COURSE CODE: UHAS 104

COURSE TITLE: COMMUNITY ENTRY AND ORGANIZATION

GROUP ASSIGNMENT

Question:

Identify and explain the processes in community entry

INDEX NUMBER SIGNATURE

UHAS202214292

UHAS20228860

UHAS202213567

UHAS202214022

UHAS20228661
 INTRODUCTION

Community entry involves the essential process of establishing, nurturing, and maintaining a
positive relationship aimed at securing and upholding the community's interest in every aspect of
a program. It encompasses the methods, principles, and strategies of community mobilization
and participation. This primarily entails identifying the community, its leadership, and its
individuals, and then adopting the most suitable approach for engaging, interacting, and
collaborating with them.

The approach a research or project team takes when engaging with a community can profoundly
impact the project's outcomes. The success of a project in gaining community support largely
hinges on the team's sensitivity to the community's structure, culture, norms, and traditions. It is
of utmost importance to grasp the intricate dynamics of the community's life, which necessitates
the active involvement and engagement of community leaders. Especially in rural communities
in Ghana, community members may initially harbor mistrust towards external research or project
teams. Therefore, it is critical to first establish trust and obtain support from key and strategic
figures like chiefs and other community leaders before proceeding with any other steps.

The community project management process can be broken down into four main stages:
(a) Initiation Stage
(b) Planning Stage
(c) Implementation or Execution and Evaluation Stage
(d) Closure Stage

The community entry process culminates in the initiation and evaluation stages.
(UHAS20228661)

STAGES OF THE COMMUNITY ENTRY PROCESS.

The steps/stages of the community entry process include: collecting of information and mapping
out the community; conducting stakeholder analysis; engaging gatekeepers; interacting with key
stakeholders; and conducting an open community meeting.

Collecting Information and Mapping Out the Community.

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The initial stage of this process is centered around collecting information and comprehensively
mapping out the community. This foundational step lays the groundwork for all subsequent
actions, enabling informed decision-making and meaningful engagement with the community.
Collection of information on the community or need assessment typically involves reading of
annual reports from the District Health Management Team (DHMT), perusing newspapers,
referring to District Health Information Management System (DHIMS), and reviewing health
journals. It is particularly critical to get key informants to elicit information, because they are
very instrumental and play a pivotal role in the community entry process.

Mapping out the community is achieved through transect walks, which involves systematically
walking along a defined path across the community or project area to explore social conditions
by observing, asking, listening, looking, and visually representing the community’s layout a d
structure through a resect diagram. (UHAS202213567)

The mapping out is also done through a visual method of showing the relative location of
households. This is called social mapping. During the data gathering and community mapping
out process, various types of information are gathered, including demographic data, cultural
insights and community values. Collection of demographic data is critical as it provides insight
into the community's diversity and uniqueness and helps in modifying initiatives to meet its
precise needs of the community. The data collected is organized into a community profile. This
information also includes the problems and issues identified in the community and ways of
addressing such issues. The information collection and community profiling is done by also
talking to community leaders and residents, conducting field surveys, or even using social media
platforms to collect information about the given community which are vital for a successful need
assessment and project implementation for the community. It allows the project team to identify
key stakeholders, learn about currently available services, pinpoint gaps in services, and facilitate
collaboration. (UHAS202214292)

Conducting a Stakeholder Analysis

In a successful execution of a community entry process, gatekeepers and stakeholders play a

pivotal role. Gatekeepers are the people who have the power or authority to grant access to a
community. They are members of a community and as such, appreciate its social, cultural and
political setting. Their profound connection to community is recognized either by a formal

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position, such as an elected leader, or a person to whom the community turns to ‘get things
done.’ Either way, a gatekeeper is a person of influence.

There are many potential stakeholders in community-based intervention or project co-

management. Stakeholders are individuals, groups or organizations of men and women, old and
young, who are in one way or another interested, involved or affected (positively or negatively)
by a particular project. They may be motivated to take action based on their interest or values.
Stakeholders may include groups affected by the project or intervention, those who are
concerned about the outcome of the project, groups dependent upon the resources to be used
and/or managed, groups with claims over the area or resources, groups with activities that impact
on the area or resources and groups with special seasonal or geographic interests. Stakeholders
are important because they can support or not support the intervention or project, which can lead
to its success or failure. Principal key stakeholders to considered are: the principal community
leaders such as Paramount chiefs, divisional and town chiefs, clan heads and family heads;
potential beneficiaries of the intervention or project; any identifiable vulnerable groups, people
who might be negatively affected by the intervention or project, people who could potentially
support or oppose the project and all groups that would be willing to work together and
collaborate on the project.

Apart from the chiefs and elders, there are various interest groups and personalities in every
community who must be identified to serve as contact persons. These interest groups and
personalities could include: prominent head of families, heads of schools/teachers, religious
leaders, district assembly members, unit committee members, youth leaders, women group
leaders, disease surveillance volunteers, Traditional Birth Attendants. (TBAs) and other health
workers.

The process of identifying stakeholders and defining their respective roles regarding the project
and its resources is referred to as a stakeholder analysis. It is best conducted in a participatory
manner with the core group and/or key informants (knowledgeable or important individuals in
the community) from a single stakeholder group or from various stakeholder groups within the
community. It is crucial and important to document the participants in the stakeholder analysis
exercise for objective analysis. (UHAS20228860)

Stakeholder analysis typically comprises of four fundamental steps:

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1. Identifying the key stakeholders;
2. Assessing stakeholder interests and the potential impact of the project on these interests;
3. Assessing stakeholder influence and importance; and
4. Outlining stakeholder participation and strategies based on their interest and influence.

