Participation in development is not a new concept as over the years, facilitators of
development have realized that meaningful development can only be achieved when the
people concerned take part in decision making and implementation of activities affecting
them.
This study was done to examine the extent to which child participation is being achieved
in a development programme area, facilitated by World Vision Malawi, a Non
Governmental Organization. The study was done in Chata Area development
programme (ADP) located in T/A Chimutu in Lilongwe district. Children are defined as
any person below the age 18.
The study used mixed methods approach in which quantitative and qualitative
approaches were used. Through random and purposive sampling, 110 children and 105
adults were interviewed using a questionnaire. Focus group discussions and key
informant interviews were also done to supplement information collected through the
questionnaires.
Analysis of the quantitative data collected was done using Scientific Package for Social
Scientists (SPSS) tool while the qualitative data was analyzed manually using common
themes that emerged from the findings.
The findings of the study show that despite the many development activities in Chata
area participation of children has been limited. Adults look down upon children as a
minority group which cannot meaningfully participate in development activities.
Furthermore, the study found such factors as cultural and traditional practices, gender,
level of education and other household characteristics to be the major barriers to
children‟s participating in development activities. Surprisingly, the findings further
indicate that much as the programme has been engaged in advocacy activities, these
have focused more on creating awareness on child protection only rather than child
participation.
The study argues that if children will have to sustain the development gains in
communities such as Chata, then they equally need to participate in the development
process to enhance their future capacities in related development activities.
On the overall, therefore, the study recommends that there is a need to create
awareness on the adults to change attitude when they look at children and begin to
create room for children to participate in the development process in an age appropriate
manner. There is a need to create systems and structures that will enable children be
included in the decision making process while building their capacity and self esteem. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/3364 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Banda, Hastings Lisuntha |
| Contributors | Rakolojane, Moipone Jeanette |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (98, VIII leaves) |
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