SOLVING GLOBAL PROBLEMS FROM OUR TOWN (AA2-EV02)
INGRITH DAYANA RIVAS ARCINIEGAS
VIVIETTE RENA HOWARD MANJARRES
CÚCUTA, NORTE DE SANTANDER
ENGLISH DOES WORK — LEVEL 13
AUGUST 29, 2025
Community participation in local planning and sustainable development is absolutely
essential. In Cúcuta, many pressing issues remain insufficiently addressed by municipal
authorities, and the consequences are deeply felt by residents, especially in peripheral
neighbourhoods. This essay argues that active community engagement is not only desirable
but urgently necessary, because local initiatives often fail when they are top-down, poorly
monitored, or divorced from local knowledge. I will describe the main social,
environmental, cultural, political, and economic problems in our municipality, summarize
actions taken so far by the government, contrast these with community-based proposals,
and put forward concrete strategies that the community can step up to implement —
strategies that would likely be more effective than isolated or short-term municipal
measures.
Cúcuta faces several interlinked problems that require coordinated responses. High youth
unemployment and limited access to vocational training persist in many neighbourhoods.
The municipality has occasionally organised short-term job fairs and training courses;
however, these programs are often fragmented, short-lived, and fail to reach the most
affected communities. As a result, young people remain excluded from formal labour
markets and are more vulnerable to informal or precarious work. Environmental problems
Solid waste management remains inadequate, and rivers and streams suffer from
contamination. The council has carried out periodic clean-up campaigns and awareness
efforts, yet monitoring and sustained infrastructure (drop-off points, selective collection
routes) are lacking. Consequently, illegal dumping and river contamination continue to
threaten public health and biodiversity.
Political problems Citizen participation in planning processes is low, and transparency
mechanisms are weak. Although participatory spaces exist on paper, turnout is poor, and
information is not always accessible to ordinary residents. This reduces accountability and
undermines trust. Economic problems A large informal economy, scarce microcredit, and
limited investment in local infrastructure hamper small entrepreneurs and community
development. Municipal budgets tend to prioritize large projects that do not always bring
benefits to marginalized areas.
In contrast, why have government actions been insufficient. Although the local government
has taken steps to address these problems, those actions have generally been insufficient.
Awareness campaigns and ad-hoc clean-ups are useful, but without long-term follow-up
and reliable infrastructure they rarely produce sustained change. The council may
investigate infrastructure improvements, yet if residents are not actively involved in
planning and maintenance, solutions often fail to address root causes. In contrast,
community-driven approaches harness local knowledge, build ownership, and allow
interventions to be tailored to specific neighborhood needs; therefore, they tend to be far
more effective and sustainable. The community could implement practical strategies that
complement municipal work and in many cases are more effective because they rely on
local participation and continuous oversight. Neighborhood committees could carry out
regular monitoring of waste management, water quality and basic services, reporting
problems promptly, documenting them and working alongside municipal technicians to
ensure corrective action. By creating a continuous oversight mechanism, the community
can prevent problems from being merely “cleaned up” once and forgotten. Residents should
also propose a participatory budget plan that allocates part of municipal funds to urgent
small-scale projects such as street lighting, minor drainage or community gardens. Small
grants to neighborhood groups would empower residents to implement targeted solutions
quickly, increasing visibility and accountability.
Another important strategy is the creation of cooperatives and community savings groups
with technical support from NGOs and universities, which would enable micro-
entrepreneurs to access financing and formalize production chains. Training in
entrepreneurship and bookkeeping would reduce informality and strengthen economic
resilience. At the same time, reinforcing cultural spaces through youth programs such as
after-school workshops, maker spaces and festivals can revive cultural life, create safe
spaces for young people and reduce social exclusion. Community-led cultural projects
strengthen identity and foster social cohesion. Partnerships with NGOs and universities
could also provide technical assistance for low-cost waste systems, river remediation and
community planning, helping to explore appropriate technologies and pilot projects that
neighborhood committees can later scale.
Finally, launching civic education and transparent communication platforms through social
media, local radio, bulletin boards and assemblies would disseminate budget information,
project timelines and participation opportunities. Well-informed residents are more likely to
participate actively and strengthen accountability.
These proposals are grounded in local knowledge and generate continuous oversight rather
than occasional interventions. When residents monitor, plan and implement, they build
ownership, and infrastructures such as drainage systems or community centers are
maintained because the community has invested in them. Participatory budgeting and small
grants direct resources to locally prioritized needs rather than top-down decisions. By
combining municipal resources with community initiative and external technical support,
the chances of sustainable improvement increase significantly.
In conclusion, although the municipality has initiated several programs, substantial
improvements will only occur when the community takes an active role in planning and
implementation. It is urgent to phase out short-term top-down fixes and embrace
community-led solutions that are cost-effective, contextually appropriate and sustainable. If
residents put forward clear plans for monitoring, participatory budgeting, micro-enterprise
support and cultural revitalization, the municipality can truly partner with its people.
Ultimately, a collaborative and community-rooted approach will prove far more effective
than isolated interventions and will deliver lasting improvements in social wellbeing,
environmental quality, cultural vitality, political inclusion and economic opportunity.
