Influence Of Community Participation On Sustainability Of Development Projects By Non-Governmental Organizations In Kenya. A Case Of Shofco Organization In Mathare Informal Settlement

Abstract

Lack of community participation has been cited by scholars as one of the key reasons for the failure of donor funded community projects. Project sustainability is a major challenge not only in Kenya, but also in many developing countries. The study sought to find out the influence of community participation on the sustainability of non-governmental organization in Kenya with Shining hope for community organization being the case study. Objectives of the study included, to establish the influence of project planning, labour contributions, communication and capacity building on sustainability of development projects by NGOs in mathare informal settlement. After reviewing the theoretical and empirical studies the study adopted descriptive research design where questionnaire and an interview guide was used to collect information from both members of the community and the Shining Hope for Communities Officials. The research findings establish that there is a positive relationship between community participation and sustainability of the projects. The study made the following recommendation; community participation have significant influence on sustainability projects and therefore any project that intend to benefit informal settlement must involve community participation during the planning meetings, include locals through labour contribution, there should be a clear channel of communication between the organization and other stakeholders which include members of the community and lastly capacity building should be factored during and after the project this will play a huge influence on sustainability of the project.