Community Organizing and Social mobilisation for Health

Introduction and key definitions FRANCIS Cranmer Kyakulaga BCH II January 2013
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Background to Community Organising for Health

Community organizing activities are a way of activating the community to encourage or support social and behavioral change (Bracht et al., 1990).
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Intro conti

It is intended to bring about change at the community level is based on principles of empowerment, community competence, active participation and "starting where the people are" (Minkler, 1990, p. 270).

Conti.. Using the various community examples at various levels as our laboratory we will examine organizers, issues, and organizations involved in the practice of community organizing. We will explore the diverse roles, goals and strategies used by community organizers to affect social change.

Intro Conti Models of community organizing including; mass mobilization, social action, grass roots empowerment, leadership development and advocacy. Special attention will be paid to issues of gender, class, race, ethnicity in organizing for health.
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What is a Community? Social critics incl. Iris Marion Young argue that, there is no universally shared concept of community (Young, 1986). Community can be defined by:

Patterns of interaction among individuals; Perceptions of commonality or common interest; and/or Geography, i.e., adjoining houses, streets, neighbourhoods, or schools.

What is a Community Community is a group of people living in close proximity to one another who have formed relationships through several overlapping and interacting social networks and through a shared sense of needs and local common good (adapted from Eng & Blanchard, 1991).

Community conti
It is a group of people having ethnic or cultural or religious characteristics in common; "the Christian community of the apostolic age"; "he was well known throughout the Catholic community" It is a group of nations having common interests; "they hoped to join the NATO community"

Conti.
It is also the body of people in a learned occupation; "the news spread rapidly through the medical community" It is a district where people live; occupied primarily by private residences In ecology, it could be a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other 9

Collaboration and Partnerships Collaboration, partnership and jointworking are used interchangeably to refer to : collective actions by individuals or their organizations for a more shared communal benefit than each could accomplish as an individual player (El Ansari et al, 2001).
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society and social institutions

These are more than just a collection of individuals. They include how those individuals are linked to each other. They are sets of systems such as economy, political organization, values, ideas, technology, and patterns of expected behaviours (social interaction). Individuals come in and go out (birth, death, migration), yet those institutions (such as communities) continue; they transcend their members. The whole is greater than the 11 sum of its parts.

Community capacity in Health Community capacity in health is the characteristics of communities that affect their ability to identify, mobilize for, and address social and public health problems (McLeroy, 1996).
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Community empowerment:
This is a social action process that promotes participation of people, organizations and communities towards the goals of increased individual and community control, political efficacy, improved quality of community life and social justice (Wallerstein, 1992).
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Community involvement:
a deliberate strategy that systematically promotes the participation of the community in its own health development in order to benefit from increased local selfreliance and social control over the infrastructure and technology of health care (adapted from Kahssay & Oakley, 1999 and Fonaroff, 1983).
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Community Mobilisation
This is process of involving people to organise and take action to achieve a common objective which will be beneficial to them. For example, an NGO/CBO may mobilise women and political leaders in one community to participate in a water and sanitation project.

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Social mobilization

Dialogue and negotiations with individual members, heads of households and influential community members Involving religious, community leaders, NGOs and other influential champions in the district to mobilize for immunization Work with line departments including education, community development Sub County and Parish chiefs) in the district

Advocacy

Dissemination of information on the immunization status by administrative/political area (Sub County, Constituency and Parish) to Civic and Political leaders to make them aware of the performance of their area of jurisdiction, to come up with evidence based interventions to improve immunization services Involving the political leadership district executive, councilors, members of parliament and child right advocates in the district to advocate for

What is community participation?

The processes we refer to and advocate in our work and publications, involve much more than simply informing the relevant publics. While in Australia the terms consultation and participation are often used interchangeably, we choose to make a distinction to highlight the partnership qualities of the work we describe.

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Community health structures:

These a wide range of organizations, formal and informal groups and networks within the defined community.

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Competent community:

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one whose members can collaborate effectively in identifying problems, can reach consensus on goals and strategies, and can cooperate in the actions necessary to acquire resources to solve those problems (Cottrell, 1983).

District health system:

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A self-contained segment of the national health system consisting of a well-defined population living within a clearly delineated administrative and geographical area, whether urban or rural (WHO, 1995).

Political and administrative structure

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Health service structures:

Those structures within the local health system that provide promotive, preventive, curative and palliative services by formal (professional and para-professional) health workers.
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HOUSEHOLDS / COMMUNITIES / VILLAGES

HC II

HC II

HC II

HC II

HC II
HSD

HC III

HC III

HC III

District Health Services

Referral Facility (Public or NGO) (HC IV or HOSPITAL)

District Health Services HQ

Regional Referral HOSPITALS

National Referral HOSP

MOH Headquarters

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Interface:

The point where interaction occurs between the health service structures and community structures.
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Synergy:

This is increased effectiveness or achievement produced by combined action or cooperation.

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