COPAR (COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH)

COPAR is a social development approach that aims to transform the apathetic, poor into a
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 exploitative conditions (1994 National
Rural CO 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 (Rose 1967).
● A continuous and sustained process of educating the people to understand and develop
their critical awareness of their existing conditions, working with the people collectively
and efficiently on their immediate needs toward solving their long-term problems.

IMPORTANCE OF COPAR
● COPAR is an important tool for community development and people empowerment as
this helps the community workers to generate community participation in development
activities.
● COPAR prepares people to eventually take over the management of a development
program in the future. It maximizes community participation and involvement; community
resources are mobilized for health development services.

PRINCIPLES OF COPAR
1. People, especially the oppressed, exploited and deprived sectors are open to change, have
the capacity to
change and are able to bring about change.
2. COPAR should be based on the interests of the poorest sectors of the society.
3. COPAR should lead to a self-reliant community and society.

PROCESS/METHODS USED IN COPAR

● A PROGRESSIVE CYCLE OF ACTION-REFLECTION: Which begins in small, local and
concrete issues identified by the people and the evaluation and reflection of and on the
action taken by them.
● CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING: Through experiential learning is central to the COPAR
process because it places emphasis on learning that emerges from concrete action and
which encircles succeeding action.
● COPAR IS PARTICIPATORY & MASS-BASED: Because it is primarily directed towards
and biased in favor of the poor, the powerless and the oppressed.
● COPAR IS GROUP-CENTERED: And not leader centered. Leaders are identified,
emerge and are tested through action rather than appointed or selected by some
external force or entity.
PHASES OF COPAR
PRE-ENTRY PHASE
● The initial phase of the organizing
process where the community
organizer looks for communities to
serve or help.
● It is the most complex phase in terms
of actual outputs, activities, and
strategies and time spent for it.
ENTRY IN THE COMMUNITY AND
INTEGRATION WITH THE PEOPLE
● Before actual entry into the
community, basic information about
the area in relation to the cultural
practices and lifestyles of the people
must be known.
● Establishing rapport and integrating
with them will be much easier if one is
able to understand, accept or imbibe
their community life.
● Living with the people, undergoing
their hardships and problems and
sharing their hopes and aspirations
help build mutual trust and
cooperation.
ENTRY PHASE
● Sometimes called the immersion
phase as it the activities done here
includes the sentization of the people
on the critical events in their life,
motivating them to share their dreams
RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES:
● Statement of objectives, and
realization of copar guidelines.
● Laying out the site criteria.
● Site selection.
● Meeting and courtesy call to the local
government unit of the selected site.
● Courtesy call to the barangay level.
● Meeting w/ the "will be" foster parents
of the health care students.
Criteria For Site Selection
● Is the community in need of
assistance?
● Do the community members feel the
need to work together to overcome a
specific health problem?
● Are there concerned groups and
organizations that the nurse can
possibly work with?
● What will be the counterpart of the
community in terms of community
support, commitment and human
resources?
SOME GUIDELINES IN CONDUCTING
INTEGRATION WORK
● Recognize the role and position of
local authorities.
● Adapt a lifestyle in keeping wý that of
the community.
● Choose a modest dwelling which the
people, especially the economically
disadvantaged ill not hesitate to enter.
● Avoid raising expectations of the
people. Be clear w/ your objectives
and limitations.
● Participate directly in production
process.
● Make house calls and seek out people
where they usually gather.
● Participate in some social activities.
RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES:
● Courtesy call to mayor, or the local
government leader of the selected
site.
● Courtesy call to the barangay level.
● Meeting with the foster parents.
 and ideas on how to manage their
concerns and eventually mobilizing
them to make collective action on
THESE.
ORGANIZATIONAL-BUILDING PHASE
● The formation of more formal
structures and the inclusion of more
formal procedures of planning,
implementing and evaluating
community-wide activities. It is at this
phase where the organized leaders or
groups are being given trainings to
develop their ask (attitude, knowledge
and skills) in managing their own
concerns/programs.
SUSTENANCE AND STRENGTHENING
PHASE
● Occur when the community
organization has already been
established and the community-wide
undertakings. At this point, the
different committees set-up in the
organization-building phase are
already expected to be functioning by
way of planning, implementing and
evaluating their own programs, w/ the
overall guidance from the
community-wide organization.
PHASE OUT
● The phase when the health care
workers leave the community to
stand-alone. This phase should be
stated during the entry phase so that
the people will be ready for this
phase. The organizations built should
be ready to sustain the test of the
community itself because the real
evaluation will be done by the
residents of the community itself.
● Appreciating the environment.
● Meeting with community officials and
● residents.
● General assembly.
● Preparation of survey forms.
● Actual survey.
● Analysis of the data gathered
RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES:
● Meeting with the officials.
● Identifying problems.
● Spreading awareness and soliciting
solution or suggestion.
● " Analysis of the presented solution.
● Planning of the activities.
● Organizing the people to build their
own organization.
● Registration of the organization.
● Implementing the said activities.
● Evaluation.
RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES:
● Meeting with the organizational
leaders.
● Evaluation of the programs.
● Re-implementing of the programs. (for
unmet goals)
● Education and training.
● Networking and linking.
● Implementation of livelihood projects.
● Developing secondary leaders.
RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES:
● Leaving the immersion site.
● Documentation.
The Community Health Worker as a Documenter/ Reporter
● The community health worker keeps a written account of services rendered,
observations, condition, needs, problems and attitude of the client in community
activities, accomplishments made and, etc.
● Community workers takes responsibility to disseminate pertinent information to
appropriate authorities, agencies, and most especially to the client. At the same time, the
community worker develops the people's capabilities to keep/maintain their recording
and reporting system.
● RECORDS refer to forms on which information pertaining the client is noted.
● REPORTS - refers to periodic summaries of the services/activities of an organization/unit
or the analysis of certain phases of its work.
PURPOSE OF RECORDS AND REPORTS
● Measure service/program directed to the clients.
● Provide basis for future planning.
● Interpret the work to the public and other agencies, community.
● Aid in studying the conditions of the community.
● Contributes to client care.