Social & Gender Inclusion

Community-driven development has the potential to empower poor communities and strengthen the voice of marginalized groups in decision-making. But to fulfill this potential, CDD needs to be responsive to the priorities of all poor groups. Communities are not homogeneous; thus CDD needs to be designed to be socially inclusive – giving voice and decision making responsibility to women, the elderly, youth, religious and cultural minorities, indigenous and other ethnic groups, those with HIV/AIDS, and the disabled. When community-driven development does not pay attention to issues of social inclusion, groups of poor people may be excluded, investment choices may not reflect the true needs of the poor, and impacts may be significantly compromised. Typical examples of this are:

When cultural practices restrain women from attending or speaking at community meetings, often resulting in under-investment in health services, literacy programs, water supply systems, and other interventions typically more valued by women; When the needs of HIV/AIDS affected people fail to be identified as community priorities due to shame, denial, and social isolation; When input and participation from indigenous groups is curtailed because program materials and planning discussions are in languages unfamiliar to them.

Various participatory methods can facilitate the inclusion of marginal groups. When designing inclusive programs, it is important to understand existing community decision making processes and the often complex local political and social context. It is also important not to think that a program that was once inclusive will also remain so; issues of inclusion will require periodic attention throughout the life of any organization that is active at the community level.

Some general guidelines for building in social inclusion include:

• Identify subgroups among the poor, especially those at risk of exclusion;
• Structure project rules and procedures to promote their participation;
• Determine participatory techniques that can help facilitate their involvement (where existing systems of social organization are highly inequitable, new groups may need to be created to enable excluded groups to participate);
• Ensure that intermediaries (NGOs, local government, etc.) working with communities have expertise in working with these groups and using participatory techniques;
• Investigate how local institutions can be made more responsive and inclusive of these groups; and
• Include specific indicators related to these groups in monitoring and evaluation systems, and involve all stakeholders in monitoring and evaluation.
Because gender cuts across other forms of exclusion, specific gender-sensitive approaches are needed to ensure the participation of both women and men.
Some general guidelines for building in gender inclusion are:
• Determine gender roles, priorities, and access to resources in the relevant sector(s) in the proposed project area;
• Identify any barriers to gender-appropriate project implementation;
• Structure project rules and procedures to reduce barriers and facilitate participation;
• Ensure that intermediaries (NGOs, local government, etc.) working with communities have expertise in gender issues;
• Provide necessary capacity building; and
• Include gender-specific indicators in monitoring and evaluation systems. Collect disaggregated data; involve all stakeholders (men and women) in monitoring and evaluation.

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