CHALLENGES OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF TEMBARO WOREDA, KAMEBATA TEMBARO ZONE, SNNPRS, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess challenges of community participation in local development at selected kebele of Tembaro woreda. Descriptive research design was used. Qualitative and quantitative approaches of research were employed. Both primary and secondary source of data were used. Systematic and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select respondents. Data were collected by using survey questionnaire from 184 sample community respondents, interview conducted with selected government officials and kebele administrators, FGDs held with selected community representatives. A descriptive method was employed to analyze the collected data. The findings shows that challenges of appropriate awareness creation, absence of convincing community mobilizing approach, absence of all inclusive participatory approach, over reporting of few development success, weak institutional frame work, gender discrimination, illiteracy, low social cooperation and low personal income are some of major challenges that greatly hampered active community participation in development program that result on poor community involvement at grass root level. As result of low level of community participation, most of local development decisions were passed based on small unrepresentative interest group and local leaders interest and also several community based local development programs were failed to be implemented. Thus it is recommended that local government authority should strengthen its institutional capacity, enhance community awareness creation on community participation and its importance, develop convincing community mobilizing approach, develop culture of all inclusive participatory problem identification and decision making, and regularly aware community on social and cultural obstacles in order to enhance community participation on development program at grass root level. And also all community members should voluntarily work in collaboration with local government authority and others development actors to make local development program successful and sustainable.