The demand for human resources by the community: the implications of a community participation approach

The author states that community participation needs to be designed at the national level and executed at the local level, which therefore places greater demands on the organizational efficiency and communication skills of national agencies. The ramifications of a community participation approach reach all aspects of national planning, including budget procedures and allocations of responsibility. Above all, the approach requires that authority, responsibility, and procedures be clearly spelled out and understood by all involved. Only when national strategies have been set for numbers of communities to be served, level of service, and degree of community involvement, can the specific implications for manpower needs, training, and national support services be discussed, evaluated, and quantified. Given a clear indication of national policy directions for community participation, sector planners can begin discussions with their regional offices, other agencies, and community leaders on how to implement it. This article reviews some of the major issues about human resources that need to be addressed in the planning process.