Title: Techniques to involve a community
Course: Level 3 - Health Education and Promotion > Section: Community mobilization

To work with the community, you need to identify the right people in the community who can explain to you their habits, customs, values, taboos and the rules of that community. It is also good to know and develop relationships with other influential people within your localities, such as the religious leaders and kebele leaders, to be accepted by the community. Additionally to be accepted by the community you should behave according to the community's acceptable behaviour. You should be polite, respectful and non-judgmental. So behaving in an honest manner is the only ways to work with your community.

Community relation

The community members are central to all parts of the Health Extension Programme. If you do not involve the community, the Health Extension Programme will fail. Community relations are those methods and activities that you undertake to establish and promote a setting that is conducive to good relationships, and which create a strong bond with the community.

Fig 14.6. Community mobilisation will typically involve a series of community meetings.

Effective Networking

For the successful implementation of development activities, you need to involve everyone in a community network, especially those with power (the decision makers in the community), as early and as often as possible.

You can engage the community using one or more of the participatory methods, such as small groups, large meetings, community conversation, local celebrations or exhibitions. You should also identify health objectives for your community, and use the right approaches to engage the whole community. Invite the whole community and representatives to meetings, and secure their approval for your advocacy objectives. Then ensure clarification of the roles of all the people involved.