CHAPTER 14 SOCIAL MOBILIZATIONS

The Concept of Social Mobilization

The concept of social mobilization emerged from the recognition that a genuine parcipatory approach to
develop is essential for success and sustainability . Civil society parcipatory in development efforts is, therefore.
Increasingly recognized by agencies and government as essential for promoting good governance-improving
responsiveness of national policies and programmes to citizens needs and ensuring transparency and accountability in
policy making and implementation process of such programs like the CWTS.

The social mobilization concept requires working hand-in-hand with individuals, organization, policy makers and
communities to forge a collective identity to achieve common goals. It is through this process that people at various
levels of society engage in dialogue negotiation wherein the collective action emanates. It is also an approach that
involves planned action and processes to reach, influence and involve all relevant segments of society across all sectors
from the national to community levels in order to affect positive behavior and social change.

Social mobilization is also an approach and tool for the civic welfare and training group to adopt whichever can
help people to organize for collective action by pooling resources and building the solidarity required to resolve
common problems and work towards community organization which enable them to initiate and control thier own
personal and communal development. It is a process of taking action to influence behavior to positively affect social
change at all levels of society.

Social mobilization as defined by UNICEF is a broad scale movement to engage people participation in achieving
a specific development goal through self-reliant efforts. It involves all relevant segments of society; decision and policy
makers , opinion leaders, bureaucrats and technocrats, professional group, religious associations, coerce and industry ,
communities and individuals.

The societal mobilization strategy calls for partnership with all stakeholders which are the following:
1. Political – policy makers
Advocacy in this group helps foster the commitment that will clear the way for action. The goal here is
to build consensus with sound data, to create a knowledge and supportive environment for decision-
making, including the allocation of adequate resources.

2. Bureaucratic/Technocratic- government workers and technical experts

Policy makers depend on the technocrats, bureaucrats, and service professionals to provide the
rationale foe decisions as well as to plan and implements program. This sectors includes desperate
groups, each with own agenda, conflicting interest and concerns. Harmonizing the desperate units in
this sector is probably one of the greatest challenges in the development specialist have hitherto failed
to recognized how difficult is to foster unity among government units and technical groups.

3. Non-government sector
This covers a multitude of interest. Non-government organizations for special purpose , social
institutions and associations that represents organized support religious groups with their ideological
bends ,commerce and industry that operate on for profit basis, and professional groups that exist to
advance their interest are here.

4. Community Groups
Community leaders, school, churches, mosques and grassroots. Groups are critical to get communities
involved. They help transform development goals into action. Unfortunately, they are often not given a
voice in identifying problems and designing solutions. Popular participation takes place here.

5. Household and individuals

Individual actions are ultimately pay-off of the health program. In the household , where such
behavioural actions takes place , key individuals in the traditional society often hold sway. There is a
need for a deliberate action to inform and educate individuals in the household, so that they can make
informed choices.

Key Elements of Social Mobilization

1. Organizational Development
2. Capital formation for development through Community Savings Social ob
3. Training for Human Resource Development
4. Socio-economic development
 Benefits of Social Mobilization
1. For poverty alleviation
2. For promoting Democratic Governance
3. For environment
4. For Conflict Prevention

Social mobilization is said to be best effective when it reveals that:

1. The organized people representing different ethnic groups act as vehicle to develop social harmony and peace,
increase the general capacity of people for self-empowerment.
2. A properly designed community mobilization process leads community members, both male and female, to the
emergence of self governing institutions which act as the sustainable organization for the co-operation peace
and development.
3. The result of the social mobilization process is that people get organized to work together if they lived in close
proximity and share common interest for community development.
4. The CO is a mass coalition of all those residents of a village who’s continuing economic and social interest are
best served organizing themselves as a group.
5. Social Mobilization is based on active participation of all households without discriminations.

WORKSHEET NO. 18
NAME: SCORE:
SCHEDULE: DATE PERFORMED
COURSE/YEAR/ GROUP: INSTRUCTOR

Instructions:
1. Define Social Mobilization(5points)

2. As a student of NSTP, what role would you like to perform in social mobilization so that you can be of help in
the development of community(15points)