Community Development
Communities are where we create and live our lives. A community is not merely a place; it is the social bonds, culture, shared values, history, and sense of belonging that allow us to make meaning.
A group of women from a village action group is engaging in a vital discussion about nutrition and community health in Mozambique.
When people come together to pursue local development under organised structures with clear leadership and functional democratic spaces, communities can unleash their capabilities. They often surprise even themselves with the richness of their visions and creativity. Such communities are better equipped to address their needs and respond to local challenges.
Coming together is needed especially when people live under the limitations of poverty, be it in rural environments or the slums of big cities. Daily life is characterised by small and big efforts from every community member to sustain basic needs, and these efforts make communities work. However, those valuable efforts can be overturned in the blink of an eye – by a storm, heavy rain or no rain at all, or by changes derived from world events far away. Belonging to a community gives a sense of connection and strength. It gives access to support and also provides a reason for developing it. Resilience is born out of coming together.
With climate crises and disasters becoming increasingly frequent, more and more communities are realising their need to build resilience, whether through food production, safe shelter, or securing the infrastructure upon which the community depends. They also come together to create their responses to a changing situation.
590
million people may continue to live in extreme poverty by 2030 if current trends persist.
- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report, 2024
What we do
Our Community Development programmes engage and strengthen families and individual family members to lead the development of their communities.
The family is the key unit of the community, being the most direct agent with the capacity to push the development frontiers. Families have the experience of supporting each other and their individual members; on the ground, here and now.
In the Community Development programmes, families and individuals of all ages are invited to participate in new developments, committing themselves to the activities that will benefit their community. Action Groups are community- based structures led by the local people that can stay for the long haul and build sustainability.
The Action Group coordinates and creates spaces for people to engage each other and take action. In these spaces, a cascade of actions takes shape: sharing knowledge, skills training, support to entrepreneurship, women empowerment, protection of child rights, climate actions, support to the orphans and disabled, to mention a few examples. The Action Groups create an environment of inclusivity and flexibility, and the decision-making takes all on board. All the actions aim at building the capacity of the families, the individuals and the community to achieve better control of everybody’s lives as a collective.
Members support one another through the Savings Clubs in Malawi.
The Mother
“I have embraced my status, and it has transformed my life. I’m here, alive, and witnessing my children’s growth.”
I faced many health challenges; I am HIV positive, have high blood pressure, suffer from kidney stones, and have survived tuberculosis. I am married and have seven children. Financially, we depended on my husband’s salary and social grants for survival, which were insufficient, and my children struggled in school without sufficient support.
In 2005, I learned about Child Aid Doornkop through the TCE programme when a Field Officer visited me about an HIV awareness campaign. I opened up about my status and received counselling, resumed my medication, and joined a TRIO, which is a support group.
Through the project, I learned horticulture skills and received seeds for my backyard garden that provides healthy vegetables. My children are enrolled in the Orphans and Vulnerable Children programme, which helps with homework, and I’m proud my oldest daughter passed her Matric. This project has truly transformed our lives, and I’m grateful to see my children grow.
Paulina Koloba, Doornkop, Soweto, South Africa
Child Aid Doornkop, Humana People to People South Africa
Child Aid Doornkop is dedicated to improving the community’s economic and educational prospects to create a brighter future for families in Doornkop. It has significantly impacted families by addressing child poverty. With many adults and youths facing unemployment, families often depend on government grants for survival. The project aims to empower these families so they can better sustain themselves.
Child Aid Doornkop offers comprehensive services to improve family economic stability through training in horticulture, home-based care, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship. The programme teaches skills that are valuable in the job market and encourages business creation. It also emphasises community education on health and hygiene, raising awareness for better health practices and access to healthcare resources.
The project has restored community hope and courage by transforming many lives. Families are now sustaining themselves through backyard gardens. Youth trained in entrepreneurship are starting businesses and applying for jobs with certificates.
Children’s school results have improved.
The project reached more than
530,000
people in the past seven years.
The Community Leader
“I am deeply passionate about addressing the issues of water and Climate Change together with my community.”
I became a volunteer and took the lead in mobilising the community during the formation of Farmer Field Schools and Water Sanitation Groups because our community needed support to solve the severe water and food scarcity we were experiencing.
In the groups, we have been inspired to work together and strengthened to start a positive development journey as a community. We accepted the challenge of changing our attitudes, and today, we cultivate our own food and have access to safe drinking water in schools and at home, a truly transformative change to our lives that we never expected.
As chairperson, my experiences with Farmer Field Schools and Water and Sanitation Groups have empowered me to advocate for development and sustain these initiatives, offering practical solutions to our community’s challenges. The knowledge we have gained will stay with us, and the groups we created will continue.
Juliana Cailo, Club Chairperson for Tyipulo Group, ADPP Angola
Increased Community Resilience in Cunene Through Access to Water for Domestic and Agricultural Purposes Project, Angola
Over the past decade, Cunene Province in Angola has suffered consecutive droughts, negatively impacting the communities’ food security. In response, the project engages communities in Cunene to address the lack of access to safe water for drinking, irrigation, and livestock, which is key to improving food security, nutrition, and health.
Water and Sanitation Groups and Farmer Field Schools are central to the project’s success. They promote women’s participation, strengthen community cohesion, share developmental ideas, and find solutions to common challenges. The groups provide a training ground for sustainable water management, conservation agriculture, climate actions, and health and sanitation issues.
The project has contributed to 50% female participation in decision-making and the establishment of gardens, drip irrigation, community taps, and tanks. Women are now more productive since they are no longer spending time walking long distances to find water in crocodile-infested rivers.
The involvement of group committee chairpersons and the training of youths in water technician skills have contributed significantly to changing the communities’ attitudes and behaviours towards water use and sanitation, ensuring the project’s future sustainability.
In 2024, the project worked directly with
38,000
people in 39 communities and indirectly reached
350,000
people with key messages on climate change, water, and sanitation.
Community Development throughout Humana People to People
1.8M
People reached
224
Project units
13
Countries
201,365
Families
Humana People to People has engaged in Community Development together with the people ever since the start of the movement.