Projects of the people or for the people: A look at villagers' participation in three projects in two villages in Tanzania
| Author | Eamonn Brehony,Joe Mannion |
| Date | 01 April 1990 |
| Published date | 01 April 1990 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230100205 |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, VOL.
10,165-178
(1990)
Projects
of
the people
or
for
the people: a look at villagers’
participation
in
three projects
in
two villages
in
Tanzania
JOE MANNION and EAMONN BREHONY
University College, Dublin
SUMMARY
The study examines the extent to which villagers participated in three projects, run by non-
government organizations
(NGOs),
in the Iringa Region of Tanzania. Particular attention
is given
to
the factors influencing participation and to what might be done to ensure participa-
tion in village development projects in Tanzania. Data were obtained from interviews with
randomly selected groups, the informal comments of study participants and observations,
and experiences of one of the study authors in the study villages. There was very little involve-
ment
of
the villagers in planning and other decisions related to the three projects. While
village government leaders were involved by the project organizers, often they did not reflect
villagers’ views. Low levels of participation were found in two of the projects; agricultural
extension and oxen training, with
54
and
78
per cent respectively in the ‘low’ category. While
the ‘ten cell’ (local) leaders were responsible for implementing the projects, very few of them
had any input into project decisions. Villagers would like to be more involved in project
decisions and, based on the group meetings conducted as part
of
this study, are prepared
to get involved in articulating their needs. Suggestions on how this might be achieved are
presented.
INTRODUCTION
Modem telecommunications have brought the poorest and most remote parts of
the world into our sitting rooms. Information technology has alerted us to the horrors
of drought, famine, natural disasters and the effects of under-development in a way
not previously experienced by the twentieth-century western world.
One of the off-shoots of this increased knowledge has been the incredible generosity
of people from the western world in supporting programmes designed to alleviate
the causes of under-development and famine. The Live Aid phenomenon is just
one expression of this concern and generosity. It is estimated that in 1987 over
f30
billion was spent in grants and loans to the Least Developed Countries (LDC’S).’
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) spent approximately five per cent of this.
With the increased spending on development projects in LDC’s by both government
and NGO’s everyone is anxious that these projects attain the objectives of develop-
ment that they set out to achieve and
do
it in the most cost effective way possible.
Dr Mannion and
Mr
Brehony are in the Department
of
Agricultural Extension, University College Dublin,
Belfield, Dublin
4,
Ireland.
’
This figure is cited by Bob Geldof in his commentary on
a
‘Viewpoint’ programme shown by ITV,
London in August
1987
called ‘The Price
of
Progress’.
027
1-2075/90/020165-14$07.00
0
1990 by John Wiley
&
Sons, Ltd.
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