1.2. Survey Overview

We conducted this survey in four villages in Wa district, West district, Chietanaga, Bankpama, Zowayeli and Baleowafili.

The survey was carried out in four different villages within the Wa district. This specific focus on multiple villages allows for a diverse range of data to be gathered, reflecting varying perspectives and experiences regarding disaster risk management and climate change adaptation projects.

Imagine you are trying to understand how different neighborhoods handle the same town event, like a summer festival. By asking people in several neighborhoods, you learn about unique challenges and successes they've had, which gives you a well-rounded view of how to improve future events.

Now we want to see that in these projects on all this climate change and disaster risk management projects, how people see these projects, what are the involvement they have and how they feel that they can better involve into these projects.

The primary aim of the survey is to understand public perception regarding the ongoing climate change and disaster risk management projects. The researchers seek to learn how community members view these initiatives, their level of involvement, and what they believe should be done to enhance their participation.

Think of a community garden project where residents are invited to help. The survey aims to find out how the neighbors feel about the garden, if they feel included, and what changes could encourage more people to participate and feel ownership of the garden.

They had a flood in 2007-2010.

This chunk mentions the historical context of flooding that occurred between 2007 and 2010, indicating that the community has faced significant challenges from natural disasters, which impacts their willingness and ability to engage in project participation.

Imagine a school that frequently floods; students might be hesitant to participate in school events out of concern for their safety and the inconvenience floodwaters cause. This past experience influences how they view new projects aimed at improving their community.

They said that process there should be representation of all groups, clear objectives, agreed objectives, power to influence decisions, continued relation with the community, incorporating local knowledge, good facilitator.

Community members indicated essential features for effective public participation in projects. They emphasized that representation of various community groups is crucial, along with clear and agreed objectives. They also want a mechanism to influence decisions affecting their lives, ongoing relationships with project facilitators, and the inclusion of local knowledge in planning processes.

Consider a town hall meeting where every voice is heard, from young families to the elderly. If everyone feels represented and their opinions matter, the community is more likely to support the initiatives discussed, compared to a scenario where only a few individuals dominate the conversation.

There should be livelihood security, plan implementation, ownership, self-reliance, time effective.

Participants in the survey expressed their hopes for the outcomes of public participation. They emphasized the importance of livelihood security, meaning that community members must feel secure in their basic needs before they can engage fully. Other desired outcomes include effective plan implementation, project ownership, self-reliance, and making sure processes are time-effective.

Think of a team working toward a common goal, like a school science fair. If students are focused on their grades (their livelihood), they’re more likely to contribute meaningfully to a team project if they feel they've got a stake in the outcome and that the project isn’t dragging on forever.

Therefore instead of we define the community participations it should be from the community who would decide that what is the meaning of community participation.

Inconclusively, the survey suggests that the definition of community participation should not be imposed from the outside but should be rooted in the communities themselves. This means that community members should define what participation means to them, emphasizing the importance of local perspectives and experiences.

Imagine a cooking class where participants are asked to define what 'cooking together' means to them. Each participant might have different feelings and experiences with cooking. Thus, the class should be structured around what they value most rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

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