly way of doing

things. It is a way of guiding people towards decision making and action taking.

• According to Sanders (1958) community development is regarded as method

or procedure of tackling problems of a community, organized in order to bring
about economic development.

• In general sense, it is perceived to be a way of achieving a goal though the

community development process, denoting a means to an end of any
development endeavors
 Community dev. as a method cont.

• Refers to a procedure
• It focus on a specific aim
• Utilizes the process of community development
• Links various disciplines into a multidisciplinary team
• Can used by worker/agent from outside the community
• Requires that a community identifies its own needs
• Enables the community to make their own decisions regarding
action plans and
• Utilizes resources
 3. C.D as a Programme conti

• It emphasizes on a set of procedures on community activities.

• It stresses objectives and goals giving detailed plan of actions on
the specific objectives and goals concerning specific activities.
• It lists objectives, projects and actions to be carried out in a given
order and ways of implementation are stipulated as well as
allocation of resources. It is a programme that CD comes into
contact with subject matter specialists such as health, agriculture
officers
3.Community Development as a Programme

• Ultimately, it consists of methods (a set of procedures) and contents (a list of

activities); implements specific activities; utilizes specialized expertise; it is
implemented in accordance with schedule and budget relying on human
needs and assets.
3. C.D as a Programme conti

• Uses a set of procedures(method)

• Implements specific activities
• Utilizes specialized expertise
• Is implemented in accordance with a time schedule and a budget, and
• Can easily disregard human needs
 4. C.D as a Movement

• Community development as a movement has an emotional appeal.

• It calls for organized efforts of a group of people for special purpose. It
involves masses as an “espirit de corps” (feeling of loyalty and pride) in
accomplishing community activities.
• It takes a form of a crusade, a cause to which some people become deeply
committed.
• Some of its important elements include the presence of charismatic
leadership.
4. Community Development as a Movement

• Community development as a movement has an emotional appeal.

• It calls for organized efforts of a group of people for special purpose. It
involves masses as an “espirit de corps” (feeling of loyalty and pride) in
accomplishing community activities.
• It takes a form of a crusade, a cause to which some people become deeply
committed.
• Some of its important elements include the presence of charismatic
leadership.
 4.CD as a Movement cont…..
• It is dedicated to progress as a philosophic and not a scientific
concept, since progress must be viewed with reference to values
and goals which differ under different political and social
systems.
• Community development as a movement tends to be
institutionalized, building up its organization structure, accepted
procedures and professional practitioners.
• Sanders (1958) summarises that community development as a
movement aims to improve the quality of life for everybody and is
regarded as a cause to which people are dedicated.
• It is emotionally loaded; can become institutionalized, demands
specific norms and goals and is a philosophical rather than
scientific concept.
 Other Ways of Viewing Community Development

• In additional community development can also be viewed as a philosophy and

an academic discipline.
 Aims and Objectives of Community Development
a)To aware the people.  
The main objective of community development is working to make the people aware from various problems
in a community. It helps them to provide knowledge and to know about the main causes affects their social
life.
b) All sided development
 Community program is interested in all aspects of a community. The development is necessary in these
places as a whole in education, health, recreation and employment. It seeks the opportunities for the better
living standard of the community people. Development is required in all sectors of the community.
c)To motivate people
 Programs are working for the motivation of community people. Social organizers are employed in various
sectors for their arousal and working for community welfare and betterment of humanity.
d) Provide equality
It gives equality to all people living in a territory. It gives equal chances and opportunities to bring the
resources for their utility. So it provides equality in education, health and also other facilities provided to
them.
 Aims and Objectives of Cont.…
5. Help the people to motivate their selves
 Such programs are interested in the people to enable them to help one another and of
their own. It makes them to stand on their own feet. They have to use their resources and
make their lives comfortable.
6. Change thinking
One of the objectives of community development programs are changing of pattern and
style of community people. It gives new directions to the changing life style. It helps to
create the acquaintances among them, to following the positive thinking about the people.
7. To bring reforms
Such programs aim to bring social reforms in a community. It helps them in eradication of
social evils which are the gross roots of bring social disorder in community. So one of
them aim of community development provide them better opportunities to solve the
problematic situation through reforms.
Aims and Objectives of Cont.…
8. Social Justice 
Social justice is another objective of community development. It provides justice to all types of
people. There would be no concept of rich and poor but the programs would be for the utilization
of all.
9. Solve community problems
Different problems faced by community people may be solved due to the start of such programs
in the effected areas. The community also give hand to government for help them in development
and growth.
10. To create interest
These programs are working to create the interest of community welfare among the people. It
mobilizes the attitude of people to participate in the collective work for the community
development. The motivation of these people is the skill of social organizer working in the areas.
To sum up the discussion abut the aims and objectives of community development to provide
basic needs and opportunities to the people.
Principles of Community Development
• Promote active and representative citizen participation so that community members
can meaningfully influence decisions that affect their situation.
• Engage community members in problem diagnosis so that those affected may
adequately understand the causes of their situation.
• Help community members understand the economic, social, political, environmental,
and psychological impact associated with alternative solutions to the problem.
• Assist community members in designing and implementing a plan to solve agreed
upon problems by emphasizing shared leadership and active citizen participation.
• Seek alternatives to any effort that is likely to adversely affect the disadvantaged
segments of a community.
• Actively work to increase leadership capacity, skills, confidence, and aspirations in
the community development process.