This document outlines the process of community entry in Ghana. It involves collecting information about the community, conducting a stakeholder analysis to identify key individuals, interacting with stakeholders such as community leaders, and holding an open community meeting. The goals are to initiate and sustain desirable relationships to secure community support for programs. Effective community entry requires skills like active listening, empathy, and respect as well as patience, tolerance and humility. The end goal is to initiate the program and ensure objectives are achieved through participatory implementation and sustainability.

1. COMMUNITY ENTRY PROCESSES IN GHANA

2. The idea of community entry presents six questions
2

3. COMMUNITY ENTRY
• Community entry refers to the process of
initiating, nurturing, and sustaining a
desirable relationship with the purpose of
securing and sustaining a community’s
interest in all aspects of a programme.
 It involves recognizing the community,
its leadership and people, and adopting
the most appropriate process in
meeting, interacting, and working
with them.
3

4. Steps in Community Entry
4

5. Steps
1. Collect information and map out the community;
2. Conduct a stakeholder analysis;
3. Interact with key stakeholders identified; and
4. Conduct the open community meeting
These will then culminate in the initiation of the programme and
evaluation. 5

6. Collecting Information and Mapping Out
the Community
6

7. Collecting Information and Mapping Out the Community
• Collection of information on the community (needs assessment) is done
through;
reading of annual reports from the District Health Management Team
(DHMT), newspapers, DHIMS, or health journals.
Key informants are instrumental
• Mapping out is done through the use of;
transect walks (systematic walk along a defined path across the
community/project to explore social conditions by observing, asking,
listening, looking, and producing a transect diagram); and
social mapping (a visual method of showing the relative location of
households). 7

8. Conducting a Stakeholder Analysis
8

9. Conducting a Stakeholder Analysis
• Stakeholder analysis is a technique used in identifying the interest
and influence of various groups affected by a project.
• This is done to establish key persons within the community who
may be crucial in achieving the objectives of the project.
 Key informants are again, very instrumental in doing this
• A stakeholder analysis is critical to defining problems and weighing
the solutions.
9

10. Stakeholder Analysis Cont’d
There are four basic steps to stakeholder analysis.
• Identify the key stakeholders;
• Assess stakeholder interests and the potential impact of the
programme/project on these interests;
• Assess stakeholder influence and importance; and
• Outline stakeholder participation and strategies.
10

11. Stakeholder Analysis Cont’d
Identify the key stakeholders
o Who are the principal leaders?
 Paramount chiefs, town/village chiefs, clan heads, to family heads.
o Who are the potential beneficiaries?
 Children, pregnant women/mothers, PLWDs, politicians, non-elected
government officials, interest groups, general community members.
o Have vulnerable groups been identified?
o Who might be negatively affected?
o Have supporters and opponents been identified?
o It is important to find out if the various groups can and will be willing to
work together. 11

12. Stakeholder Analysis Cont’d
Assess stakeholder interests and the potential impact of the programme on
these interests
o What are the stakeholders’ expectations of the project?
o What benefits and costs are there likely to be for the stakeholders?
o What resources are stakeholders able and willing to bring on board?
12

13. Stakeholder Analysis Cont’d
Assess stakeholder influence and importance
o Political, social, and economic power and status.
o Degree of organisation
 some can organise certain things better than others.
o Control of strategic resources
o Informal influence (access to leaders, ability to shape public opinion, social
networks).
13

14. Stakeholder Analysis Cont’d
Outline stakeholder participation and strategies
o Stakeholder participation strategy should be outlined according to;
 Interest, importance, and influence
 Particular effort is needed to involve important stakeholders who lack
influence
14

15. Interacting with Key Stakeholders
Identified
15

16. Interacting with Key Stakeholders Identified
• Arrange to meet with the key community leaders first as individuals then
as a group.
• It is very important to recognise the position and roles of the community
leaders in order that they will help to develop ways in seeking their co-
operation and support for programme Implementation.
• In meeting with chiefs and their elders, it is important to schedule meeting
times to suit their convenience.
16

17. Interactions Cont’d
Follow protocol;
• Meet the chiefs and elders first
• Meet the director of health services (Once project is a health-related one); and
• Meet interest groups and ‘relevant’ personalities in the community
• In meeting with stakeholders, it is important to schedule meeting times to suit
their convenience.
• In your group meeting with the leaders;
 Carry drinks/cola along (depending on the part of Ghana you are);
 Brief them on what you are there to do;
 Ask them to freely support you; and
 Study and be conversant with the custom and tradition of the people
17

18. 18

19. ROLE PLAY
19

20. Interactions Cont’d
• At the group meeting;
 Agree on date,
 roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders,
 venue,
 time,
 agenda and
 other logistics for the open community meeting after obtaining their
support for the programme.
20

21. Conducting the Open Community
Meeting
21

22. Conducting the Open Community Meeting
22

23. Conducting the Open Community Meeting
• The open community meeting is organised after meeting the key stakeholders:
to share programme goals and activities.
• A major outcome of this meeting will be an understanding of the project and the
(health) issues to be addressed.
• During the community meeting, discussions and decision making take place.
23

24. Community Entry Processes
• These (the 4 issues mentioned earlier) will culminate in the initiation of the
programme and evaluation
• The programme implementation process should be participatory with an
objective of sustainability.
24

25. Skills and Attitudes Required in undertaking Effective
Community Entry
25

26. Skills
o Maintain good eye contact.
o Listen to both sides of the issue
o Paraphrase
o Show interest
o Be empathetic
o Encourage others to listen.
26

27. Attitudes
o Patience
o Tolerance
o Respect for other people
o Good listening attitude
o Humility
27

28. Skills and Attitudes
• It is also important to;
 Ensure that community members understand the message and are
encouraged to ask questions when necessary.
 Ensure that message is clear and avoid unnecessary semantics and
jargons.
 Encourage effective dialogue through the use of effective 2- way
communication skills.
 Create humour and interact in a way that helps to build the
environment for effective interpersonal relationships.
28

29. Advantages of Community Entry
29

30. ADVANTAGES OF COMMUNITY ENTRY
• It helps to observe protocols;
• It helps to gain support;
• It ensures the establishment of good
working relationship; and
• It ensures that objectives are achieved.
30

31. Thank you
31