Community-Driven Development Project

in the Philippines
April 10, 2014

World Bank
Since 2002, a community-driven development project backed by the World Bank has benefited
more than 1.6 million households in the Philippines through almost 6,000 projects providing
new water systems, school buildings, day care centers, health stations, and post-harvest facilities
among others. The Kapitbisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of
Social Services Project (KALAHI-CIDSS) also empowered communities to participate in local
governance and boosted their capacity to create, implement and manage poverty-fighting
development projects.

Challenge

Three-fourths of poor people in the Philippines live in rural areas. Despite considerable
resources being allocated for local service delivery, many poor barangays (villages) have few
opportunities to participate in deciding how and where resources are spent. Often people do not
even know what money is being spent on. Empowering marginalized communities through
community-driven development (CDD) approaches enables villagers to make their own
decisions in identifying, developing, implementing, and monitoring development initiatives
based on their priorities.

Solution

The project helps poor communities develop the necessary skills and provides them with
resources to select, implement and sustain small-scale community infrastructure sub-projects
such as small roads, footbridges, water supplies, school buildings, health clinics, community
enterprise activities and others. It also gives poor people a voice in the development process by
establishing clear guidelines for participation, accountability and transparency. Communities
also learn how to engage their local governments more effectively mobilizing technical and
financial assistance as well as support that help address local development priorities.

Under the KALAHI-CIDSS, rural communities are taking charge of their own
development.
World Bank Group

Results
KALAHI-CIDSS has financed the completion of close to 6,000 projects worth US$265 million
benefitting over 1.6 million households in the poorest municipalities and provinces in the
Philippines since 2002. These projects include local infrastructure such as water systems, school
buildings, day care centers and health stations, as well as roads and bridges.
The results of the impact evaluation revealed that household incomes of beneficiaries, as
measured by consumption, rose significantly. On average, per capita consumption increased by
about 12 percent as a result of the project. Access to basic services has also improved
significantly in beneficiary barangays (villages). Specifically, there was 9-percentage point
increase in the proportion of households within the beneficiary barangays with year-round
accessibility than in the non-beneficiary barangays. 
In addition, community members were more willing to contribute resources to development
activities that would benefit the community and community volunteers. Community volunteers
were empowered to engage elected official through community assemblies. Meetings also
shifted from being considered mere venues for reporting by local government to becoming fora
for effective citizen participation. Studies have also shown the program to be effective in
providing public infrastructure at lower costs than comparable public sector providers. 

" If we did not have KALAHI-CIDSS, a lot of the residents would have died because of
Yolanda. "

Rogelio Labsan
former Barangay Captain of Barangay Mangorocoro in Ajuy, Iloilo

The project aims to strengthen local communities' participation in local governance and
develop their capacity to design, implement and manage activities that reduce poverty.
World Bank Group

Bank Group Contribution

The World Bank contributed US$100 million for the Kalahi-CIDSS upon approval in 2002 and
provided an additional financing of US$59.1 million in 2010 to expand the project's reach. On
February 20, 2014, the World Bank approved a US$479 million loan to expand the project and
respond promptly to eligible emergencies.

Partners
The Bank has been working with the government, particularly the Department of Social Welfare
and Development, in the project's implementation. Other development partners have contributed
significantly to the project's success, including the Japan Social Development Social Fund,
which provided several grants to supplement resources for improving overall capacity of non-
government organizations (NGOs), as well as empowering disadvantaged groups and
communities to participate more effectively in project activities. Parallel financing also came
from development partners including the Asian Development Bank,  and the governments of
Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Australia and United States of America through the Millenium
Challenge Corporation

Moving Forward

 The Philippine government has recently expanded KALAHIi-CIDSS into what is now called the
National Community-Driven Development Project (NCDDP). Under this new project, more than
eight million Filipinos in 477 poor rural municipalities and areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan
(local name: Yolanda) are expected to have better access to social and economic infrastructure
and services. The government expects that expanding Kalahi will significantly boost the
country’s efforts to alleviate rural poverty while responding to the needs of survivors of
Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) that hit the country in November 2013.