DSA 2014 Conference DSA 2014 Conference 1 Nov 2014 Solava Ibrahim 1 Nov 2014 Solava Ibrahim Towards Sustainable Human Development: The 3C-Model of Grassroots-led

DSA 2014 Conference DSA 2014 Conference

1 Nov 20141 Nov 2014

Solava Ibrahim Solava Ibrahim

Towards Sustainable Human Development:

The 3C-Model of Grassroots-led Development

and Grassroots Democracy in Egypt and Senegal

Solava Ibrahim

Lecturer in International Development Institute for Development Policy and Management

The University of Manchester


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Motivation for this Study:Broader Picture

Move from Top-down to

bottom-up approaches of Development

– but HOW to render those grassroots-led approaches

more sustainable, scalable and successful?


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First – Some Definitions! Grassroots-led Development: an

improvement in one or more aspects of human wellbeing brought about by people acting as initiators and agents of Change (in collaboration with other development actors/institutions).

Grassroots Democracy: a process of socio-political interaction that allows the most excluded groups not only to voice their demands, but also to challenge and transform unequal power relations and institutional structures at the grassroots level.

These Two Processes are not mutually exclusive, but highly interdependent.


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Main Research Questions

Can the Poor – through their communal initiatives – act as agents of Change to promote grassroots-led development and grassroots democracy?

What Roles do ‘External’ Actors (the state, NGOs, Local Leaders and donors) play in supporting and promoting GLD?

What is the Impact of these communal initiatives on development and democracy at the grassroots-level?


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Outline The CA as Conceptual Framework for

understanding the dynamics of GLD and GD

The 3-C model: Conscientization, Conciliation and Collaboration

Three Case Studies of GLD in Egypt: Donor-supported; Locally-led; NGO-supported

case studies

3C-Model applied in Senegal

What Works? – Towards Sustainable, Scalable and Successful GLD


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Two main Arguments


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Grassroots-led Development and Grassroots Democracy

are possible through Local Institutional

Change and Collective Agency

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To promote GLD and GD at the grassroots level, there is a need to (1)build on existing forms of collective

agency and (2)to reform local institutional

structures.


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GD and GLD promoting Sustainable Human Development

Why?

They help communities generate new collective capabilities in the future whilst

at the same time ensuring that current rights and

freedoms are protected.

2


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The Question is:

What Works?

How can these Processes be

Supported, Sustained and Scaled-up?


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Building a Conceptual

Framework for

Democracy and

Development

At the Grassroots level


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Emphasizes the importance of democratic processes and public deliberation

Accounting for ‘what people value and have reason to value’

Focusing on Process-freedom and is Agency-oriented

Emphasizing the importance of Social Justice and Social Inclusion

Acknowledging inter-cultural and inter-personal variations

Acknowledging the Multiplicity of Valuables for assessing wellbeing

Conceptualising GD and GLD: Adopting the Capability

Approach – Why?


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But!

CA as Conceptual Framework

-- Suitable but Insufficient!(1) Extending Analysis of Capabilities from the

Individual to the Collectivity

(2) Emphasizing the Importance of Collective Agency

(3) Stressing the Dynamic Relationship between Collective Agency, Local Institutional Change and GLD and GD


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What are the Dynamics of Grassroots-led Development?


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The 3C-Model: Conscientization, Conciliation &

Collaboration

Conscientization through critical

reflection

Conciliation of self-interest & communal goals

Willingness to Act Collectively to Improve

individual and communal well-being

Collaboration with External Actors: state,

donors & NGOs

Inducing local institutional

change, scaling-up

local initiatives

Dynamics of GLD

Willingnessto Act

Individually to Improve one’s

own living conditions


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Exploring GD and GLD in Egypt:

Three Case Studies:(1) Donor-supported Model (2) Local Leaders-supported

Model (3) NGO-supported Model


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(1) Donor-supported Case

Study

Manshiet Nasser, Cairo


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The GIZ in Manshiet Nasser Urban Upgrading Project by GIZ

(previously GTZ) and KFW started in 1998

Rationale: Policy Choices: Demolition or

‘Upgrading’

Aims: upgrading and improving

infrastructure; providing social services; securing land tenure; upgrading and

Institutionalizing local self-help


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Donor’s Support to

Collective Agency and

Local Institutional Change:

The Lack of all 3-C

processes!


