When working in the field of international development, the word community is thrown around about a thousand times a day. It is emphasized continuously that community involvement, community ownership, and community empowerment are all key elements of the increasingly popular movement towards “community development”. But one thing I have learned very quickly, is that the world of development is filled with words that are used by a variety of actors in a variety of contexts, and more often than not, the words begin to mean something different to every person who uses them, and for many, their over use has left them without any true meaning. Sustainability, local ownership, gender empowerment, community development, efficiency, effectiveness, what do they all really mean? I can tell you what my university education would tell you, I could tell you what some of my Canadian NGO counterparts would tell you, and I could tell you what some of my Kenyan co-workers would tell you… But, I would be up for the Nobel prize if I could give you a definition for any of the aforementioned terms which could be 100% agreed upon by more than 10 people. However, after arriving and living in Mombasa, Kenya, for just over one month I feel closer than ever before to understanding what is meant by “community”.
When you arrive in a new place and you don’t know the language, the culture, the food, or directions you feel as far away from your community as humanly possible. Your school, your neighbourhood, your teammates, your friends. Your communities are nowhere to be found, and you feel lost. But then something happens and you see the power and glory of “community” all around you. Your neighbours, your coworkers, your fellow interns, and even complete strangers, see that you are lost and they embrace you into their “community”, into what will be your new community or communities, until you arrive back home. And through this inclusion you somehow find common ground, compassion, companionship, and commitment in communities where you have never looked before.
And so when I sit around the boardroom table and “community” is thrown around a thousand times, I take comfort in the thought that if only 10% of “community’s” true meaning is realized, we will all be better off for it...
