Community Organizing Participatory Action Research Importance

(COPAR)
1. COPAR is an important tool for community
COPAR or Community Organizing Participatory Action development and people empowerment as this
Research is a vital part of public health nursing. COPAR aims helps the community workers to generate
to transform the apathetic, individualistic and voiceless poor community participation in development activities.
into dynamic, participatory and politically responsive 2. COPAR prepares people/clients to eventually take
community. over the management of a dvelopment.programs in
the future.
Definition
3. COPAR maximizes community participation and
• COPAR stands for Community Organizing involvement; community resources are mobilized
Participatory Action Research for community services.
• A social development approach that aims to Principles
transform the apathetic, individualistic and
voiceless poor into dynamic, participatory and 1. People especially the most oppressed, exploited
politically responsive community. and deprived sectors are open to change, have the
• A collective, participatory, transformative, capacity to change and are able to bring about
liberative, sustained and systematic process of change.
building people’s organizations by mobilizing and 2. COPAR should be based on the interest of the
enhancing the capabilities and resources of the poorest sector of the community.
people for the resolution of their issues and 3. COPAR should lead to a self-reliant community and
concerns towards effecting change in their existing society.
oppressive and exploitative conditions (1994
Critical Steps
National Rural Conference).
• A process by which a community identifies its needs 1. Integration
and objectives, develops confidence to take action 2. Social Investigation
in respect to them and in doing so, extends and 3. Tentative program planning
develops cooperative and collaborative attitudes 4. Groundwork
and practices in the community (Ross 1967). 5. Meeting
• A continuous and sustained process of educating 6. Role Play
the people to understand and develop their critical 7. Mobilization or action
awareness of their existing condition, working with 8. Evaluation
the people collectively and efficiently on their 9. Reflection
immediate and long-term problems, and mobilizing 10. Organization
the people to develop their capability and readiness
Phases of COPAR
to respond and take action on their immediate
needs towards solving their long-term problems Pre-Entry Phase
(CO: A manual of experience, PCPD).
Is the initial phase of the organizing process where the
Process community organizer looks for communities to serve and
help. Activities include:
The sequence of steps whereby members of a community
come together to critically assess to evaluate community 1. Preparation of the Institution
conditions and work together to improve those conditions. a. Train faculty and students in COPAR.
Structure b. Formulate plans for institutionalizing
COPAR.
Refers to a particular group of community members that c. Revise/enrich curriculum and immersion
work together for a common health and health related goals. program.
d. Coordinate participants of other
Emphasis
departments.
1. Community working to solve its own problem.
2. Direction is established internally and externally. 2. Site Selection
3. Development and implementation of a specific a. Initial networking with local government.
project less important than the development of the b. Conduct preliminary special investigation.
capacity of the community to establish the project. c. Make long/short list of potential
4. Consciousness raising involves perceiving health communities.
and medical care within the total structure of d. Do ocular survey of listed communities.
society.
3. Criteria for Initial Site Selection
 a. Must have a population of 100-200 d. Avoid gambling and drinking.
families. 2. Deepening social investigation/community study.
b. Economically depressed.No strong a. Verification and enrichment of data
resistance from the community. collected from initial survey.
c. No serious peace and order problem. b. Conduct baseline survey by students,
d. No similar group or organization holding results relayed through community
the same program. assembly.

Core Group Formation

4. Identifying Potential Municipalities
a. Make long/short list of potential • Leader spotting through sociogram.
municipalities o Key Persons. Approached by most people
o Opinion Leader. Approached by key
5. Identifying Potential Community persons
a. Do the same process as in selecting o Isolates. Never or hardly consulted
municipality.
b. Consult key informants and residents. Organization-Building Phase
c. Coordinate with local government and
Entails the formation of more formal structure and the
NGOs for future activities.
inclusion of more formal procedure of planning,
implementing, and evaluating community-wise activities. It
6. Choosing Final Community
is at this phase where the organized leaders or groups are
a. Do the same process as in selecting
being given training (formal, informal, OJT) to develop their
municipality.
style in managing their own concerns/programs.
b. Consult key informants and residents.
c. Coordinate with local government and Key Activities
NGOs for future activities.
• Community Health Organization (CHO)
7. Identifying Host Family o Preparation of legal requirements.
a. Do the same process as in selecting o Guidelines in the organization of the CHO
municipality. by the core group.
b. Consult key informants and residents. o Election of officers.
c. Coordinate with local government and • Research Team Committee
NGOs for future activities. • Planning Committee
• Health Committee Organization
Entry Phase • Others
Sometimes called the social preparation phase. Is crucial in • Formation of by-laws by the CHO
determining which strategies for organizing would suit the Sustenance and Strengthening Phase
chosen community. Success of the activities depend on how
much the community organizers has integrated with the Occurs when the community organization has already been
community. established and the community members are already
actively participating in community-wide undertakings. At
Guidelines for Entry this point, the different committees setup in the
• Recognize the role of local authorities by paying organization-building phase are already expected to be
them visits to inform their presence and activities. functioning by way of planning, implementing and
• Her appearance, speech, behavior and lifestyle evaluating their own programs, with the overall guidance
should be in keeping with those of the community from the community-wide organization.
residents without disregard of their being role Key Activities
model.
• Avoid raising the consciousness of the community • Training of CHO for monitoring and implementing
residents; adopt a low-key profile. of community health program.
• Identification of secondary leaders.
Activities in the Entry Phase • Linkaging and networking.
1. Integration. Establishing rapport with the people in • Conduct of mobilization on health and
continuing effort to imbibe community life. development concerns.
a. Living with the community. • Implementation of livelihood projects.
b. Seek out to converse with people where
they usually congregate.
c. Lend a hand in household chores.