Communication strategy for community development : a case study of the Heifer project - South Africa

Abstract

The objective of this qualitative pilot study was to develop a model to be used by a development agency in formulating communication strategy for community development, providing direction to development communication (DC) specialists/facilitators to play a more strategic role in the development process. Based on the findings of a literature study on communication strategy for development, as well as a case study on The Heifer Project - South Africa, the researchers suggest that an existing model for developing corporate communication strategy (Steyn 2000a) can be used for this purpose.

A major insight that emerged from the study was that the existing model for developing corporate communication strategy might also be applied in another context (with slight adaptations in terminology), namely to formulate 'corporate' communication strategy for the community/action group involved in the development project - more aptly to be called 'development' communication strategy. Such a strategy would make the participatory approach to development, and especially the participatory communication approach, even more 'participatory', since the strategic information on issues and stakeholders will be provided by the community and its designated communicator(s) themselves. AFRIKAANS: Die doelwit van hierdie kwalitatiewe loodsstudie was om 'n model te ontwikkel wat deur 'n ontwikkelingsagentskap gebruik kan word om kommunikasiestrategie vir gemeenskapsontwikkeling te formuleer, en daardeur rigting te gee aan ontwikkelingskommunikasiespesialiste/-fasiliteerders om 'n meer strategiese rol in die ontwikkelingsproses te speel. Gebaseer op die bevindings van 'n literatuurstudie oor kommunikasiestrategie vir ontwikkeling, sowel as 'n gevallestudie oor Heifer Projek - Suid-Afrika, stel die navorsers voor dat 'n bestaande model vir die ontwikkeling van korporatiewe kommunikasiestrategie (Steyn 2000a) vir hierdie doel gebruik kan word. 'n Belangrike insig wat deur die studie na vore gekom het, is dat die bestaande model vir die ontwikkeling van korporatiewe kommunikasiestrategie ook moontlik in 'n under konteks toegepas kan word (met geringe aanpassings in terminologie), naamlik om 'korporatiewe' kommunikasiestrategie vir die gemeenskap/aksiegroep betrokke in die ontwikkelingsprojek te ontwikkel - wat meer gepas 'ontwikkelingskommunikasie '-strategic genoem kan word. So 'n strategic sou die deelnemende benadering tot ontwikkeling, en veral die deelnemende kommunikasiebenadering, nog meer 'deelnemend' maak, aangesien die strategiese inligting oor vraagstukke en belangegroepe deur die gemeenskap en sy aangewese kommunikator(s) self voorsien sal word.