Location: Cameroon, Bamenda (Atuazire, Mugheb and Ntambag districts)

Funded By: Cameroon/World Bank

Partner: ACT Consultant (France)

IDF: In charge of social engineering in Bamenda

Period: 2008-2013

General Objective

Diagnostic study and programming, implementation of the principles of Decentralization concentrated in the social and environmental component

Description

Phase 1: Diagnostic Study and Programming

Diagnostic Study

In charge of social engineering, the overall objective of the work is to set up a participatory social development framework aimed at organizing the beneficiary populations, as well as building their capacities with a view to their participation in the management of services. and community infrastructure in the district, in consultation with public and municipal authorities.

• The description of the current situation of the “living conditions” of the inhabitants of the district from the angle of the notion of comfort and satisfaction: identification of the black points and criticisms in the district.
• The ranking and prioritization of the components of social demand (mobility, rainwater drainage, security, etc.): definition of the project’s investment axes according to social demand and the search for the optimization of social impact.
• The establishment of an Initiative Committee, including all the structural and operational components of the population.
• The restitution of the diagnosis by the service level indicators.
• Support for the structuring of the inhabitants carrying the project to play their role effectively and ensure the sustainability of the actions;
• Support the construction and formalization of the memorandum of understanding and partnership between the neighborhood association and the municipality.

Programming

Supervision of a team of engineers and animators to mobilize the population to identify their problems, prioritize them, find appropriate solutions and make an action plan for the implementation of the solutions.

Arbitration under financial constraint of the service levels possible for the investments planned by the Local Participation Committee. This arbitration was carried out during a public session. The populations, represented by all the members of the Local Participatory Consultation Framework, then agree on the set of projects to be carried

Phase 1: Diagnostic study and programming

Diagnostic study

In charge of social engineering, the overall objective of the work is to set up a participatory social development framework aimed at organizing the beneficiary populations, as well as building their capacities with a view to their participation in the management of services. and community infrastructure in the district, in consultation with public and municipal authorities.

The description of the current situation of the “living conditions” of the inhabitants of the district from the angle of the notion of comfort and satisfaction: identification of the black points and criticisms in the district.

The ranking and prioritization of the components of social demand (mobility, rainwater drainage, security, etc.): definition of the project’s investment axes according to social demand and the search for the optimization of social impact.

The establishment of an Initiative Committee, including all the structural and operational components of the population.

The restitution of the diagnosis by the service level indicators.

Support for the structuring of the inhabitants carrying the project to play their role effectively and ensure the sustainability of the actions;

Support the construction and formalization of the memorandum of understanding and partnership between the neighborhood association and the municipality.

Programming

Supervision of a team of engineers and animators to mobilize the population to identify their problems, prioritize them, find appropriate solutions and make an action plan for the implementation of the solutions.

Arbitration under financial constraint of the service levels possible for the investments planned by the Local Participation Committee. This arbitration was carried out during a public session. The populations, represented by all the members of the Local Participatory Consultation Framework, then agree on the set of projects to be carried out by arbitrating the levels of service within a financial envelope determined in advance.

A report summarizing the whole of the approach followed, making it possible to achieve the drafting of project sheets including data on the social, economic and environmental impact and the technical execution methods of these projects.

The location of the facilities on a cartographic support by affixing the current service level indicators and those expected by the realization of the projects.

Phase 2

Detailed study – Moderation of prioritization and consultation meetings, conflict management, intermediation for the peaceful release of spaces, capacity building of stakeholders.

Presentation of the physical and human frameworks of the district with a reminder of the main data of the physical and social diagnosis, a presentation of the existing social dynamics, a presentation of the main structures intervening in the district and a diagnosis of the associative movement, a description of the organization of the participation of the populations in the arbitration between services and levels of service and a description of the process of helping the populations in defining their participation in the activities of the project

Phases 3 and 4

Implementation and maintenance – Capacity building, monitoring of respect for children’s rights, gender and the environment in construction sites, social mediation and conflict management. Implementation of governance and sustainability tools.

Achievements

• In 2013 the project was elected like a best practice called “Making Decentralization Meaningful for Marginalized Communities: Lessons from Integrated Development Foundation Cameroon’

     By the “ Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)

SE- 10334 STOCKHOLM SWEDEN”