How Do You Know What is Truly Community-led?
Through a series of workshops in East Africa and the United States, Spark Microgrants has developed an assessment tool for implementers and funders to use in assessing the degree to which a program is led by communities.
Try it for yourself:
| The Organization | A Local Leader | Community Group | A Combination | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who has the final say in the area of need your program addresses? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
| Who has the final say in project identification? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
| Who defines what project success looks like? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
| Who is responsible for project planning (i.e. action plans, budgets, etc.)? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
| Who is responsible for the project implementation? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
| Who is responsible for project management? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
| Who determines the project? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
| Who designs the implementation strategy? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
| Who Builds the project? | ▢ | ▢ | ✔ | ▢ |
Why Community Driven Development?
1. DRIVE FOR EFFICIENCY: CDD projects are 1/4 the cost of the same projects implemented by an external organization.
2. LOCAL OWNERSHIP: CDD shifts decision-making power into the hands of community members, ensuring that project ownership is held locally. This not only promotes long-term sustainability but also sets the stage for sustained collective action at the local level.
3. GROWING EVIDENCE OF LONG-TERM CHANGE: With more CDD projects implemented across the globe, evidence suggests community-driven development leads to:
Sustainable development projects
Tangible improvements in quality of life
Stronger local governments and institutions
Extensive community support networks
Sustained community collective action
