Local people commonly engage in a variety of activities to address their problems and improve their communities, both individually and through groups and associations. Many of these groups are informal and sustained through their own resources and energies.

At this level the distinctions between community-based organisations (CBOs) and other community actors are often blurred. In areas such as Central Asia, local government bodies at community level may be formally defined as public authorities, but in practice adopt functions similar to self-governing community-based organisations.

The last few decades has seen an increasing interest in participatory development and empowerment. As a result, CBOs have become the focus of support for many intermediaries such as religious organisations, NGOs and local governments. However, in recent years these organisations have been getting more involved in advocacy and training activities. It has become increasingly common for bilateral and multilateral agencies to engage directly with CBOs at the grassroots level.

Questioning the impact of external influence

Strengthening the capacity of CBOs may be seen as an end in itself but is often seen as a means to and end, i.e. an instrument to help with planning and implementing poverty alleviation projects.

In many cases these CBOs haven’t developed organically but are created or used by external donors. This raises questions about whether programmes formulated within externally designed blueprints can support community development without distorting or undermining the capacity of CBOs.

Do the approaches allow communities to articulate their own needs and find their own ways of addressing them or do they respond more to the agendas of the intermediary? What impact do unequal power relations play? Do the approaches recognise and respond appropriately to differing characteristics of culture and context?

If not, what effect does this have on CBOs and their ability both to support development in their communities, and represent their voices within civil society in the longer term?