Community-Based Participatory Approaches for Addressing the Social, Environmental, and Cultural Challenges of Development

The developing world is littered with failed projects. There are countless examples where overly sophisticated equipment has been introduced into developing communities only to break down and sit idle because the communities were not educated in operation and maintenance and did not have the finances or materials for repairs, or simply because they did not understand the importance of "development." Despite the good intentions of well-meaning individuals, these projects have not been sustained and often cause more problems than they solve because project planners, engineers, social scientists, and the target communities frequently misunderstand or disrespect each other's perspectives. To try and take a more holistic approach to development, this case study reviews a community-based participatory approach that elicits emic perspectives through photography and participant interviews to try and determine the most pressing health needs of a small, peri-urban community in eastern Guatemala.