Become a Walu Volunteer
Walu believes in Community Based Development. While using the Participatory Method, communities are taken through a series of exercises to help identify, own, and solve their problems while using resources in their community. By doing this, communities are empowered. Every step, from planning to the evaluation of the completed project, is decided by community members. Walu is seeking to use this model because it has been shown to be an effective way to develop self-sustaining communities thus breaking the cycle of dependency.
Participatory Method
In a series of phases from Assessment, Training, Conducting Projects, Monitoring, and Multiplication, Walu is assisting communities to become self-sufficient. The purpose of the “Assessment” phase is for Walu volunteers and community members to evaluate their community by conducting informative meetings to identify issues the community is facing. The communities will then vote on which area they would like to focus on. Walu volunteers will facilitate meetings where the community will brainstorm ideas on how to combat the issue using their own resources and funds. If an expert opinion is needed, Walu will seek an expert to train the community in the area they have selected. This is part of the “Conducting Projects” phase. The community will be trained how to implement and maintain the resource they have chosen. After the project has been completed, Walu will assist the village in deciding how they will “Monitor” and maintain their progress. When it is clear to the community they have a handle on the completed project, Walu will assist them again in identifying a new issue that is affecting their community. The cycle of phases will repeat. This repetition will ensure the community understands how to implement and maintain change. The result will eventually be a healthy community. Once the village has succeeded, they are encouraged and trained to “Multiply”. Multiplication is an essential step that is sometimes overlooked by organizations. Multiplication is the true indication that there has not been any Western dependency. The community has been equipped and empowered to carry on the work! This is a long process that requires dedication on the part of Walu.
Projects
Walu has conducted Assessment, Training, and some Projects in Lido. During the Assessment, the community exhibited their concerns to be sanitation and hygiene by voting on the installation of latrines. An expert and interns were brought to assist the community in evaluating their demographics. The results showed that the underground water table was too close to the surface for the proposed pit latrine option so it was decided that the village would tackle another issue of sanitation and hygiene by installing simple hand washing stations in each household. Walu interns worked with and trained a committee of leaders the community selected. The leaders along with Walu interns successfully taught households to build and use these simple hand washing stations using their own resources. Some households demonstrated ownership by creatively adding impressive additions to their hand washing systems. The hand washing stations are now in the Monitoring phase. Walu is currently working on the Latrine project the community identified. We have a latrine model for the demographics in Lido and we are looking for volunteer “experts” to help with training the village in construction and maintenance as well as safe placement of latrines. This project will be anywhere from one to six months.
Interns and Volunteers
Walu is always looking for interns who will make a commitment of 4 to 6 months to continue modeling desired behaviors in the community. They will also assist the selected leaders of the community to maintain and monitor the progress of past projects as well as assist in whatever phase the community is currently in. Walu will provide training in the Participatory Method to ensure they are comfortable and familiar with empowering communities.
If you are interested in becoming an expert volunteer or intern for Walu, please contact CJ at cjwalu@gmail.com
Walu International is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. All donations are tax deductible.
