Participation and Sustainability in Social Projects: The Experience of the Local Development Program (PRODEL) in Nicaragua
This document analyzes the experience of community participation and sustainability in the Local Development Programme (PRODEL) in Nicaragua.
The document states that PRODEL aims to improve the physical and socio-economic conditions of families living in poor communities in eight small and mid-size cities in Nicaragua by:
- Involving poor families in the co-financing and co-management of small infrastructure and urban improvement projects;
- Lending small loans for housing improvement and financing micro-enterprises.
The document presents the details of PRODEL's different phases, the number and purpose of loans, the number of people who benefited and the revolving fund it established with the money collected from the repayment of the loans.
The document credits the positive results of the program to:
- The mobilization of local public and private resources for the development of the various components of the program;
- Labor contribution by the families that benefited;
- Contributions of local government and communities.
It states that community contribution in terms of labor, cash, building materials, etc, reduced the direct and indirect costs of construction and preventive maintenance of these projects by up to 20% below the cost of similar projects carried out by local governments without community participation.
The document concludes that the introduction, operation, and sustainability of urban services and infrastructure in poor neighbourhoods can be accomplished more effectively if the end users are involved in the processes of decision-making, management of resources and execution of the projects.
