ABSTRACT
The study examined the role of Community Based
Organizations in the development of rural communities in Delta, State. Other
purposes included finding out the role that Community Based Organizations play
in contributing to the development rural communities in Delta, examined the
challenges faced by Community Based Organizations in doing their activities in
rural areas of Delta and assessing the effects of Community Based
Organizations’ activities on the development of rural communities in Delta.
A sample size of 50 respondents was sampled using
purposive or judgmental sampling under the non-probability sampling technique.
From the study findings, the researcher found out that
community based projects lack ready market for their products and lack of
enough money to facilitate the project. This has hindered community based
projects from promoting socio-economic development. Others say, Shonhiwa (2006:
94), lack of management skills leads to deficiency in management. Low
productivity may go unnoticed for a long time if management does not have the
Skills or ability to detect it. What is not known cannot be managed by the
manager. If a manager lacks management skills his/her response to turmoil
within an organization often manifests itself in staff de-motivation, lack of
team effort, sabotage and absenteeism.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCION
1.1 Background to The
Study
The
history and importance of community based organization (CBO) in rural areas is
a long one. They have been deeply involved in activities that have impacted on
the livelihood of rural people. CBOs are formal voluntary social group that are
found in communities which differ in size objective and degree of interaction
among members. In these organizations, members have the ability to influence ideas
and actions of others with the purpose to plan, implement and monitor social
and economic development programmes and provide technical and financial helps
to the communities. CBOs positively affect the process of rural change though
increase in income, improvement of health, nutrition literacy of the people.
Some of the developmental programmes they introduce bring changes in the rural
communities such as health, education, micro finance, micro enterprise,
sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry, safe water and sanitation (Wahab,
2000).
Agboola
(1998) noted that successive Nigerian Government have responded to both rural
and urban problems by evolving poverty alleviation programmes to help stir
development but government top-down approach and lack of involvement of the
people at the bottom up strategy have weakened the confidence of the people.
Communities therefore seek solace in CBOs which pressurize government for
attention to development problems in their communities and/or undertake
development programmes and projects that they observe that are very much needed
in their immediate communities.
The
CBOs are associated with self-help (Ogundipe, 2003). They constitute the media
for resource mobilization to confront local challenges. These include the finance
and execution of projects, lobbying and nomination of representative to
government offices to air their views and press their needs and developing
human resources against future development needs of immediate communities.
Thus, their impacts have been felt in the areas of agricultural development,
economic development, policy matters, health, education, policy matters, health
education, infrastructure, environmental and physical development among others.
(Agboola, 1998).
Despite
these accomplishments, many CBOs have risen and fallen like old empires, while
some have had no significant impact since their establishment due to poor
funding. This is so because CBOs in African’s communities are micro system
within the macro environment that is afflicted by economic regression, low
standard of living and poverty. There is therefore the need to appraise the
socio economic status of existing CBOs in the communities of developing nations
like Nigeria and identifying the degree of impact they have exerted on their physical
or immediate environment.
1.2 Statement of
problem
The
failure of many government development programmes in Nigeria could be traced to
poor organizational structure at the grassroots level. The rural people are
isolated, under educated and lack the means to win greater access to resources
and some basis things of life such as pipe-borne water, electricity, postal
services, health care centres, good roads and schools. The fact has been
established that the government is constrained in its efforts to provide
citizens with the required social and basic amenities for comfortable living
(Anyanwu, 1992). Perhaps, this is due to the increasing population,
misappropriation of funds, increasing wage bills, poor transportation network
among others.
It
is the gap arising from poor performance of government and other institutional
organization that led to the formation of community based organization as means
of improving the socio economic status of their communities. CBOs serve as the
apex organization by which community people can embark on small scale
industries, vocational trade, agricultural development projects, rural
transportation and other socio economic activities (Adejumobi 1991).
It
is in view of these facts that CBOs have been established by various people,
bodies or groups to complement the effort made by the government. This study
therefore is designed to assess the role of community based organization in the
development of rural communities in Delta State.
1.3 Objectives of the
study
The
main objective of the study is to examine the role of community based
organization in the development of rural communities in Delta State. The
specific objectives are to:
Ascertain
the characteristics of CBOs in Delta State
Examine
the structure of selected CBOs.
Identify
the contributions of the organizations to the development of rural communities
which they operate.
Identify
the constraints encountered by the CBO.
1.4 Significance of the
study
CBOs
play a significant role in community development and these roles need to be
clearly understood by the policy makers, government even potential members.
This will gradually help in identifying the appropriate support needed by the
CBOs in order to improve on community development activities, thereby improving
the standard of living in communities and also reducing rural urban drift.
This
study will go a long way to understanding the mechanism of CBOs projects with
particular reference to the people of Delta State. Recommendations would be
made to rural communities, government and non-government organization with a
view to stimulating community development.