Community Organizing
Participatory Action
Research (COPAR)
ABDO DELAL ALI
Introduction
COPAR or Community Organizing Participatory Action Research is a vital
part of public health nursing. COPAR aims to transform the apathetic,
individualistic and voiceless poor into dynamic, participatory and politically
responsive community.
Definition
COPAR stands for Community Organizing Participatory Action
Research
A social development approach that aims to transform the apathetic,
individualistic and voiceless poor into dynamic, participatory and
politically responsive community.
A collective, participatory, transformative, liberative, sustained and
systematic process of building people’s organizations by mobilizing and
enhancing the capabilities and resources of the people for the
resolution of their issues and concerns towards effecting change in
their existing oppressive and exploitative conditions (1994 National
Rural Conference).
A process by which a community identifies its needs and objectives,
develops confidence to take action in respect to them and in doing so,
extends and develops cooperative and collaborative attitudes and
practices in the community (Ross 1967).
A continuous and sustained process of educating the people to
understand and develop their critical awareness of their existing
condition, working with the people collectively and efficiently on their
immediate and long-term problems, and mobilizing the people to
develop their capability and readiness to respond and take action on
their immediate needs towards solving their long-term problems (CO:
A manual of experience, PCPD).
Process
The sequence of steps whereby members of a community come together to
critically assess to evaluate community conditions and work together to improve
those conditions.
Structure
Refers to a particular group of community members that work together for a
common health and health related goals.
Emphasis
1. Community working to solve its own problem.
2. Direction is established internally and externally.
3. Development and implementation of a specific project less important
than the development of the capacity of the community to establish
the project.
4. Consciousness raising involves perceiving health and medical care
within the total structure of society.
Importance
1. COPAR is an important tool for community development and people
empowerment as this helps the community workers to generate
community participation in development activities.
2. COPAR prepares people/clients to eventually take over the
management of a dvelopment.programs in the future.
3. COPAR maximizes community participation and involvement;
community resources are mobilized for community services.
Principles
1. People especially the most oppressed, exploited and deprived sectors
are open to change, have the capacity to change and are able to bring
about change.
2. COPAR should be based on the interest of the poorest sector of the
community.
3. COPAR should lead to a self-reliant community and society.
Critical Steps
1. Integration
2. Social Investigation
3. Tentative program planning
4. Groundwork
5. Meeting
6. Role Play
7. Mobilization or action
8. Evaluation
9. Reflection
10. Organization
Phases of COPAR
COPAR has four phases namely: Pre-Entry Phase, Entry Phase, Organization-
building phase, and sustenance and strengthening phase.
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1. Pre-Entry Phase
Is the initial phase of the organizing process where the community organizer
looks for communities to serve and help. Activities include:
Preparation of the Institution
Train faculty and students in COPAR.
Formulate plans for institutionalizing COPAR.
Revise/enrich curriculum and immersion program.
Coordinate participants of other departments.
Site Selection
Initial networking with local government.
Conduct preliminary special investigation.
Make long/short list of potential communities.
Do ocular survey of listed communities.
Criteria for Initial Site Selection
Must have a population of 100-200 families.
Economically depressed.No strong resistance from the community.
No serious peace and order problem.
No similar group or organization holding the same program.
Identifying Potential Municipalities
Make long/short list of potential municipalities
Identifying Potential Community
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Do the same process as in selecting municipality.
Consult key informants and residents.
Coordinate with local government and NGOs for future activities.
Choosing Final Community
Conduct informal interviews with community residents and key
informants.
Determine the need of the program in the community.
Take note of political development.
Develop community profiles for secondary data.
Develop survey tools.
Pay courtesy call to community leaders.
Choose foster families based on guidelines
Identifying Host Family
House is strategically located in the community.
Should not belong to the rich segment.
Respected by both formal and informal leaders.
Neighbors are not hesitant to enter the house.
No member of the host family should be moving out in the community.
2. Entry Phase
sometimes called the social preparation phase. Is crucial in determining which
strategies for organizing would suit the chosen community. Success of the
activities depend on how much the community organizers has integrated with
the community.
Guidelines for Entry
Recognize the role of local authorities by paying them visits to inform
their presence and activities.
Her appearance, speech, behavior and lifestyle should be in keeping
with those of the community residents without disregard of their being
role model.
Avoid raising the consciousness of the community residents; adopt a
low-key profile.
Activities in the Entry Phase
Integration. Establishing rapport with the people in continuing effort
to imbibe community life.
o living with the community
o seek out to converse with people where they usually
congregate
o lend a hand in household chores
o avoid gambling and drinking
Deepening social investigation/community study
o verification and enrichment of data collected from initial
survey
o conduct baseline survey by students, results relayed through
community assembly
Core Group Formation
Leader spotting through sociogram.
o Key Persons. Approached by most people
o Opinion Leader. Approached by key persons
o Isolates. Never or hardly consulted
3. Organization-building Phase
Entails the formation of more formal structure and the inclusion of more formal
procedure of planning, implementing, and evaluating community-wise activities.
It is at this phase where the organized leaders or groups are being given
training (formal, informal, OJT) to develop their style in managing their own
concerns/programs.
Key Activities
Community Health Organization (CHO)
o preparation of legal requirements
o guidelines in the organization of the CHO by the core group
o election of officers
Research Team Committee
Planning Committee
Health Committee Organization
Others
Formation of by-laws by the CHO
4. Sustenance and Strengthening Phase
Occurs when the community organization has already been established and the
community members are already actively participating in community-wide
undertakings. At this point, the different committees setup in the organization-
building phase are already expected to be functioning by way of planning,
implementing and evaluating their own programs, with the overall guidance
from the community-wide organization.
Key Activities
Training of CHO for monitoring and implementing of community health
program.
Identification of secondary leaders.
Linkaging and networking.
Conduct of mobilization on health and development concerns.
Implementation of livelihood projects.