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The Missing 3Cs? No Conscientization:

Dominance of self-interest

why participate in upgrading the area? What am I going to gain?

No Conciliation:

Limited social capital in the area

Absence of dedicated local leadership

Dependence on existing leaders and reinforcing unequal power relations

Competitive relationship between local activists

Limited communal contributions to local activities

Distorted understanding of voluntary work/collective action


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The Missing 3Cs?

No Collaboration:

Creating Winners and Losers!

Mistrust between the residents and the state

One-off projects; lack of complementarities between NGO projects

Lack of accountability mechanisms: who is responsible for failure?

Corruption and mismanagement by local organizations

Limited financial resources and limited sustainability


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(2) Local Leadership Case-

Study

Tafahna Al Ashraf Village,

Delta


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Tafahnā Al Ashraf village – Before and After

Before (1980s): 4,000 inhabitants Lack of social services, illiteracy and unemployment Only a single primary school and no religious institutes ‘exporting’ the poorest casual workers in the region

After (2004): Tafahnā Al Ashraf as a success story in local communal

development Through communal self-help, the village successfully

established various educational, productive and welfare projects


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How Did this Transformation happen?


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The 3 Cs:

(1) Conscientization(2) Conciliation

(3) Collaboration


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(1) Conscientization Education: building individual capabilities and

raising public awareness of the role and importance of collective agency

Unfolding the Capacity to Aspire: free education to everyone in the village

Targeting and letting the voices of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups be heard, esp. youth

Mutually reinforcing relationship between grassroots-led development and grassroots democracy – the former as platform for exercising collective agency and empowering marginalized groups


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Solava Ibrahim Solava Ibrahim (2) Conciliation

‘Belief in ‘one idea’ and Creating a Communal Vision: education from nursery to university

Reconciling communal and individual goals

Using Moral & Economic Arguments for promoting collective agency

Communal development projects to promote individual and communal wellbeing

Multiplier effect through job creation in the village and in neighboring villages


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(3) Collaboration

Working directly with the state and the local government, e.g. to establish accredited educational institutions by Al Azhar

Decreasing the dependence on the state – The Observer State?

No external funding from donors – larger role of communal contributions


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Why did the 3C-Model work?


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Role of local leadership in communal mobilization and enhancing their feeling of local Ownership

True and wide concept of voluntarism and collective action especially among the youth

Financial Sustainability through Communal contributions and endowments

Institutionalizing communal initiatives, e.g. as GROs, to ensure inclusive decision-making and clear accountability systems

Promoting GRD led to more inclusive GR-Democratic processes

The 3C-model: Linking Grassroots Development – Grassroots

Democracy


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(3) NGO-supported Model

Menia, Upper Egypt


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Challenging the practice of FGM in rural communities

Initiating and Institutionalizing Self-help groups by young female activists

Focusing not only on FGM, but also on other services, e.g. general health, issuing IDs and safer ovens.

Getting Support Local NGOs, e.g. BLACD, as a mediator NOT implementer

NGO-Supported Model of Grassroots-led Development and

Democracy


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The 3 C-model:

Women used the same 3C-processes to defend their

gender rights

(1) Conscientization(2) Conciliation

(3) Collaboration


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Questioning the Root Causes of Gender Disempowering practices.

