The significance of community based organizations in supporting rural development : a case study in Morogoro Rural District, Matombo Division, Tawa Ward

The provision of basic services and infrastructure in urban and rural areas is one of the important tasks of local authorities. However, the rapid expansion of urbanization that is taking place in most towns and villages has caught the authorities unprepared. Hence, this undermines their capacity in providing services, as they cannot cope with this rapid expansion. Faced with these problem, some people have responded to it by forming Community Based Organizations (CBOs), as a strategy towards community Development and the method of top-down approach. This has been the case with Tawa ward in Matombo division in Morogoro District, Tawa ward it involved three villages namely, Kifindike, Kiswira and Tawa village. These three villages re-organized themselves into different groups of development activities supported by Rural Road Support Project. However, the Rural Road support Project ended its Programme, of Rural Road Supporting Project with the consequence effect of terminating the support to the groups of which meant the termination of the support. The groups have to focused on the future sustainability and its effectiveness. Three groups, then to re organized so as to re assure its sustainability in the absence of support from The ITECO project. This is the new approach which will ensure the effectiveness and self-supporting method. This is the major concern of this paper. This paper attempts to examine the sustainability and effectiveness of the new designed method, institution, and mechanism, which assuring the sustainability of the three groups. This paper attempts to examine the sustainability and effectiveness of the new designed method, institution, and mechanism, while assuring the sustainability of the three groups. In order to achieve this objective, the study used qualitative and quantitative methods through data collection. Moreover, the sampling techniques were employed in which different types of data collected were categorized and developed. The collection of data was guided by structured and unstructured interview questionnaires, physical observations, focus group guide discussion as well as insights gathered form literature review. Additionally, the paper presents findings of this study which includes the ability of the groups to mange the new established CBO, gender awareness and women involvement in development activities. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the new established CBO needs facilitation on the professional skills which would promote in enhancing sustainability and effectiveness of the community development activities. Based on these findings recommendations is made which include the development of training manual as well as training impact assessment. Finally, the paper indicated the need of a community Based Organizations by the groups, which will maintain the sustainability, and effectiveness of the development activities in Tawa ward. Through the findings and observations the paper also, presents a developed training manual that will assist in providing capacity building services for the new established organization of TAKIKI Community Base Organization in the areas of management skills, business skills and. strategic planning skills. (Author abstract)Mihanjo, A. K. (2005). The significance of community based organizations in supporting rural development : a case study in Morogoro Rural District, Matombo Division, Tawa Ward. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.eduMaster of Science (M.S.)School of Community Economic Developmen