NCM 113
Community Organizing Participatory
Action Research (COPAR)
- Is a vital part of public health nursing.
COPAR aims to transform the apathetic,
individualistic and voiceless poor into
dynamic, participatory and politically
responsive community.
- Widely used framework in public health
nursing that aims to empower
marginalized community by giving them
the opportunity to engage in the
research process where they play an
active role as participants.
- A social development approach that
aims to transform the apathetic,
individualistic and voiceless poor into
dynamic, participatory and politically
responsive community.
- A collective, participatory, transformative,
liberative, sustained and systematic
process of building people’s
organizations by mobilizing and
enhancing the capabilities and
resources of the people for the
resolution of their issues and concerns
towards effecting change in their
existing oppressive and exploitative
conditions (1994 National Rural
Conference).
- A process by which a community
identifies its needs and objectives,
develops confidence to take action in
respect to them and in doing so, extends
and develops cooperative and
collaborative attitudes and practices in
the community (Ross 1967).
- A continuous and sustained process of
educating the people to understand and
develop their critical awareness of their
existing condition, working with the
people collectively and efficiently on
their immediate and long-term problems,
and mobilizing the people to develop
their capability and readiness to respond
and take action on their immediate
needs towards solving their long-term
problems (CO: A manual of experience,
PCPD).
Process
- The sequence of steps whereby
members of a community come together
to critically assess to evaluate
community conditions and work together
to improve those conditions.
Structure
- Refers to a particular group of
community members that work together
for a common health and health related
goals.
Emphasis
1. Community working to solve its own
problem.
2. Direction is established internally and
externally.
3. Development and implementation of a
specific project less important than the
development of the capacity of the
community to establish the project.
4. Consciousness raising involves
perceiving health and medical care
within the total structure of society.
Importance
1. COPAR is an important tool for
community development and people
empowerment as this helps the
community workers to generate
community participation in development
activities.
2. COPAR prepares people/clients to
eventually take over the management of
a dvelopment.programs in the future.
3. COPAR maximizes community
participation and involvement;
community resources are mobilized for
community services.
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Principles  Make long/short list of potential
1. People especially the most oppressed, communities.
exploited and deprived sectors are open  Do ocular survey of listed communities.
to change, have the capacity to change
and are able to bring about change. Criteria for Initial Site Selection
 Must have a population of 100-200
2. COPAR should be based on the interest families.
of the poorest sector of the community.  Economically depressed. No strong
resistance from the community.
3. COPAR should lead to a self-reliant  No serious peace and order problem.
community and society.  No similar group or organization holding
the same program.
Critical Steps
1. Integration Identifying Potential Municipalities
2. Social Investigation  Make long/short list of potential
3. Tentative program planning municipalities
4. Groundwork
5. Meeting
6. Role Play Identifying Potential Community
7. Mobilization or action  Do the same process as in selecting
8. Evaluation municipality.
9. Reflection  Consult key informants and residents.
10. Organization  Coordinate with local government and
NGOs for future activities.
Phases of COPAR
COPAR has four phases namely: Pre- Choosing Final Community
Entry Phase, Entry Phase, Organization-  Conduct informal interviews with
building phase, and sustenance and community residents and key informants.
strengthening phase.  Determine the need of the program in
the community.
1. Pre-Entry Phase - training  Take note of political development.
- Is the initial phase of the organizing  Develop community profiles for
process where the community organizer secondary data.
looks for communities to serve and help.  Develop survey tools.
Activities include:  Pay courtesy call to community leaders.
 Choose foster families based on
Preparation of the Institution guidelines
 Train faculty and students in COPAR.
 Formulate plans for institutionalizing Identifying Host Family
COPAR.  House is strategically located in the
 Revise/enrich curriculum and immersion community.
program.  Should not belong to the rich segment.
 Coordinate participants of other  Respected by both formal and informal
departments. leaders.
 Neighbors are not hesitant to enter the
Site Selection house.
 Initial networking with local government.  No member of the host family should be
 Conduct preliminary special moving out in the community.
investigation.
 NCM 113
2. Entry Phase Opinion Leader. Approached
- sometimes called the social preparation by key persons
phase. Is crucial in determining which Isolates. Never or hardly
strategies for organizing would suit the consulted
chosen community. Success of the
activities depend on how much the
community organizers has integrated
3. Organization-Building Phase
- Entails the formation of more formal
with the community.
structure and the inclusion of more
formal procedure of planning,
Guidelines for Entry implementing, and evaluating
 Recognize the role of local authorities by community-wise activities. It is at this
paying them visits to inform their phase where the organized leaders or
presence and activities. groups are being given training (formal,
informal, OJT) to develop their style in
 Her appearance, speech, behavior and managing their own concerns/programs.
lifestyle should be in keeping with those
of the community residents without Key Activities
disregard of their being role model.
Community Health Organization
(CHO)
 Avoid raising the consciousness of the
 Preparation of legal requirements
community residents; adopt a low-key
 Guidelines in the organization of
profile.
the CHO by the core group
 Election of officers
Activities in the Entry Phase  Research Team Committee
Integration. Establishing rapport with  Planning Committee
the people in continuing effort to imbibe
 Health Committee Organization
community life.
 Others
 Living with the community
 Formation of by-laws by the CHO
 Seek out to converse with
people where they usually
congregate 4. Sustenance and Strengthening
 Lend a hand in household Phase
chores - Occurs when the community
 Avoid gambling and drinking organization has already been
 Deepening social established and the community
investigation/community study members are already actively
 Verification and enrichment of participating in community-wide
data collected from initial undertakings. At this point, the different
survey committees setup in the organization-
 Conduct baseline survey by building phase are already expected to
students, results relayed be functioning by way of planning,
through community assembly implementing and evaluating their own
programs, with the overall guidance
from the community-wide organization.
Core Group Formation
 Leader spotting through sociogram.
Key Activities
Key Persons. Approached by
 Training of CHO for monitoring and
most people
implementing of community health
program.90
 NCM 113
 Identification of secondary leaders. 8. Bawang
 Linkaging and networking.
9. Ampalaya
 Conduct of mobilization on health and
development concerns. 10. Bayabas
 Implementation of livelihood projects.

Community Based Participatory

Research (CBPR)
- Framework in public health
- Empowering marginalized community

2 GOALS
 To make people become self-reliant
 To empower people

● Community Health Assessment

● Referral System

CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING
 It should proceed from people’s priority
needs
 It must be based from community
analysis
 Reflects urgent issues and
community’s must resolve to act in this
issues

POLICY IN COMMUNITY
1. No bringing of cars because you have
to be low-key profile.
2. No bald hair for boys.
3. No loitering in the community.
4. Be polite at all times.

10 Herbal Medicines approved by

DOH
1. Lagundi
2. Yerba Buena
3. Sambong
4. Tsaang Gubat
5. Niyog niyogan
6. Akapulko
7. Pansit-pansitan