The education of African American adults evolved in response to the changing social, economic, and political needs of the Black community. To address these needs, Black Greek-Letter Organizations (BGLOs) created and implemented initiatives at the local, national, and international levels using education as a catalyst to change aspects of African…

A case study among residents in the area of a water distribution project in the Philippines found that most respondents were willing in theory but reluctant in practice to contribute either funds of volunteered labor to self-help projects, and that they expected others (i.e. the government) to be responsible for project upkeep. (MF)

An urban renewal program in preunification Berlin involved self-help projects and a community school. The program demonstrated a holistic approach to urban regeneration and showed that the success of participatory community processes depends on community education. (SK)

Interviews with 120 rural Nigerian women found that 96% participate in self-help community development projects and 68% were engaged in farming. Constrains on participation included domestic responsibilities, lack of funding and resources, male domination, and politics. There was a significant relationship between their sociocultural beliefs and…

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HAS BECOME A SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT BY PROVIDING BOTH FOREIGN AID PERSONNEL AND "NEW ELITES" WITH A STRATEGY FOR MAXIMIZING CERTAIN SYSTEM-MAINTENANCE PROCLIVITIES. BUT IT TENDS TO BE UNSUCCESSFUL AS A COMMUNITY MOVEMENT FOR TWO REASONS--(1) IT THREATENS AND IS THREATENED BY INDEPENDENT ENTRON COMMUNITIES (COMPOSED…

This article is based on a recent study of community centres as agents of urban community development in Hong Kong and Singapore, and arose from the generalised claim that community centres in these two predominantly urban societies do act as tools of community development. (Author/RY)

A survey of 23 chairpersons of town unions (rural sociocultural organizations) in Nigeria indicated that self-help projects in education and rural development were concentrated in areas lacking infrastructure. Recommendations were made for an organizing framework, leadership training, government assistance, and efforts to encourage active…

The article, written in Spanish, gives examples of the Barrio Education Project's work in San Antonio and poses some serious questions about the importance of Spanish for the Hispanic community. Illiteracy, or "functional illiteracy" is a growing problem in the U.S. among all sectors of the population--English- and Spanish-speaking.…

A community water supply project in Cameroon illustrates the following constraints on community participation in development: paternalistic authorities, prescriptive role of the state, selective participation, bias toward "hard" issues, inattention to negative results, group conflicts, gatekeeping, pressure for immediate results,…

A study of three Nigerian villages produced the following suggestions for improving the problems facing rural community development: democratic participative decision making, care in project selection, government incentives, promotion of adult literacy, and well-trained community workers. (SK)

The case study examines the work of a coalition between certain women's groups in India and a nongovernmental charitable trust. The mission of the coalition is to empower Indian women, who generally possess neither land nor power, to care for their livestock. (CH)

Outlines data on the socioeconomic, health, and educational status of Blacks in Georgia. Calls for the maximization of internal resources for internal development, self-sufficiency, and self-determination. (GC)

Presents a case study of participatory evaluation which suggests an evaluation method which not only provides meaningful data for decision makers but also provides important feedback to the community. Shows the steps leading to self-evaluation workshops and reviews the evaluation methods that were utilized. (Author/CT)

A discussion of regional community development through self-help programs in rural developing areas presents the need for a diversified system of institutions to ensure a developmental process based on qualitative rather than quantitative criteria. Available from: Editorial and Business Offices, Piazza Cavalieri di Malta, 2, 00153 Rome, Italy. (EA)

Since 1970, the Servicio National de Desarrollo de la Comunidad (SNDC) has been in existence as an autonomous decentralized government agency. Its main effort has been to integrate Bolivia's 3.4 million rural inhabitants, the "campesinos," into the mainstream of national socioeconomic programs through self-help development projects at…