What is Community-Led Development?
The Hunger Project embraces a community-led development, also known as a bottom up model of development). We support empowered people to become agents of change in their own communities. This differs from a classic top down model of international development, which many organizations adopt in some key ways:
How We Interact with Hungry People
In the conventional top down model, hungry people are beneficiaries whose basic needs must be met. In a community-led model, hungry people are the principal authors and actors in their own development. We know that hungry people are hardworking, creative individuals, who only lack opportunity.
How We Approach Ending World Hunger
In the standard top down model, international development charities / nonprofits and governments provide services to the people. In a community-led development model, we mobile and support empowered people’s self-reliant action, and stand in solidarity with them for their success.
Who Has the Power
In a top down model, the donors, who provide the funding, hold implementers to account. In a bottom up model, local people have the power. They hold local, elected leaders to account.
Community-led Development (CLD) is the process of working together to create and achieve locally owned visions and goals. It is a planning and development approach that’s based on a set of core principles that (at a minimum) set vision and priorities by the people who live in that geographic community, put local voices in the lead, build on local strengths (rather than focus on problems), collaborate across sectors, is intentional and adaptable, and works to achieve systemic change, rather than short-term projects.
Development happens in communities. It is in communities where women, men, and youth can discover their voice, assert their rights, and mobilize action to achieve their aspirations.
Community led development is a gender-focused and transformative process. Community led development is more than participatory projects. It requires a long-term process that empowers citizens and local authorities to transform patriarchal mindsets and take effective action.
Want to dive even deeper? Download What’s the Impact of Community-Led Development? below!
