Participation of rural communities in development policy and practice : the South African experience and its relevance for Rwanda

[摘要] ENGLIAH ABSTRACT:Several indispensable variables for effective community development include, among others:development skills, networking and partnership, and community participation in the developmentproject life cycle. The study aimed to derive relevant lessons about these factors for Rwanda fromthe South African community development experience.A literature study was first undertaken on key concepts such as participation, rural community,development, and policy and practice. Literature on principles and policies guidelines forcommunity development in both the South African and Rwandan contexts was also reviewed.Within the perspective of comparative analysis, the socio-political and historical backgrounds ofboth countries served as the basis of criteria for selecting four case studies. From South Africa,three case studies were selected from both the apartheid and post-apartheid periods. One postapartheidstudy was regarded as unsuccessful and one was successful. The third is a successfulongoing case that straddles the apartheid and post-apartheid periods. From Rwanda, a postgenocideongoing case was selected on the grounds of its perceived success. A comparativeanalysis was undertaken of practical results and the South African experience provided actualrelevance for Rwanda in specific ways.In complete contrast to the current view that community driven development depends on thepolitical context, the study shows that it depends rather on a number of objective principles foractive community participation. What is demonstrated is that community driven developmentcannot be adequately supported by the developer-centred, consultation, and blueprint approachesbecause they fail to inspire active community participation. Nor can community participation beseen merely as cheap labour or superficial involvement. Instead, it implies empowering thecommunity with development skills that enable people to acquire more choices and gain controlof their community life.To achieve such empowerment, the study stresses the need for a shift toward the bottom-upapproach to the planning and implementing of rural-based development projects.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University