Getting Started
- Making the Road Passable (Permissions)
- Raising Awareness, Not Expectations
- Challenging the First Wish Lists
- Making Community Decisions
Just as the mobilizer must first get prepared, the first action of the mobilizer is to prepare the community for empowerment. First is to get legitimization for community work in the area, from the appropriate authorities. They need to be persuaded that in the long run it will benefit them to become enablers of self reliance instead of providers of facilities and services. ensuring that the authorities and the population know the mobilizer does not come with gifts is the most important information to convey. Next, in preparing the community, the mobilizer must guide the community to organize (for decision making and for action) and guide them to choose an appropriate and realistic action. This usually involves challenging them to rethink their first wishes, which are usually unrealistic. |
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