1.1. Interface Between Local Communities and NGOs

Now, how this whole process the community participation has been approached one is, they talked about approaching through the social organizations, the communities, the local communities through their own networks so, because the Red Cross personnel will be coming from somewhere else who may or may not be familiar with the local communities and that is where the Adesco which is a kind of community organizations. Become a kind of interface between the local communities and the various NGOs coming and working in it.

This chunk explains how NGOs, like the Red Cross, engage with local communities. Since NGOs often come from outside and may not know the local customs or people well, they rely on local organizations, like Adesco. These organizations serve as a bridge, helping the NGOs connect with the community more effectively. They provide insights into community needs and ensure that the projects are culturally appropriate.

Think of it like a new student in a school who doesn't know anyone. To help the student settle in, the teacher pairs them with a buddy who knows the school well. This buddy helps the new student navigate the school, understand its rules, and meet friends. Similarly, Adesco helps NGOs understand and integrate into the community.

In that process, what happens is communities establish a trust on these agencies which can actually negotiate and may create an interface between both the groups. So finally, after having a thorough analysis of the 14 communities in San Vicente they have selected 9 communities within that 14, for the reconstruction process.

Trust is crucial for effective collaboration between NGOs and communities. Through interactions and successful projects, communities learn to trust the NGOs. In San Vicente, after evaluating 14 different communities, the Red Cross chose 9 that would benefit from their reconstruction efforts. This selection process ensures that resources are directed where they are needed most.

Imagine a team of volunteers coming to help fix houses after a storm. They first spend time speaking with residents, learning which houses were most affected. By building trust and understanding the needs of the community, they can prioritize their efforts effectively.

Now, the all issue to do with the land tenure so, the people who were already a legal owners of the land or had a land ownership documents so that, these particular communities have been processed and these communities have received help from the town hall and were provided with the professional service of lawyer which brought down the cost of the process.

Land tenure refers to the legal rights individuals have over land. In this case, only those who had legal ownership documents were eligible for assistance. The partnership with the town hall provided legal support, ensuring the communities could properly establish their ownership. This helped reduce costs associated with the documentation process.

Think of land tenure like having a membership card. If you have a valid card, you can access certain benefits, like discounts. However, if you don't have one, you can't. Similarly, having land ownership documents allows individuals to access support and resources.

But, there were also some families whose houses are located on a land that belonged to a railway company because you know, you have the revenue land, you have the railway land or in some cases you have the mining authorities land, so but in this case the people who are residing on the railway land so or to other private individuals. So, these people have been excluded from the project for reasons of ownership so this is how this has been considered.

Some families could not receive support because their homes were built on land owned by others, like a railway company. The project had to consider legal ownership; therefore, those without official land rights weren't included. This highlights challenges NGOs face when implementing community assistance programs.

Imagine a community trying to fix up a park that is adjacent to a school. However, if parts of the park were owned by local businesses, community volunteers can't just clean or fix those areas without permission. Similarly, the NGO had to exclude families living on land they didn't legally own.

As I said to you, it is a participatory design methodology the communities have collectively prepared a house design so a think tank process has went to the bottom level interactions and what they did was to get a real scale understanding so, they made about the outlines with just two lines of blocks you know, that this is going to be your space so you have this is your room and this is the veranda...

The participatory design approach involves the community in planning their homes, ensuring their needs and voices are heard. By using simple outlines to represent space, community members could visualize and agree on how their houses would look. This method fosters engagement and ownership of the project.

It's like being part of a group project where each member contributes ideas on how to design a poster. Everyone gets to share their opinions, and together they decide on the best layout that fits everyone's vision. The participatory design methodology works similarly, allowing communities to take an active role.

So, as I discussed with you about 3 stages stage one which is a partial construction so here, the communities who are these stakeholders. The communities they also provided some kind of informal the unskilled labour at this process and the local builders because for a group of the some of the local builders were hired by the contractors and the construction supervisors for every group of 30 so, you have one supervisor who is looking at it.

The building process was divided into stages. In the first stage, community members contributed labor, mixing a blend of skilled and unskilled workers. Having supervisors helped maintain quality and ensure efficient workflow. This stage demonstrated how community engagement enhances project reality.

Imagine a school play where everyone plays a role—some as actors, others help with set design, etc. Just as the teamwork is essential for a successful production, the participation of community members in construction is key to the project's success.

Then in stage two, this is where the completion by owners so, communities also have provided so, in the earlier stage the materials were provided because these concrete blocks were not available locally... they have developed they brought the doors and windows.

In the second stage, homeowners began taking more control, acquiring necessary materials like doors and windows. They received training in construction that empowered them to actively participate in building their homes, thereby building truly personalized houses.

Think about baking a cake. In the first stage, someone mixes the batter (like the NGO providing materials). In the second stage, people decorate the cake themselves, choosing icing and toppings that reflect their taste, which parallels the community's active role in personalizing their houses.

On the stage 3, the service completion of it, the water supply and sanitation. So here, they installed a sink with two taps, a system of removing grey water connected, a system in each houses for the excreta disposal and there has been also some workshops which has been conducted for the community the training and you know interactions...

The final stage focused on essential services such as water supply and sanitation. Workshops helped residents learn about their new systems and address their needs effectively. This participatory diagnosis allowed for a tailored approach that responded to the specific circumstances of the community.

Consider a school installing new water fountains. They wouldn't just put them in randomly; instead, they would ask students and teachers where they feel the locations would be most useful. Like that, the projects were tailored to community needs for water and sanitation.

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