Ancient Words Revisited
By Janine Ward (IACD Trustee for the Sub-Saharan Africa Region)
Key themes from the IACD International Standards that the case study material relates to: Learning for Change
Overall Synopsis
Community displaced to make way for sugarcane plantations lost their sense of identity and were struggling to survive on growing cotton.
One sentence describing the project/initiative
Started as a 1-year student learnership and evolved into a 13-year community development programme, focusing on building local capacity and leadership for sustainable livelihood and economic growth.
One sentence on what the community has achieved through the support of the project/initiative does for the community
Above all a sense of believing in their own capacity to do things – numerous community initiatives (pre-schools, food gardens, water projects) and micro-enterprise loan scheme that supported the development of micro enterprises.
Background
In 1986 I was completing my studies in Social Work and lived in rural Swaziland. I contacted the local church who put me in touch with Lungile Dlamini, a rural health motivator who lived in a settlement called Mafucula and identified families in need who then received a food parcel from the church.
Who was involved in the initial stages of the project?
Lungile arranged for me to meet with her rural health motivator team, and we also met with the community leadership.
What led the community/others to develop the project?
The feeling amongst the rural health motivators was that people (the women in particular, as the men were mostly away working on nearby estates) needed ways to make money other than the meagre annual cotton sales income. There were also concerns about the poor water supply in the area.
In what ways (if any) did the IACD International Standards for Community Development help to shape and inform the project?
I was not aware of IACD and the International Standards at that time
The Project
How does/did the project work?
A small group of community members came forward to work with me and we mobilized whatever funding and support we could from local estates and donors.
Who are the key community members and others involved?
The rural health motivators; 2 young women who were trained in preschool education and set up 2 preschools; 2 young men, Elliott and Justice, who lived in Mafucula; women’s groups that were formed around key community issues; and later the Development Committee made up of community leaders and residents.
What were the aims of the project?
- To build the capacity of community members through skills development and/or resource mobilization
- To initiate projects or activities that would focus on issues the community struggled with e.g. water supply; food production; preschool education; micro enterprise development
What were the stages of the project?
For the first 6 years or so, we made do with limited funding and called on the support of local agricultural estates when necessary. Then in 1992-3, there was a devastating drought that hit the whole country, and project activities were halted to focus solely on feeding the preschool children and keeping them alive. During this time (a total of 14 months), the programme received a lot of support from the local sugar estate and the health department that provided vitamin syrup.
After the drought, the focus shifted to enterprise development through a loan scheme and skills development – this was made possible through a large grant received from the EU Commission.
What community development processes have been used in the project?
From the outset, being a young student and not having much to back me up, I leant heavily on the words of Lao Tzu (Go to the people, live with them, learn from them, love them; start with what they know, build with what they have; and with the best leaders, when the work is done and the task is accomplished, they will say “We have done this ourselves”), and we basically followed the principles of ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development).
What was the role of community development practitioners involved?
Mine was a coordinating role, linking the community of Mafucula with the estates and donors further afield. I assisted with skills development and building up the community members to believe in themselves and to realize that they had it in them to create a better future for themselves and their families.
Coincidentally, the name “Mafucula” has a derogatory meaning which affected the psyche of the community members. When you “fucula” something in siSwati, you throw it away onto the trash heap. The people were called Mafucula which literally means the “thrown-away people” – they were relocated from a fertile flat land with a clinic, a school and good grazing fields to a barren, stony and very dry elongated valley with none of the promised compensation provided to restart their lives. They felt thrown away and so their energy to rebuild their lives was depleted.
Core values
What were the core community development values of the project?
Mutual learning; respect; environmental responsibility; belief in capacity building
What primary assets were being harnessed?
Local clay-soil was used for the brick-making project; branches from trees and empty drink cans were used to make a make-shift storeroom (which incidentally is still standing 30+ years later!); human capital – those who were not away working became involved in projects; land and water for the food gardens; local knowledge.
What secondary values are being harnessed?
Growing confidence in the community members; creating of a local economy to support families
What does/did the project achieve in terms of community development?
Community members became confident in being able to run the preschools, hold community meetings; start up small businesses. We had 2 preschools built and run by local residents; 6 boreholes; 2 protected springs; Justice & Elliott established a business building water tanks and pit toilets; 15 small businesses were started using loans; each loan applicant was trained in basic business finance, and the loan repayment rate remained at around 98%; a business incubation centre with space for 6 businesses was built by a group of young Mafucula residents who were all trained in construction skills and business finance; the development committee was fully independent by the time I left Swaziland in 1998.
What worked well
Having to follow ABCD principles – using what we had, starting where we were, doing what we could – was great in that there were no unrealistic expectations created. The fact that I often arrived in the community with just myself, my time and a notebook, meant that the community members began to accept me for who I was – someone who just wanted to walk alongside them and help if I could. (The community had suffered many empty promises from the time they were relocated – from government, donors, outsiders who meant well, visitors who just took photos, etc. Understandably they were sceptical of me at first, but seeing me keep coming back and NOT make empty promises, made them see that I had different intentions).
Why did these things work well?
Enabling people to see their own worth in what they already have is priceless! For years the Mafucula community was waiting for the things promised to them and they had lost faith in their own abilities to do things for themselves. As we worked together and got small things done, they started to get excited about what more could be done.
What are the strengths of the project?
Starting small with what was there. Initially starting without any funding except the very small amount (about $5) from the local church with which we bought wool and knitting needles. Having time to grow as the community’s capacity grew – the project continued over a period of 13 years, and many aspects of what was started still continue till today.
Challenges
What challenges has the project faced?
The lack of a decent water supply in the area was a serious challenge. Ironically, after asking the sugar estate to assist for years with no success, the year after I left the estate set up a farmer’s sugar-growing cooperative and pumped water with ease into the Mafucula valley – but stipulated to the families that it should only be used to water the sugarcane……!? Once the bigger funding grant was received from the EU Commission, tensions rose in the community about controlling the funding and who should have access to it.
How have these been addressed?
The Development Committee was instrumental in helping to calm the tensions over funding. The proposal had been shared with community members so they could see how the funds had been allocated.
Learning and Future plans 80-100 words
What have been the key learning points from the project?
With 35 years of experience in ABCD now under my belt, I would do some things differently.
- I think the key learning is the very difficult task of STEPPING IN TO STEP BACK – giving the community members the space to learn, make mistakes if necessary and to take ownership of decisions.
- TRUST THE PROCESS – giving support or ideas where necessary, but then leaving it and trusting that the community members will do what they want to and what is best for them.
What are the future plans?
The Mafucula farmers sugarcane cooperative is still operating, and most of the community projects continue (preschool, business centre), run by the community members.
How will the learning from the experience be used to inform future plans?
Community members continue to operate as they wish and according to their own plans
Name and an email address for the best contact person for additional information or clarification
Lungile Dlamini - +268 7612 3196
Authors/contributors to this story
Janine Ward – [email protected] +2782 956 0048
