Community-based organizations (CBOs) are non-profits that operate within a single local community. They address local needs and facilitate community development efforts like access to microfinance and improving community health, education, and infrastructure. CBOs plan, implement, and monitor social and economic development programs with technical and financial assistance to communities. They have played an important role in development in Pakistan by building infrastructure, providing services, and empowering local communities. Suggestions to enhance CBO performance include increasing transparency, collaboration with other groups, and ensuring democratic representation and decision-making.

1. Community Based Organizations (CBO’s):
Lecture 10
Community Organization
Community organizations (sometimes known as community-based organizations) are civil society non-
profits that operate within a single local community. They are essentially a subset of the wider group of
nonprofits. Like other nonprofits they are often run on a voluntary basis and are self funded. Within
community organizations there are many variations in terms of size and organizational structure. Some
are formally incorporated, with a written constitution and a board of directors (also known as
a committee), while others are much smaller and are more informal.
The recent evolution of community organizations, especially in developing countries, has strengthened
the view that these "bottom-up" organizations are more effective addressing local needs than larger
charitable organizations
Types OfCommunity Organizations
Typical community organizations fall into the following categories: community-service and action,
health, educational, personal growth and improvement, social welfare and self-help for the disadvantaged[
Community-based organizations (CBOs)
Are not for profit, organizations on a local and national level, facilitating community efforts for
community development. CBOs works through people-centered modes of development such as
availability of micro-finance, community participation in development ensuring community health
education and infrastructure improves over time.
Purpose ofCBO,s
The purpose of CBOs is to plan, implement, and monitor social and economic development programs
and provide technical and financial help to the communities. CBOs positively affects the process of rural
change i.e. increase in income, improvement in health, nutrition and literacy status of the
populations. Some of the programs that can ensure bring changes in the rural communities are:
availability of micro-finance for micro-enterprise, health and education, sustainable agriculture,
animal husbandry, safe water and sanitation.
Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and their Role in Pakistani Society
In the past, various strategies based on top-down approaches were employed to curb the housing crisis in
less developed countries (LDCs),but most failed as they did not engage the local communities in
development projects. During 1980s, the UN launched the bottom-up approach, which emphasizes the
involvement of community-based organizations in shelter projects. This approach helped to overcome
obstacles such as the top-down approach: namely displacement, affordability, cost-recovery,and
reliability. Which were encountered in the top down approach?

2. In early eighties, the concept of community participation was introduced with Basic Needs Approach to
the development in which local bodies at the district level were asked to involve local communities in
preparation of Basic Needs Plans. In this context, the Basic Needs were defined as primary health care,
primary education, water and sanitation, and farm to market roads. In the absence of any financial
ceilings, the districts prepared wish lists and the process raised expectations enormously. But nothing
virtually came out of this expensive exercise except that for a while people experienced a sense of
participation under strict military rule. This was followed by refined versions of community participation
in delivery of primary education service,rural sanitation service,village infrastructure projects, irrigation
services and micro-finance services. Community participation has also been introduced in primary health
care but is still on a limited scale and has not become an integral part of the official strategy.
Recently Local Government launched a System that come up with the concept of Citizens Community
Boards, which encourage local communities eligible to get developmental grants from the districts and
implement small development projects in their respective areas.
The last decade witnessed an increasing role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs),particularly the
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs),in development of societies. This is due to combination of
factors including structural characteristics,which match the distinct shift towards participatory
development as well as the weak responses of Governments in the developing countries to the increasing
developmental needs. The increasing role of CBOs led to an escalating concern with regard to their
strengths, weaknesses,opportunities and threats vis-à-vis their mission statements and functions as
catalysts for sustainable rural development.
These CBOs have most probably existed in our society right from very beginning in one shape or another.
Pakistan has a rich history of both community participation and grass roots CBOs. Local communities
work together to build mosques, construct roads, clean cisterns, and some special events like irrigation
crops ,ploughing the field , harvesting/thrashing the crops etc. are strong in most parts of country. In some
cases local people contribute not only services but finance it as will for the collective solution of their
local problem.
The main tasks ofthe CBOs include:
1. Identify, plan and coordinate community’s development priorities.
2. Identify, appraise and implement or supervise the implementation of poverty alleviation interventions.
3. Monitor the progress of the program’s activities in their respective areas.
4. Create/activate effective linkages with various institutions at different levels.
5. Improve socio-economic condition of the local people.
6. Create awareness in the rural area for the social and economic development through participatory
approach.
7. Make such a platform where solution for social problems such as health services, education, sanitation,
clean water supply, infrastructure, agriculture etc. Could be discussed and according to groupe realities
possible step towards its solution could be taken.
8. Help the depressed class of society (women and children)
It is concluded that Community Based Organization can play crucial role in the delivery of various
services such as health, education and infrastructure to rural community.

3. Some ofthe suggestion through which we can enhance the performance ofCBOs.
• The people should be aware of the budget of the development activities in order to make checks and
balance more effective.
• To develop understanding among people it is very important to arrange broad based meeting in
community. The people will be aware that nongovernmental Organization (NGOs) have been providing a
good amount of developmental activities and with their cooperation there is no such sources for
developmental activities.
• The CBOs should work with collaboration of governmental line department’s religious parties, and
political parties in order to get support.
• The religious values should give its due importance to achieve the goal altogether.
• Young generation and women of the area should be given representation. But in case of women
representation, cultural values and religious values should not be forgotten.
• The dominative influence of some people should be eradicated from CBOs and the decision should be
made democratically.