Participation in environmental health planning : In two neighbourhoods in Cebu-city
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2007-11-14
Language
en
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Abstract
Inayawan. It tries to find an answer to the question: What opportunities exist to mobilize
community members to participate in improving environmental health?
The author first describes the theoretical concepts of social capital, community
participation and environmental health. She continues with the high level of cognitive
social capital in both neighbourhoods. People know eachother, they trust each other and
have many relationships in their neighbourhood. This offers potential for structural social
capital, or organizations and activities. In both neighbourhoods are organizations, but
they are pretty young, have few leaders and are barangay-dependent. Despite these
weaknesses, people trust neighbourhood organizations and have high expectancies of
these organizations. They are willing to join an organization and work on their own living
conditions. Especially people who have obtained property rights over the land their house
is standing on, are motivated to do this.
The most important actors in the neighbourhoods are the barangay council,
neighbourhood organizations, the church, non-governmental organizations and the city
council. Inhabitants have the highest appreciation for the church and neighbourhood
organizations.
It would be very positive if inhabitants would participate more in neighbourhood
organizations. It would lead to their representation, democratization and empowerment.
All data support the advantages of bottom-up policy.
The final goal of the research is to mobilise people to participate in improving
environmental health. There are some essential pre-conditions before improvements can
be realised. First of all people should have the opportunity to obtain land rights. Besides
that the organizations should be independent and there should be real community
participation. Another important pre-condition is that organizations have capable and
independent leaders. The last pre-condition mentioned is that inhabitants should have
more resources; information as well as financial resources.
The two neighbourhoods both have a high level of social capital. This offers potential to
improve environmental health. The inhabitants are willing to cooperate, to join activities
and to improve their environment. There are already many organizations active in the
neighbourhoods, which are willing to support these activities. In both neighbourhoods
people agree on the most important and urgent issues, for example sanitation and air
pollution. These shared interests make cooperation easier.
The mobilization of inhabitants should start with an inventarisation of the problems,
followed by education on environmental health and the start of committees. There should
be an integrated approach, activities should be promoted and people should be patient in
waiting for the results of their activity.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen