[PDF] Community Development Toolkit - CommDev

CASE STUDYParticipatory planningResolute Mining Limited, Nzega District, TanzaniaMANAGEMENT TOOLSSummaryResolute’s Golden Pride Gold Project inthe Tabora region of western Tanzaniawas the first modern gold mine tocommence operation in Tanzania when itbegan to produce gold in November 1998.The communities close to Golden Pride inNzega District depended on subsistencefarming and suffered from a lack ofinfrastructure and income-generatingopportunities.Resolute, an Australian company, tookmeasures to alleviate some of the mostimmediate features of the poverty it saw,rehabilitating and equipping the localschools, supplying uniforms, books, desksand trees for fruit to supplement thechildren’s diet. Gradually, the companyrealized that it would be more effective inthe long term if communities could beencouraged to empower themselvesand take responsibility for their owndevelopment plans. The company couldthen join in with community-motivatedand community-initiated projects insteadof trying to ascertain from outside whatthe communities needed.Participatory planning methods usedin Nzega District• Community mapping• History• Seasonal calendar• Gender daily calendar• Problem ranking• Options assessment•CAPFor this reason, Resolute decided toconduct a participatory planning programat the end of 2000 in the four communitiesclosest to the mine’s perimeter – Isanga,Mwaluzwilo, Bujulu and Undomo – toencourage communities to develop theirown community action plans (CAPs).Community members were delighted tobe asked what they lacked, what theyneeded and to be assisted to devise theirown plans. Once they overcame theirinitial shyness with the unfamiliar process,each community embraced the opportunityto develop a CAP and put a great deal ofeffort into ensuring the project wascompleted.Four years after starting their CAP, theseresidents of Nzega District, Tanzania,have taken charge of their own communitydevelopment programs. Here, village menare seen working on a school building ona Sunday, completely independent of anyexternal motivation.(Photo. C. Macdonald)Source: C. Macdonald, URS and F. Kyessi, Resolute Mining Limited170 Community Development Toolkit