Community engagement for the joint promotion of local development

These educational materials have been produced within the framework of a programme of Cooperation for Development that the Basque NGDO and the Southern Network of Caritas Peru have undertaken between 2014 and 2018 in the Department of Cusco, on the one hand, and in occupational training centres in the Basque Country, on the other, with co-funding from the Basque Government’s Agency for Development Cooperation.

The project’s geographical setting is the Department of Cusco, and specifically the provinces of Acomayo and Canchis. Within these two provinces, the work has focused on the districts of Sangarará, Acopía and Checacupe, where there are a total 26 farming communities of Quechua origin, with an overall population of 11,680 people, of whom 51% are women. The programme has undertaken its activities in 13 of these 26 communities.

This programme’s aim was to orchestrate the local authorities and civil society in the districts of Sangarará, Checacupe and Acopía to work together to develop their local development strategies, according to criteria of engagement, inclusion, equity and sustainability.

This has involved working on the following six components:

1. Reinforcing the management capabilities of Local Government in the districts, for implementing policies for the community’s orchestration and engagement, with transparency and access to public information.
2. Reinforcing civil society’s organisation and its capabilities for engagement and orchestration (farming communities and grassroots organisations).
3. Empowerment of women and men, leaders of both sexes, for active and equitable engagement in the arenas and processes of orchestration for the development of their community and district.
4. Reinforcing the technical capabilities of Local Governments and civil society for implementing strategies that guarantee the territory’s sustainable development.
5. Reinforcing the capabilities of the Caritas SOUTHERN NETWORK for the empowerment and technical mentoring of local players of both sexes in the joint establishment of their development strategies.
6. Driving the coordinated work among educational agents in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, for impacting upon the education of young people, women and men, with civil awareness for their active and orchestrated engagement.