STRAIGHT FROM THE BIG CITY

Ike Señeres
Development model

MANILA -- There appears to be a need for a community development model that could serve as a common direction for all localities that are aiming to improve the delivery of basic services to their residents. Gawad Kalinga seems to be headed towards this direction, as it is now introducing livelihood and environment components to their project sites, after initially building the housing component.

There is an advantage in having a common direction, because it will enable us to compare the success and performance of each community as it tries to develop, and not only that, it will also enable us to benchmark what they have done against United Nations goals or standards.

The Human Development Index (HDI) model of the United Nations basically measures the success or failure of national development in terms of the ability of nations to increase the per capita income, the increase in life expectancy and the increase in the literacy rate. Given this model, it appears that the logical priorities should be livelihood, health and education.

Drawing from the examples of other development initiatives, I believe that I am close to coming up with a model that would not just meet HDI standards; it will also add other components that are now practically doable because of the emergence of new sustainable technologies.

In addition to livelihood, health and education, I think that it is now practical to introduce environment, agriculture and recreation components, being critical basic needs of human populations in my view. For this reason, the model I am developing now has six components, namely health, education, agriculture, livelihood, environment and recreation or (HEALER) for short.

The acronym HEALER is also intentional, because it is my intention to prioritize health as the primary basic need, around which all the other components could revolve. I believe that it should be the starting point in all community development work, not as a component by itself, but in relation to the other components.

For instance, the education component could support health objectives by providing good health education, thus enabling people to avoid sickness and to cure sickness in affordable ways that are also sustainable. Of course, it goes without saying that the agriculture component will also provide the people with good nutrition that they need to sustain their health.

Livelihood is a distinct component by itself, but now we see the reality that not unless we clean up the environment and protect it in the long run, the sustainability of our livelihood will also be threatened in the long run. The conservation of water sources is part of the environment component, more so because if there is no water, we could not grow or cook the food that we eat.

Thanks to the advent of new technologies, it is now possible to build and operate fully automated factories within our farming communities, in effect adding on light industries to our existing agricultural base. This should have been our logical technological economic jump, to build new industries on top of our agriculture component.

Process Logic Controllers (PLCs) are the devices that could run the processes of all factories big and small. These work pretty much like personal computers, except that PLCs are designed to do much heavier duty work compared to PCs, just like comparing the strength of automobiles to Mack trucks.

Using simple PCs, we now have the technologies to deliver and sustain e-learning even to our most remote communities, because where there is now a cell phone signal, there is already ample connectivity that would enable anyone to learn online. This would be a boost to the education component, if only we could get out of the mindset of using purely classrooms and textbooks.

Recreation appears to be a marginalized basic need. Recreation is actually a poverty issue, because the rich people could afford recreation in their posh sports club while the poor people have generally nothing to use. The infrastructure for recreation does not cost much, but its effect on the good health of the people has more far reaching economic values.

As an agricultural country, we are blessed with so many agricultural crops that are good for the body, and are affordable for everyone. These are not only good as food, but also as food supplements that could work in tandem with commercial medicines. To name a few, we have bitter melon and Moringa, and do not be surprised to know their local names.

As of now, I have already identified some project sites where the HEALER model could be tested. Most of the sites are in areas of indigenous people (IPs), and it would perhaps be a form of poetic justice if they could now have more in life, after being marginalized for so long.

Email iseneres@yahoo.com or text me at +639293605140. Watch my TV show “KA IKING LIVE” every Friday from 930 to 1030 PM in Destiny Cable Channel 3. Tune in to “KAPIT-BAYAN” in DWIZ 882 KHZ 5 to 6 PM Mon to Fri. Join the Inter-Charity Network. Form your local chapter.