Community Organizing Participatory Action Research (COPAR)

- Is an important tool for community development and people empowerment as this helps
the community workers to generate community participation in development activities.
- is a continuous and a sustained process of:
1. Educating the people - to understand and develop their critical consiousness
2. Working with people - to work collectively and effectively on their immediate and
long term problems
. !obili"ing with people - develop their capability and readiness to respond# take
action on their immediate needs towards solving the long term problems.
Principle of COPAR:
1. $eople# especially the most oppressed# e%ploited and deprived sectors are open to
change# have the capacity to change# and are able to bring about change.
2. &'$() should be based on the interests of the poorest sector of society.
. &'$() should lead to a self-reliant community and society.
Emphasis of COPAR:
1. &ommunity working to solve its own problem
2. *irection is established internally and e%ternally
. *evelopment and implementation of a specific pro+ect less important than the
development of the capacity of the community to establish the pro+ect
,. &onsciousness raising involves perceiving health and medical care within the total
structure of society
Importance of COPAR:
&'$() ma%imi"es community participation and involvement
&'$() could be an alternative in situations wherein health interventions in $ublic
-ealth &are do not re.uire direct involvement of modern medical practitioners
&'$() gets people actively involved in selection and support of community health
workers
/hrough &'$()# community resources are mobili"ed for selected health services
&'$() improves both pro+ects effectiveness during implementation
Phases of COPAR Process:
1. PreEntry Phase is the initial phase of the organi"ing process where the community
organi"er looks for communities to serve and help. (ctivities include:
Preparation of the Institution
/rain faculty and students in &'$().
0ormulate plans for institutionali"ing &'$().
)evise1enrich curriculum and immersion program.
&oordinate participants of other departments.
Site Selection
Initial networking with local government.
&onduct preliminary special investigation.
!ake long1short list of potential communities.
*o ocular survey of listed communities.
Criteria for Initial Site Selection
!ust have a population of 122-222 families.
Economically depressed.
3o strong resistance from the community.
3o serious peace and order problem.
3o similar group or organi"ation holding the same program.
Identifying Potential Municipalities
!ake long1short list.
Identifying Potential Barangay
*o the same process as in selecting municipality.
&onsult key informants and residents.
&oordinate with local government and 34's for future activities.
Choosing Final Barangay
&onduct informal interviews with community residents and key informants.
*etermine the need of the program in the community.
/ake note of political development.
*evelop community profiles for secondary data.
*evelop survey tools.
$ay courtesy call to community leaders.
&hoose foster families based on guidelines.
Identifying Host Family
-ouse is strategically located in the community.
5hould not belong to the rich segment.
)espected by both formal and informal leaders.
3eighbors are not hesitant to enter the house.
3o member of the host family should be moving out in the community.
!. Entry Phase - sometimes called the social preparation phase. Is crucial in determining
which strategies for organi"ing would suit the chosen community. 5uccess of the
activities depend on how much the community organi"ers has integrated with the
community.
Guidelines for Entry
)ecogni"e the role of local authorities by paying them visits to inform their presence
and activities.
-er appearance# speech# behavior and lifestyle should be in keeping with those of the
community residents without disregard of their being role model.
(void raising the consciousness of the community residents6 adopt a low-key profile.
Activities in the Entry Phase
o Integration - establishing rapport with the people in continuing effort to
imbibe community life.
living with the community
seek out to converse with people where they usually congregate
lend a hand in household chores
avoid gambling and drinking
o *eepening social investigation1community study
verification and enrichment of data collected from initial survey
conduct baseline survey by students# results relayed through
community assembly
Core Group Formation
7eader spotting through sociogram.
ey persons ! approached "y most people
#pinion leader ! approach "y $ey persons
Isolates ! never or hardly consulted
". Organization#uil$ing Phase
Entails the formation of more formal structure and the inclusion of more formal
procedure of planning% implementing% and evaluating community!&ise activities' It is at
this phase &here the organi(ed leaders or groups are "eing given training )formal%
informal% #*+, to develop their style in managing their o&n concerns-programs'
ey Activities
o &ommunity -ealth 'rgani"ation 8&-'9
preparation of legal re.uirements
guidelines in the organi"ation of the &-' by the core group
election of officers
o )esearch /eam &ommittee
o $lanning &ommittee
o -ealth &ommittee 'rgani"ation
o 'thers
o 0ormation of by-laws by the &-'
%. &ustenance an$ &trengthening Phase
#ccurs &hen the community organi(ation has already "een esta"lished and the
community mem"ers are already actively participating in community!&ide underta$ings'
At this point% the different committees setup in the organi(ation!"uilding phase are
already e.pected to "e functioning "y &ay of planning% implementing and evaluating
their o&n programs% &ith the overall guidance from the community!&ide organi(ation'
ey Activities
/raining of &-' for monitoring and implementing of community health program.
Identification of secondary leaders.
7inkaging and networking.
&onduct of mobili"ation on health and development concerns.
Implementation of livelihood pro+ects