Effective CBDRM seeks inclusiveness during the process

2. Effective CBDRM seeks inclusiveness during the process

Communities are not clearly bounded social or geo graphic units, nor do they solely refer to homoge- neous groups with shared interests. Communities are socially differentiated along social, econo mic and political lines, including gender, religion and ethnicity. Community organizers and facilitators should ensure that all different groups should take part in the risk assessment process in one way or another. Facilitators should not align with one specific group nor should they be satisfied with the involvement of any people who like to be involved, since these are mostly belonging to the less vulnerable or more powerful actors in the village (Haverkort et al, 2011; Allen, 2006; Mansuri & Rao, 2004; Heijmans, 2012).

The extent to which risk reduction measures benefit the marginalized, vulnerable groups relates to the ability of facilitators to remain a legitimate and credible actor in the eyes of the different social groups in the village. Legitimacy and credibility are obtained by engaging with different groups and to look consciously beyond the usual existing institutions around which people organise themselves (Heijmans, 2012). Instead of targeting, searching and working with the most vulnerable groups – as often espoused in CBDRR literature – facilitators should engage with vulnerable groups and with village elite and with village authorities, preferably not all at the same time. This is referred to as ‘impartiality’. The nature of relationships among these different groups varies from harmonious, cooperative to antagonistic and intimidation. ‘Impartiality’ refers to the ability of facilitators to bring opposing actors together without having personal prejudices or precon cep tions of the actors, in order to reach a comprehensive understanding of the actors’ needs (Vaux, 2001). This means understanding the actors’ risk perspective and risk solutions within their full social and politi cal context, and seeing the connections and power relationships between them. “Impartiality means distinguishing one person from the next, and being aware that many people have an interest in the vulnerability of others” (Vaux, 2001: 20). Through tactical and strategic approaches to community organi sing, oppositional relationships among villagers, between authorities and villagers, and between men and women can change and improve. Facilitators should create a conducive environ- ment for ensuring marginalized groups have their views heard and that these are reflected in the risk assessment.

Risk assessments can be conducted with different groups separately and used as an instrument for creating under standing for differing risk positions, to raise awareness about interconnected- ness of risk problems within the village or between villages (upstream and downstream) and for entering dialogues and negotiations between marginalized vulnerable groups and village elite and authorities.

Negative CBDRM outcomes - as noticed by the CBDRM Realist Review - are related to inexperience of NGOs or by ignoring the institutional and political context. Low level of community organization, opposing risks perspectives and interests, lack of formal inter actions between key-actors, escaping sensitive political issues at stake by authorities do not lead to a change in the status quo, because local power dynamics are ignored, or NGOs don’t know how to transform oppositional relationships into agonic ones, meaning they can’t bring opponents on speaking terms (Heijmans, 2012).