The Community Score Card Process in Gambia

Lessons Learned and Corresponding RecommendationsCommunity Empowerment: One of the importantlessons learned in the implementation of the CSCwas the role of the interface meeting betweenservice users and providers to empower thecommunity, through immediate feedback andmutually developed action plans.Community Participation: The CSC Processenabled maximum participation of a wide range ofstakeholders from various towns and villages.More than 55 development practitioners took partin the national refresher training and about 3,500participants were involved in the CSC process atthe community level.Self-help spirit: The CSC process revived theself-help spirit among communities expressedlargely through individual voluntary financialcontributions, and the emphasis on communityroles in addressing majority of the problemsconfronting facilities in the community.Awareness Creation: Community members wereenlightened about expected quantity and quality ofselected services in the their communitiesThe Scope of the CSC Process: The CSC projectwas ambitious in terms of coverage. Though a pilotprogram, it expanded across the entire countryinvolving 59 education facilities and 15 healthservices.The CSC Focus: Performance indicators werefocused more on measuring quantity and less onquality and output of the facilitiesData Management and Analysis: Datamanagement and analysis posed a challenge forthe CSC resulting in some delays in producingsurvey results.This notwithstanding, an evaluation of participantsperceptions on the entire CSC process, using post programevaluation questionnaire would have provided a fairlyelaborate information on the general acceptability of themethodology.An extensive community focused program of this kindrequires adequate time for consultation and sensitization.Participants indicated that an extended time for sensitizationwould have been appropriate.Importance of information sharing, dissemination of projectoutcomes, advocacy efforts and planning for how toinstitutionalize CSC and social accountability processes atcommunity level would further resonate with communitydriven initiatives in addressing development problems.Institutionalization of the CSC process would be critical inopening opportunities for community members to expressgrievances about the quality of services providedThough nation wide coverage was laudable, the program’sscope ought to be considered in the context of availableresources and capacity. For example, the scale of theexercise presented challenges which could be revisited,including balancing a focus on the use of the CSC as a datamanagement tool versus an empowerment process.Measuring adequacy of services is important, but a CSCprocess that is designed to measure both quality andadequacy of services would fairly reflect communitypreferences in identifying performance targets.Making adequate provision for capacity and resource needsfor data management and analysis would greatly enhancethe CSC process. Quality training at the beginning ofexercise and close supervision throughout the CSC exerciseought to be considered.General Observations on the Community Score Card Process in GambiaThere was strong support for the CSC methodology and recommendation for the tool to be nurtured for fosteringcommunity empowerment and participation at the local level.The CSC process succeeded in extracting community grievances about the quality and adequacy of health andeducation services at the community level.The process created a great deal of awareness on the relevance of CRC and empowered the community toappreciate its value.The pilot project revealed that both service providers and the community were adequately informed about thenature and scope of their education and health needs. ••This note was prepared by Gabriel Dedu and Gibwa Kajubi of the Participation and Civic Engagement Group of the Social Development Department.For more information on Social Accountability and Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, visit http://www.worldbank.org/participation.Additional copies can also be requested via e-mail: socialdev@worldbank.org4