Enhancing Public Awareness of Women’s Rights

Public Deliberation in One-to-one and Communal Meetings

Visualising Women’s Experiences

Calling for protection of Gender Rights

(1) Conscientization


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Initiating Women’s Advocacy Self-help Groups and building links between them

Emphasizing Positive Deviance to encourage others to follow

Creating Knowledge through data collection

Organising communal protests against violations of women’s/girls’ rights

Preparing the new Generation of Girls at Risk

(2) Conciliation


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Co-opting Opponents, e.g. Men

Creating Alternative Livelihoods for midwives

Building Coalitions with Religious Scholars, e.g. priests and sheikhs

Working with State Officials in the Local Administration and Councils

Raising Awareness and Media attention

Getting Training from Local NGO

Working with local NGO, the State &Donors

(3) Collaboration


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The Process is NOT Linear!

There are Setbacks:

New Challenges under Current Political Transition in Egypt


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Current Political Transition poses new challenges: Security threats, Lack of Cooperation by Government officials, Social Polarisation

Change in Interaction between Communities, NGOs, State officials and Donor agencies

Growing Fear among Activists and limited ‘space’ for collective action

Need to Reframe the Problem? e.g. ‘child protection’ for FGM and abandoning religious discourse in Tafahna?

The ‘Political’ withholding ‘Developmental’?

Political Transition – New Challenges

to Grassroots-led Development and Democracy


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Applicability of the Model in other

Contexts?

The Case Study of Senegal


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Undertaken since more than 20 years in Senegal and seven other African countries

Three main components of CEP:

Human Rights Classes (conscientization?)

Community Management Committee (conciliation?)

Organised Diffusion (collaboration?)

Similarities with the 3C model?

Tostan’s Community Empowerment

Program


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Exploring the dynamic processes of

conscientization, conciliation and

collaboration through

Tostan’s CEP

3C-model in Senegal


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Conscientization


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Understanding rights is not enough without gaining the required skills to demand and protect these rights

Non-confrontational long-term approach

Behavioural changes as pre-conditions for GLD: “learning how to behave!”

DARE to do things they did not do before– overcoming fear is crucial

A process of understanding ‘who I am’ – a process of self-assessment and critical reflection

Conscientization


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Conciliation


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The central role of CMC: Community Management Committees

Dynamics of CMCs are different in rural and urban settings

Need to set up real inclusive democratic processes for decision-making

The CMC needs to have a vision and an action plan

Need coordination between different village associations and the CMC.

Conciliation


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Collaboration


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Collaboration between NGOs is challenging: ‘conflicts over who takes credit for the work’.

Grants cause dependency and create divisions within and between communities – harmonised donors’ approach

Role of CMC federations is crucial for communal solidarity and for accessing funds

State’s role is confined to ‘a facilitator’: ‘we open doors’ and give political ‘cover’ ‘we are coming on behalf of the government’.

Scaling-up NGO activities is difficult

Collaboration


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Some more findings to come soon!

But for now…


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Concluding Remarks


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This is NOT a Blueprint!

What Works?

Success Criteria?


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When Does the 3C-Model Work?


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Context does matter

Awakening the ‘Capacity to Aspire’

The Power of A Vision

Reconciliation of Individual and Collective Goals – how

Creating a Collective Identity and Responsibility - collective notions of selfhood and communal belonging

Institutionalisation of collective agency for sustainability

Inclusive decision-making– challenging unequal power relations

Relationships with external actors depend on Support without Dependence

The Sustainability, Success and Scaling-up potential - benefiting whom? For how long?

The Success Criteria?


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The context in which collective agency is exercised as well as the

nature of the agents and the relationships among them and

between them and other development actors/institutions.

Success depends on ...


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Democracy and Development - need to start at the Grassroots


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Thank You


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Questions or

Comments ?

Documents

DSA 2014 Conference DSA 2014 Conference 1 Nov 2014 Solava Ibrahim 1 Nov 2014 Solava Ibrahim Towards Sustainable Human Development: The 3C-Model of Grassroots-led