It is very important to assess the interests and potential impacts of the programme on the
identified interests. Evaluating the influence (including political, social, status and economic
power, as well as their degree of organization and control of strategic resources) and their
informal influence (such as access to leaders, ability to shape public opinion, and social
networks) is vital in stakeholder analysis. It is also essential to develop and outline stakeholder
participation and strategies that align with their interests, importance and influence. Efforts
should be made to involve important stakeholders who may lack influence.

The identification of key stakeholders should be inclusive, comprehensive and detailed. While
involving more groups may mean more problems and discussion, excluding certain groups can
lead to problems in the long run. (UHAS202213567)
[

Engaging gatekeepers

To inspire a co-operation, those interested in developing a co-operation must create a space for a
discussion about community needs. Either a formal or informal permission is a good way of
engaging gatekeepers to build momentum as the co-operative initiative grows. In some
communities, consulting formal gatekeepers before hosting an open community event is a crucial
first step. The initial formal point of contact is the elected leader ship. This engagement piece
sets the stage for future work with that community. In either case, if the gatekeepers find that a
co-operative has merit and may have positive traction in the community, they may use their
influence to transition the idea from outside to inside the community. By inserting it into the
community conversation, the gatekeeper works to open doors and persuade others to get excited
and get involved. In essence, they use their social influence to validate and legitimize co-
operative development as something that has potential and useful to the community. If the
gatekeepers feel that the co-operative does not have merit, they may be able to shut down the
conversation and deprive the initiative of the legitimacy that it needs to progress.
(UHAS20228860)

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The common trait shared by all gatekeepers is that they exert power in their communities, often
through large networks of influence. Some are willing to share this power and influence, while
others want to keep it for themselves. There may even be factions within communities, with
those who support one gatekeeper and those who support another. Having one gatekeeper
support your idea may mean that another will not. If there are strains between gatekeepers, new
ideas may unwittingly unleash old feuds or divisions. Gatekeepers also differ in their support or
resistance to ideas. A supportive gatekeeper tends to socially blend well with many people. A
resistant gatekeeper on the other hand tends to be skeptical, conservative towards change and
protective of the status quo. Change can be problematic for a community, and a resistant gate
keeper, through a desire to keep things calm, may reject change. Change may also be rejected if
it is disadvantageous to the gatekeeper and those that are connected. Working with gatekeepers is
ultimately about creating open and extended relationships and interactions. The longer a co-
operative developer works with a community through its gatekeepers, the more it is likely that
the balance can shift from gatekeeping to networking and facilitation, building stronger
relationships across more members of the community. (UHAS202214022)

Interacting with Key Stakeholders (Community leaders).

Once key stakeholder groups are identified, it is important to find out their interests and
concerns, whether they are organized and capable of participating in management decision-
making, and whether they are willing to participate. Those groups that are not organized or
prepared to participate will require assistance to do so. In interacting with the identified key
community leaders, it is important to first meet them as individuals and then as a group at
meetings that suit their convenience. After meeting the chiefs and elders, the health services
director should be met since the project is health-related and then a meeting is conducted with all
interest groups and relevant personalities in the community. As demanded by the customs of the
community, drinks or cola should be carried along for the key stakeholder engagement. They
should be briefed and asked to freely and willingly support the project. During the stakeholder
interactions, apart from agreeing on the roles of all stakeholders, date, time, venue, logistics and
agenda are all agreed on for the open community meeting. (UHAS202214292)

Conducting the Open Community Meeting.

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The open community meeting is a pivotal step following the engagement of key stakeholders,
serving as an opportunity to communicate the goals and activities of the project or intervention to
the larger community. This meeting holds significant importance, as its outcome hinges on
establishing a collective understanding of the project's objectives and the health-related issues it
aims to address.

In planning for the community meeting, meticulous attention should be given to allocating time
for each agenda item. All speakers to the community engagement should be identified and
informed well ahead of time. It is imperative that members of any group know their purpose of
participation, as it demonstrates that the organizers know their stuff. It is disrespectful to abuse
and waste community members' time. If, for any reason, the meeting must commence late due to
a lack attendees at the scheduled start time, it is important to offer an apology.

Moreover, the choice of meeting space is crucial. The venue should be comfortable and centrally
located, and the right size for the size of the group/community members. Persons with disability
(PWDs) and means of transportation should be considered in selecting venue for the meeting.
Arriving early to set up is advisable, and whenever possible, arrange setting in circular layout
rather than rows, which resemble an auditorium. (UHAS20228661)

It is important to remember that it is everyone’s meeting, and therefore buy-in from all
community members is attendance is necessary. Seeking feedback on the agenda before
proceeding with the meeting can help ensure that all participants are on the same radar. Always
keep the discussion on track by guiding back any speakers who goes off the agenda in a gentle
and polite way. Adherence to agenda time limits is crucial and if the meeting wants to go beyond
the allocated time on an issue, it is good to ask for agreement from all members on how to
proceed. For instance, asking, “A we can see, we have exhausted our allotted time for this issue,
but the it appears unresolved. Would we like to continue our discussion on the topic for the next
ten minutes, or shall we proceed with the next item on the agenda?” can be an effective way to
gauge the community’s consensus on the matter.

After each agenda item has been exhausted and discussed thoroughly, it is good to summarize
any conclusion out loud before moving to the next agenda as it ensures clarity and consensus.
Everyone should be encouraged to actively participate and make their input during the meeting.
It should not be just about a handful of individuals making suggestions and commentaries on the

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issues. Allow time for questions and answers, either after each agenda item or just at the end of
exhausting all items on the meeting agenda. (UHAS202214022)

In summary, all the stages of the community entry process discussed are integral to the
successful initiation and implementation of a community-based project or intervention.

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