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Getting it Right from the Start - Oxfam New Zealand

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3 Involve commun<strong>it</strong>ies andstreng<strong>the</strong>n civil societyEmergency Response Team – Old Fangak, Jonglei State, October 2010, © MediarThe importance of fostering <strong>the</strong> participation of local commun<strong>it</strong>ies and arange of CSOs including women‟s, youth, and fa<strong>it</strong>h-based and churchgroups in <strong>the</strong> development of South Sudan cannot be overstated.Commun<strong>it</strong>y participation enhances <strong>the</strong> relevance and sustainabil<strong>it</strong>y ofdevelopment in<strong>it</strong>iatives; while a strong civil society facil<strong>it</strong>ates goodgovernance by increasing <strong>the</strong> likelihood of local author<strong>it</strong>ies being heldaccountable to <strong>the</strong> people.Those best able to determine what is needed in order to streng<strong>the</strong>ncommun<strong>it</strong>ies are almost always <strong>the</strong> commun<strong>it</strong>ies <strong>the</strong>mselves, and <strong>the</strong>irinvolvement helps ensure commun<strong>it</strong>y ownership of developmentin<strong>it</strong>iatives. Experience in South Sudan has shown time and again thatw<strong>it</strong>hout this, results are difficult to sustain. Agencies supporting <strong>the</strong>management of commun<strong>it</strong>y water resources, for example, have foundthat w<strong>it</strong>hout commun<strong>it</strong>y involvement in choosing <strong>the</strong> s<strong>it</strong>e for waterpoints, <strong>the</strong> selection of water management comm<strong>it</strong>tee members and <strong>the</strong>establishment of rules for maintenance and <strong>the</strong> payment of user-fees,<strong>the</strong> likelihood of water resources being maintained by commun<strong>it</strong>ies issubstantially reduced. 17 This is basic development good practice, but isoften sidelined in <strong>the</strong> interests of meeting donor comm<strong>it</strong>ments in lim<strong>it</strong>edtimeframes where access to commun<strong>it</strong>ies is restricted due to long rainyseasons and poor infrastructure.It‟s not just about promoting commun<strong>it</strong>y ownership. Donors andimplementing agencies have acknowledged that throughout years ofhuman<strong>it</strong>arian and development assistance, adequate attention has notalways been paid to <strong>the</strong> development of local capac<strong>it</strong>ies 18 – and11

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