1. Citizen Governance (CIGOV). CIGOV focuses on the governance dimensions of poverty, which recognizes the lack of voice, participation and choice as a result of social exclusion and discrimination. Citizens taking proactive roles and greater responsibility in decisions that affect their lives is not a privilege; it is a right. Active citizens don’t wait for change to happen. They make change happen – they are pro-active. CIGOV inculcates in citizens, the knowledge, attitude, skills and behaviour they need to participate effectively in setting development priorities of their communities and engaging their local governments. It empowers citizens to take action on issues of public concern, foster inclusive development in their communities and demand greater government accountability and responsiveness at the local and national levels
2. Sustainable Peace Initiative (SPI). SPI prevents the outbreak, escalation, persistence and recurrence of conflict. Peace is more than the absence of war. It is also a matter of building relationships to ensure social cohesion and prosperity. SPI also empowers individuals, groups and communities to prevent, resolve, and transform violent and nonviolent conflicts by developing their values, attitudes, skills, knowledge and ability to envision alternative options for action towards building peace. It promotes the culture of non-violence and neighbourliness among communities. SPI prevents radicalisation and violent extremism, generates early warning intelligence and provides timely advice on potential violent conflicts for early response. It turns conflicts and violent extremism into mutual agreements and peace through cooperative dialogue and mediation.
3. Community Self-Reliance for Development (COSED). It is about people’s ability to support themselves now and into the future. COSED harnesses the industry, time and skills of citizens for self-help and cooperative action to turn tangible ideas into feasible lifetime projects. It builds on the capabilities and resilience of citizens to mitigate economic threats in their communities; it catalyzes and supports viable and environmentally sensitive enterprises for wealth creation and social security. COSED collaborates with change-makers and social movements to work together, organize themselves, and mobilize resources to solve problems of common interest. Organized groups and communities are more likely to have their voices heard and their demands met. When such membership-based groups federate at higher levels, they can gain voice and representation in policy dialogues and decisions that affect their well-being. The Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach comes in handy here
4. Communication for Empowerment (C4E). C4E facilitates access to knowledge, stimulates participation, empowers communities and influences public policies. It applies multiple communication approaches to stimulate positive and measurable behaviour change for holistic human development. The primary function of this intervention is to empower communities and citizens to analyse their circumstances, make their own decisions and determine appropriate actions to improve their lives. It is about behaviour change as there is no development without behaviour change. Under C4E, we begin all our work by identifying existing barriers and opportunities in knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, skills, socio-cultural practices and norms in order to transform individuals, families, communities and the socio-political environment for the common good. It is improving social conditions and individual behaviours through constructive dialogue and collective action. C4E empowers priority groups to assimilate distinct behaviours that accelerate their development goals and purposes. Consequently, the Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) model is an eternal feature in our interventions. C4E is participatory, evidence-based and results-oriented.
