The question, in terms of replicability, is whether we have a strategy to offer other communities outside the existing programmes. We have all been falling around discovering old truths through very difficult processes. We need a plan that will be relatively cheap to implement and is also able to reach many different communities at the same time. The community at the end of the line We all agree that our goal is to achieve a self-sustaining rural community. In practice it often seems that organisations that are trying to help the communities, are more geared towards their own survival as an organisation, than to the empowerment of the people at the grassroots.
Governments try to be popular and to stay in the seat.
NGOs have to direct most of their energies at keeping the donors happy with reports and requesting new finds. NGOs all know the frustration of having to design a new programme or an expansion of an existing one, just in order to get the funds to help pay the office bills. This has to change. The field orientation of programmes should get more attention than the office work. Field staff as well as management have to spend more time in the field.