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MEETING NEEDS
PROVEN METHODOLOGY
THE CDE APPROACH
GUIDING
PRINCIPLES
PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONSteps in a Program
Organization-Based
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Steps in a Community Development Education Program The process and training courses below are designed by CDC to teach individuals and organizations how to put into action their own integrated ministry of Community Development Education (CDE). Once the participants are trained, they are able to set up a CDE program and teach volunteers how to implement the work in their own village. All teaching is done in a participatory style; the learn is the center of attention, not the teacher.
1. First Step: A desire to make a lasting difference in the lives of people in developing countries is a prerequisite.
2. Vision Seminar: A 14-hour, two-day seminar is used to introduce the CDE concept in a new country or area. Organizations or key village leaders who are interested in an integrated approach to wholistic community-based development are the ones who should attend this seminar. The next step is to participate in a Training of Trainers 1 (TOT).
3. Teaching Nationals to be Trainers: Training of Trainers (TOT) enables people to teach the workers in the field how to put CDE into practice. TOT 1 focuses on the philosophy of CDE, how to choose a location, and how to start a CDE program. Morally, it emphasizes teaching others. The training normally takes 4-˝ days covering 32 hours of classes.
4. After TOT 1: The newly qualified trainers are to return to their areas and form a three or four person training team.
5. Selection of a Village: A training team takes great care to select the most receptive village. Discovering the methods of how to select a village takes place through an evaluation process taught during TOT 1.
6. Entering a Village: There are a variety of ways to introduce a CDE team to a village and these methods also are taught during TOT 1. There is an entire series of activities available during this phase.
7. Awareness Meeting: These meetings create an understanding of the community needs and reveal which ones are of greatest importance. It is important to provide a structured time where people have opportunities to express and explore what they know about their community. Also, the community begins to learn about CDE.
8. Community and Worker Selection: Once the villagers express interest in adopting the CDE strategy, the villagers then elect their own Committee which will oversee the program development. The villagers also choose their own Community Development Educators (CDEs) who will teach the principles to their neighbors, possibly through picture booklets. Both the Committee and the CDEs are trained over the next six months by the training team. During this time nearly all who choose not to live a moral life lose their motivation and quit the program. Thus, the program is both community-owned and strong in moral character.
9. Committee Training: A six-day, 18-hour training curriculum teaches the village committee their responsibilities. By teaching the Committee first, the individuals begin to take responsibility in their leadership roles in their village.
10. CDE Training: The prime training targets are the CDEs. CDE lessons are taught by the training team. There are over 1,000 lesson plans from which the community can choose what they want to learn. This training team normally trains 15 – 25 CDEs in one geographical area, typically two days per week, until 40 – 50 sessions have been completed. Each session includes a moral value lesson and a physical or health lesson.
11. Problem-Solving: Once trained, the villagers go to work to solve what they consider their most pressing community need. This need is voted by all committee members.
12. One-on-One: CDE trainees put into practice what they have learned in their own home. They then visit their neighbors and teach them what they have learned. A part-time CDE can work with 10 to 30 households.
13. Multiplication to Nearby Villages: These changed communities become models and individuals from these communities multiply their efforts to nearby towns and villages. Three to six local CDEs will be chosen from those trained by the initial outside training team to become trainers themselves. These local training teams will expand the program into adjacent communities within their area.
14. Funding: As much as possible, funding for the individual program needs to come from the local communities. Where local resources are insufficient, funds may be solicited from in-country agencies that are interested or working in community health, agriculture, etc.
Community-Based CDE
In a non-moral area devoid of any strong
character leaders, CDE may be initiated by finding or planting a strong
moral family who are willing to be salt and light in a non-moral
community. The family members are trained as CDEs and they are a model
of good agriculture, hygiene, etc. When a neighbor has a problem, they
take the initiative to help them. In addition to being a good model,
they are encouraged to share what they are learning with their
neighbors.
The family’s training is a combination of training designed for a CDE and a trainer, but their main role is as a CDE. This moral family becomes a nucleus for the future development of a community-based CDE program. They function under area leadership without a local committee directing them. Once their work bears fruit and they make disciples, the couple may take on the role of trainers and begin an organization-based CDE program whose nucleus are people who are living strong, moral lives.
The Family-Based CDE Approach is usually a precursor to a Community-Based CDE Approach.
Organization-Initiated and Organization-Based CDE
The CDE strategy may begin through an
organization when the target area is too large or there is little unity
among the community (i.e. urban settings). If there is only one
organization in the community that is open to CDE, then the committee
members and the CDEs will probably be made up of only organization
members. If this is so, the organization will probably be seen as the
initiator and doing something for the community.
One major difference in an organization
approach is that there is the opportunity for the trainers to be
volunteers if they are from the organization and they see their service as
a ministry of the organization. If that is the case, then there needs to
be more (8 – 12) trainers equipped since they will not have the time to
work as does a full-time trainer.
If there is more than one moral organization in the community, equal representation from all of these organizations should be on the committee and chosen as CDEs. One small (50 member) moral organization may not have the resources to establish and maintain a CDE program unless this is their main outreach into the community.
The organizations must view this strategy as a means to reach out to their non-moral neighbors in a wholistic way rather than exclusively using it for their own organization members. The more organizations involved the better, since an individual organization may not have enough members or resources to enable the development of a broad-based community program.
Government-Initiated CDE
This means that we establish a contract with the Ministry of Health of that country at the district level to help them improve the health care at the Medical Aid Post. The Medical Aid Post is the lowest level medical care facility, generally with one Medical Aid Post serving two to four communities. We attempt to impact health care in multiple communities in one chosen district.
Because most communities are grouped
around a collective farm, the communities are close together. There may
be 30 – 40 Medical Aid Posts in a district. The key person at this level
is the government Community Health Worker who provides curative,
antenatal, and well-baby care.
These workers feel they have a very good prevention system because they have had very high vaccination rates, women delivering babies at the hospital, and health teachings done by the Community Health Workers. In reality, the people are totally dependent on the medical professional to provide health care and take NO responsibility for their own health. CDC’s approach is to show them that the people need to take more responsibility. A CDE program is the way to do this.
Our primary thrust is to introduce the Community Health Worker from each Medical Aid Post to CDE. We do this by bringing the Community Health Workers together for a one-week training which introduces CDE concepts and how the CDE program works. Included in the training are updated key health topics along with an introduction to Moral Value teachings which is needed if there is to be lasting change. © CDC2005 |
Community training session. 
probability
of
success.
Once a project is truly owned by the community,
the villagers take responsibility for their own lives and those of their
neighbors.
Mortality rates and sicknesses decrease,
children are no longer malnourished, neighbors live in harmony with one
another, family and spouse relations are strengthened, moral value
truths are shared, and communities become wholistically healthy.
