Promoting sustainability through enhanced capacities : a study of the role of a non-governmental development organization in promoting sustainable local development, through an enhancement of local community capabilities : the case of Joint Aid Management (JAM) International’s Operations in Machengue community, Inhambane, Mozambique

Abstract

During the last two decades of the twentieth century, there emerged an increased interest within the development field in how to promote sustainable local development. By responding to the danger of inducing aid dependency, it can be argued that the understanding of sustainable local development should involve enhancement of local communities’ abilities to successfully manage their own affairs as a way out of poverty. Such empowerment has been referred to as strengthening of capacities and freedom. This has been argued to lead to transformation and longlasting improvement of people’s lives, enhancing their well-being by breaking vicious circles of poverty traps. Several factors have received attention with regard to how to promote sustainable local development. Among these is the relevance of enhancing individual and social capabilities of the poor. Similarly, the importance of improving structures and institutions being positive to development has been strongly argued in recent times. Building on the question on how sustainable local development can be achieved through enhanced capacities, one may ask what role and function a nongovernmental development organization (NGO) can play in promoting such development. Although they are far from new, ‘non-governmental’, ‘third sector’ or ‘not-for profit’ organizations have in recent years become high profile actors within public policy landscapes at local, national and global levels”. Based on this, the objective of this thesis was “To study and analyse the role and function of a nongovernmental development organization (NGO) in promoting sustainable local development, through enhancement of local community development capabilities, structures and institutions”. The case of Joint Aid Management (JAM) International’s development operations in Machengue community, rural Mozambique, is applied as a case.