about participatory achievement

i got a small discussion this late afternoon pertaining to what so-called participatory achievement is.

a lot of people recently turn their head and start focusing more to any issue with the adjective 'participatory' coming along.

would be very nice actually, if any program implemented all over this country will use what they call  as participatory approach, which more or less means that an approach during the whole process of implementation which enable the respective community to get involved and really perform their own planning,implementation and also evaluation. at the end, it's expected that people then can mobilize their own resources, capacity,communal 'power' and their social capital, to really create policies applicable for their own benefit. from, by, and for the community. that's the way it says.

nevertheless, what my colleague in banda aceh shared today in his email is quite interesting. many organizations which give donation and run their projects in aceh is under the title 'participatory everything programs' . no need to mention one by one. too many actually. my colleague himself is also starting a program which also with 'participatory' adjective in it.but then the problem he is facing is that those people from the targeted community keeps demanding some 'salary'(though it's under the name of 'transport, per diem, allowance or whatever) which is paid on daily-base, for their involvement in t/for their community. from his email, he indicates his hopelessness to manage this 'artificial salary' issue. he says how can he keeps going on his ideal idea to have such a participatory approach, while all those organizations keep paying that kind of stuff. he is getting on some kind of conclusion (I am not sure if it's a really final conclusion) that in Aceh that kind of approach, can be said, is impossible to work out.no one really can move on with their participatory program without keeping a large bunch of USD or CHF in their pocket, and ready to distribute them to the community, really by disbursing them to the people.and without this 'precious' pocket, it would be better to step back and pack all your stuff, bring your luggage and leave out of the community area.

is the community really losing their internal cohesion, burnt out into the never-ending-money-labyrinth?

another friend in banda aceh gave me a story in several day ago. delightfully and very optimistically he told me that he started to manage a new cooperative for some acehnese friends who had lost their jobs in banda aceh. he said that it did take some time, but not really such a long time which made him really exhausted. and he is trying to keep developing this small economic movement. I still remember when at the very beginning he conveyed his idea, some people really laughed at him, and said it was a stupid idea to be carried out, in aceh especially. even I, to be honest, at that time also doubted that his idea really can be put into reality. but then, now it's really there. those people have their cooperative, and they start their bussiness with their small capital.

'the matter is on how you approach them' my friend explained.'you need to be part of the community, and really feel how far they suffer from all their dificulties and enjoy their life, then you really can feel why they behave such ways' he added.

well, maybe that's true. how we really approach the people in the community. nothing can be instantly happened in any participatory activities. everything is about a smooth process of approaching, getting to know people around us, learning, listening by heart, cooperating, respecting human being in the way human being should be treated, sharing ideas, waving one idea with another, adjusting ourselves into the way community live, negotiating and following every detail point of the movement.patient is one of the keywords.

and in aceh, that's really a special case. those people got continuos disasters including their in-years conflict and the huge horrible tsunami-earthquake. socially they have been weaken down and washed-up by the conflict, and physically the tsunami just like really accomplishing all the tasks to make the community totally collapsed. honestly, 'personally, i really can't imagine how they can live in such a conflict more than 30 years. even the president only have 5 year opportunity to really make a development in this very large country, even sumtimes less, for if within his/her first 3 year governing period he/she doesn't really make any improvement/development, some political parties may start some criticism on his/her performance.and aceh, which is only a small drop of water compared to the whole country-ocean, has to undergo a 30-year process on the other way around continuosly.

and about being part of the community, how many facilitator can really want to 'invest' their time and life for that? I do not say there is none, but is it that many ? I really hope it is.anyone who comes from outside of the community, can they really be  humble enough to put aside his/her individual privilege a little bit, to really spend their time, concerns, attention dominantly for learning about the cultural side of the community? and really being part of the community?

maybe, that money labyrinth is there and very much influential. but, there is also some optimism, that the willingness to really develop the internal cohesion is still there. it's just being hibernated, in a sleeping mode, since a utterly time-consuming conflict keeps torturing it and forcing it to be silent, or maybe dying.but not really dead.

i'm sure. it's there.need to be waken up.

gondomanan, a bit late stay in the office, 12 july 07