A community action plan is a road map for implementing community change by identifying and specifying WHAT will be done, Who will do it and HOW it will be done. In other words, the action plan describes what the community wants to accomplish, what activities are required during a specified timeline and what resources (money, people and materials) are needed to be successful. The community action plan shall become a framework for implementing sustainable sanitation and water management activities that are decided by the community itself. It is important to emphasise that the community members should be the main actors in preparing their own community action plan regarding sanitation and water management.
(Adapted from ACPHD 2004; FAO 2001; UNDP n.y.) “A healthy community is a form of living democracy: people working together to address what matters to them”. The community action plan is one of the participatory tools used to build the capacity of community members in taking action in accordance with the problems, needs, and potential of the community (see also problem analysis and decision making, both categories on Decision Making section). The community action plan is a road map for implementing community change in sanitation and water management by clarifying what will be done, who will do it and how it will be done. The plan describes what the community wants to achieve, what activities are required during a specified time period, what resources (money, people and materials) are needed to be successful. The community action plan should become a framework for implementing the activities that are decided by the community itself. The focus is more on the process of understanding and overcoming problems in order to rebuild the people's lives rather than just physical development such as building houses, providing clean water or toilet facilities. It is important to understand that the community should be the main actors in preparing their own community action plan. Producing the action plan helps people to take realistic and concrete steps toward participatory development planning in order to improve the sanitation and water system. By bringing everyone together to think and discuss about resources and group involvement, this tool increases awareness (see PPT) about the skills and resources already available in the community.
(Adapted from MIT n.y.) The key element of community action planning is an active, intense community-based workshop, carried out over a time period of 2 to 5 days, depending on the specific objectives of the workshop (see also exploring tools). The output of the workshop is a sanitation and water management development plan which contains a list of prioritised problems, strategies and options for dealing with the identified problems. A rudimentary work programme describes who, when and what is to be done. Integral to the method is the equal relation between the professional technical inputs and planned over specified intervals – once each year tends to be appropriate – with the implementation of agreements during the interval. The execution of the workshop requires a minimum of preparation, materials and training. Of prime importance is a motivated community and a confident moderator/facilitator/organiser who can take the lead in assuring that announcements are made, participants identified, a location selected, a few materials collected, and finally in running the workshop. However, most of the preparation should be done by the community itself. A designated person often takes responsibility for the logistics. Moderators need not be highly skilled and can adapt the style and content to suit their own temperament and the prevailing circumstances. Training of moderators/facilitators can be minimal, but is strongly advised to participate in an actual workshop in order that future moderators can capture the dynamics of the event as much as understand its procedures (see also train the trainers perspective). Materials required are limited to markers of some kind, large sheets of paper (any kind: wrapping paper, newsprint, cardboard, unfolded boxes), and a place for display of outputs. The location for the workshop should be in the community and easily accessible, rather than in government offices. Example locations have included formal classrooms.
(Adapted from UNDP n.y.)
Suggested contents of a community action plan for sustainable sanitation and water management. Source: TCCO (1995) (Adapted from UNDP n.y.) The development and formulation of a community action plan consists of several standard measures that are generally applicable. However, in practice, the specific context and nature of community needs in sustainable sanitation and water management will add uniqueness to those measures. The stages in formulating a community action plan can be described as the following:
Community action plan. Source: BARTLE (2008) (Adapted from ACPHD 2004) The following points should be taken into consideration in completing a community action plan:
When local community members are keen to change and improve their sanitation and water system respectively management, they first need a community action plan which describes what the community wants to achieve, what activities are required and what resources are needed to be successful. A community action plan is required and should be applied whenever community members want to be the engine of the change regarding sanitation and water issues. It is of prime importance to strongly integrate local people in the planning of their water and sanitation system in order to achieve a sustainable solution which is highly accepted and supported by the local community. |