[PDF] Community Development Toolkit - CommDev

Development Opportunity Ranking9continuedSTEP 1Initiate meeting with community leadersThe facilitator will make initial contact withvillages or communities – ideally, this wouldbe someone known to the community.Discussions with the village leader, eldersor key individuals in each community,including women and youth, will evaluateinterest and capacity of each community toparticipate in community developmentplanning activities. If there is interest andsufficient labour, resource and financialcapacity to effectively participate in activities,plans would be made to conduct adevelopment opportunity ranking exercisewith that community.The facilitator needs to emphasize theimportance of inclusion of men and women,youth and the elderly from the outset ofdiscussions and ensure that representativesof these different groups are included inplanning the meeting.STEP 2Development opportunity identification(small groups)Development opportunity ranking beginswith the coming together of the community.If segregation is preferred, ask men andwomen to meet in separate locations.The facilitator introduces and explains theprocess and, with other members of theteam, facilitates the meeting. Questions thatcan be asked include:• What is most important for the future ofyour family?• What are the priority development needsfor your community?It is ideal if individuals and families answer,or at least consider, these questions forthemselves first, before the village view isagreed through discussion. If individualsare comfortable completing this task, thefacilitator should assemble them intosmall groups of up to 10 people – althoughsix or less is ideal. Each group will be askedto discuss the development opportunitiesidentified by individual participants. Thegroup is asked to reach consensus on thepriority development opportunities theycollectively consider important at the villageor community level. They record thisconsensus outcome on a large piece ofpaper, ready for presentation to otherparticipants.STEP 3Community level development opportunityconsensusThe consensus from each small group willbe shared with the other participants in aplenary session. These developmentopportunity priorities should be recorded bythe facilitator. Participants then regard thelists of opportunities from small groups andcollectively prioritize them for the village orcommunity. Consensus is sought on the topfive or ten (to be decided by the community)development priorities.PLANNING TOOLSCommunity Development Toolkit103