Community participation in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan

Community participation is regarded by many as the key to the primary health care (PHC) approach; that is the most essential factor in determining the success of failure of a PHC programme. In September 1983, UNICEF and Save the Children Fund (SCF) signed an agreement for a pilot PHC project in Badaber refugee camp, Pakistan, as the first phase in development of PHC in areas settled by Afghan refugees, under the supervision of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) ant the government of Pakistan. This paper reviews the factors enhancing and inhibiting the formation of a community, describes how community participation was achieved in Badaber and discusses the prospects for replication of the model in the 86 camps in North West Frontier Province which are funded by UNHCR.