Many Jamaicans still use the ‘partner’ system of saving towards a particular goal. The people in the ‘partner’ will each put in the agreed amount, and each week or month, one person will receive the total of all the monies pooled. This system of cooperation for a specific goal is historically entrenched in our society.
This is the kind of cooperation based on trust, which, extended to pooling the resources of the organizations within a community can lead to swifter, more comprehensive and satisfying results as communities strive to better their economic and social conditions.
The 'banker' in a 'partner' both contributes to the pot and acts as facilitator for the others in the partner. The Social Development Commission’s (SDC) role in a community is a bit like the 'banker's' . The SDC has its own programmes and it acts as a linking arm connecting the dots of the other organizations operating in the community.
Each community has several organizations or arms of government working within it . They are involved in a range of social and economic activities. There will be those overseeing and working to improve education, health facilities, sports, economic activity, recreation, security and so on. Many of these are regional outposts of the centrally administered organization, such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Local Government and others. Many have Parish offices, but their influence and responsibilities extend to each of the communities they oversee.
Also in the community will be the non-government organizations (NGOs)which might be made up of citizens concerned with particular areas of development issues in their community, which are not included in government.
Each of these organizations has an agenda peculiar to itself, but all are working towards the greater good of the community. The ideal situation therefore is for them to have some way in which to know what each one is doing so that they can cooperate and work together. If you have ever experienced a situation in your community where one agency arrives with pick-axes and bulldozers to start digging where another agency had recently asphalted, you can understand the necessity for shared plans and information.
The 785 communities in Jamaica have been divided into 73 Development Areas (DAs) to make it easier to communicate and plan; monitor functions and opportunities for representation and participation in active Parish Development Committees (PDCs) and other forums. Community Development Committees (CDCs) have been established in approximately 50% of these areas.
A CDC is "the composition to all organizations in a community. It represents the interest of citizens and is the voice of the community".
Three hundred and sixty-eight (368) of the 785 communities have active CDCs coming together to form 400 Community Based Organizations (CBOs). They have produced over 200 projects which received external support.
The SDC continues to work with the Committees and other organizations to gain 100% coverage to enhance their functions and strengthen networks with businesses, other Ministries, departments and agencies, and other social organizations.
The SDC is meeting the need for a stable quorum of leaders with the necessary skills to sustain the process by providing training for citizens and CBOs.
So far, CBOs,CDCs and DACsacross all parishes have forged partnerships that resulted in the achievement of notable community interventions such as HIV/AIDS campaign, registration fairs, leadership-training seminars for DAC executives and various community sports and cultural events.
The SDC will continue to support local organizations by strengthening their capacity to lobby for services and deliver targeted programmes.
Ten Parish Councils and the KSAC have Parish Development Committees (PDCs) of varying degrees of effectiveness. The SDC will continue to work towards strengthening the capacity and capabilities of these groups to link with civil society, local businesses, elected representatives and Central and Local Government.
A major challenge is to enhance local governance and include citizens in policy and programme design.- bottom up development. In some cases, implementation falls short of this ideal. The SDC plans to help the partners to deepen dialogue and build consensus on the benefits of participatory approaches to civil society organization and engagement in development interventions.
SDC Activities
SDC activities are all geared towards facilitating and contributing to sustainable development in Jamaican communities through inclusion, participation and collaboration among citizens, civil society, Parish Councils, service agencies and the Government of Jamaica.
This will empower citizens and organizations to participate in community, parish and national processes that plan, deliver and evaluate sustainable development. The result will be a Reformed System of Governance, improved, inclusive and transparent, at community, parish and national levels
Every Jamaican has a contribution to make to enable the SDC to realize these goals.