Participação Comunitária no projecto CCGRN da Helvetas em Matutuine

Abstract

From colonial times, including the post-independence period to the emergency phase, most of the projects developed were carried out in a top-down system, without respecting the properties of the communities. Today, there is an urgent need to involve the population in the design, in the implementation of community projects, to make them more sustainable. As there are few experiences on participation in Mozambique, this work makes a study of community participation in the CCGRN project implemented by Helvetas with the aim of drawing lessons about participation and being able to contribute to its improvement. The work was carried out on the secondary and primary databases, with interviews being carried out in four communities, namely Zitundo, Muvucusa, Tsolombane and Puza. With this work, which took about a year, it was possible to reach the following conclusions: It is not easy to frame the project in a level or type of participation; the population only feels to participate when they receive material goods; the population is used to top-down projects; previous interventions without benefits hinder the work of the next interventions; project implementation not only depends on the project, but on the engagement of community members, priorities, and the relationship of the project, administrative structures and the community.