Community Engagement with Local Government

About this grant

The Trust for Community Outreach and Education focuses on land and local governance issues mostly with remote, rural communities. It works through eight regional affiliates across the three provinces of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo. This grant will enable the trust to strengthen the capacity of target communities to participate in local government processes, especially in view of the upcoming local government elections; work to ensure that municipalities are responsive to the needs of communities and that they create the space for communities to participate in planning processes; build the capacity of staff, local leadership and community-based organizations to engage meaningfully and with skill in local government processes; and facilitate access to basic services like water and electricity and access to markets for farm dwellers, farmer associations and producer groups.Activities during the past three years included encouraging the establishment of community development forums to address community concerns; developing the capacity of community-based organizations to understand the different aspects, roles and responsibilities of local government; disseminating information on the role of municipalities in providing free basic services to communities; and assisting various community groups to gain access to basic services, particularly water and infrastructure.