Network to Optimize the Community’s Resources

After identifying what opportunities the community hopes the reblocking process will bring, the team can network to help the community connect with organisations that provide relevant resources. In Flamingo, the community stressed their concern for the children and the need for a crèche in their community, as well as their more urgent need to secure community members’ individual funding for their reblocked structures. Considering this information, we facilitated extending the community’s network with both local organisations and other NGOs that could support the settlement in building and maintaining a crèche for their children.  Additionally, we increased access to government sponsored grants and government issued Identification Booklets, a major requirement for employment.

The reblocking process broadens the community’s horizons tremendously when taken advantage of; by making connections between the community and organisations that can provide their support, new and often unexpected prospects unfold.  A good place to begin looking for resources is locally: our team met with the local library, local Salvation Army, local grocer, and local churches to determine what benefits they could provide the community and what new partnerships they could introduce between Flamingo and other NGOs.

Networking opened new doors for Flamingo Crescent, and without it they would not have as promising a plan for a crèche as they currently do, something they fought for our entire time working with them.  Creating a network to optimize the community’s resources is a big contributor to seeing that the project continues to be successful in the future and that the community can take advantage of every opportunity.