SYSTEMS PLUS COLLEGE FOUNDATION
Angeles City
COLLEGE OF NURSING
Nursing Care Management 113: COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING 2
(Community and Population Group as Clients)
2nd Semester, S.Y. 2020-2021
HANDOUT: COPAR
I. CONTENT
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH (COPAR)
AS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT
Definition:
COPAR
A social development approach
aims to transform the apathetic, individualistic and voiceless poor into dynamic,
participatory and politically responsive community
A collective, participatory, transformative, liberative, sustained, and systematic process
of building people’s organizations by mobilizing and enhancing the capabilities and
resources of the people
for the resolution of their issues and concerns towards effective change in their existing
oppressive and exploitive conditions
A process by which a community identifies its needs and objectives, develops
confidence to take action in respect to them and in doing so, extends and develops
cooperative and collaborative attitudes and practices in the community.
A continuous and sustained process of educating the people to understand and develop
their critical awareness of their existing conditions, working with the people collectively
and efficiently on their immediate needs toward solving their long-term problems.
Importance of COPAR
Helps the community workers to generate community participation
Prepares people to eventually take over the management of development program/s in
the future
Maximizes community participation and development
Mobilization of resources for health development services
Principles of COPAR
People, especially the most oppressed, exploited and deprived sectors are open to
change, have the capacity to change and are able to bring about change.
COPAR should be based on the interests of the poorest sectors of society.
COPAR should lead to self-reliant community and society
Processes used in COPAR
A PROGRESSIVE CYCLE OF ACTION-RECLECTION-ACTION – issues are
identified by people and the evaluation and reflection of and on the action taken by
them
CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING – through experiential learning
COPAR is PARTICIPATORY AND MASS-BASED – primarily directed and
based in favor of the poor, the powerless and the oppressed
COPAR is GROUP-CENTERED and not leader-centered – leaders are not appointed
but identified, emerge and are tested trough action.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING (CO) PROCESS
1. PRE-ENTRY PHASE
Gathering important data in the community before entering it
Knowing the people
Conducting preliminary social analysis
SOURCES OF INITIAL DATA:
Written community profile
Vital statistics consolidated and updated at the RHC
Reports from the Field Health Service and Information System (FHIS) of the covered
barangay
Descriptions of the barangay from RHU workers, barangay health workers, and
volunteers
2. ENTRY PHASE
Do not create false hopes
We should maintain a “low profile”
Based on the information we have gathered, we must adapt our clothing and manners
to the people’s way of life
We do not create the impression of becoming “superstars” or “saviours”
COURTESY CALL
Visiting the leaders in the community to present our intentions and to come to an
agreement with the scope of our work
Contact with the leaders will be continuous and often.
3. SOCIAL INTEGRATION OR “PAKIKIPAMUHAY”
Arranging period where we can live with them and experience what they do
We must become family members, neighbors, co-workers, co-church members, and
friends
We integrate specifically to achieve the following:
Empathy
work because of “pang-unawa” (understanding) rather than “awa” (pity)
Trust
mutually gaining comfort and revealing reality
Truth
people reveal their true sentiments, concerns and aspirations.
Tips on how to integrate well in the community:
a) Live their lives.
b) Get out of your comfort zones.
c) Cultural exchanges.
d) Be one of the crowd.
4. SOCIAL ANALYSIS/COMMUNITY DIAGNOSIS or “PAGSUSURING
PAMPAMAYANAN”
The usual participation of the people in the investigation of their situation through
answering survey questionnaires or interview questions.
People must have “kamalayan” or deeper understanding of their reality.
Community diagnosis must be done by the people.
People reflect on their present health conditions and identify individual and common
problems.
Investigate on the readiness and willingness of the community to remove barriers to
their health and contribute for the improvement of their healthy systems
5. CORE GROUP FORMATION
Core group is composed of individuals who possess abilities to lead the community in
health care.
Criteria for the core group:
Indigenous
Multisectoral
Social awareness
Commitment
People chosen
By creating a core group, the organization will not be leader-centered but people-centered
where all sectors will be represented.
6. SETTING UP THE ORGANIZATION
Readiness of the community to form organization
Start of establishing their organization
Election of officers
Every sector should have seat in the organizational leadership.
7. STRENGHTENING THE ORGANIZATION
Investigate deeper into their situations and find possible solutions as a whole
Formulation of mission, vision and goals.
Strengthen leadership and membership by training.
8. WORKING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Involvement with higher level of health issues not only affecting their own
community but their municipality, province, region or even the country
Need to be supported and support other organizations
Joining not only an organization, but coalition or alliance, or later even network.
PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH (PAR)
PAR
• Community-directed process of gathering and analyzing information or issues for the
process of taking actions and making changes
• Guided and continuous process that will chart present and future directions
• Involves research, education and action to empower the people
FOCUS – generate knowledge to generate actions
DRIVING FORCE – Positive Social Change
ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF PAR – Participation
MAIN ACTORS in THE RESEARCH PROCESS – People (Beneficiaries)
Activities
Investigate health conditions
Determine the causes of the problem
Analyze the problems
Identify factors affecting their level of functioning
Act by themselves in responding to their own problems
• Identify their strengths and weaknesses
• Determine ways for improvement or changes in action
Characteristics:
Research seeks social transformation
Problems are defined by the community members themselves
The people (community groups) undertake the investigation from data
collection to analysis
The community formulates recommendation and an action plan based on
research outcome
PAR IN THE CO PROCESS
• PAR is an integral part in community organizing
• Through PAR the organization is strengthened and continued
• PAR is the strategy used in social analysis
PAR METHODS:
Review existing documents
- Vital Statistics
Participant observation as basis for social analysis
Community mapping
-Analyze the relationships of the community’s resources
Case studies and stories
- Models for community actions
Seek those who are experts about specific issues
- Knowledge and skills handed on by tradition have been long validated and cannot
be questioned
Group encounters
- Joining “umpukans” with the community people
Transect walks
-Systematic walk with key informants while discussing significant information about
the community
Shared presentation and analysis
- Presentation, checking, correction, and discussion of findings and data by
local people at community meetings
PARTNERSHIP and COLLABORATION
NETWORKING
• Organizations exchange information about each other’s goal, objectives, services or
facilities
• Results in the organizations’ awareness of each other’s worth and capabilities and how
to contribute to the accomplishment of the network’s goals and objectives
• Requires small amount of time
• Has great potential in terms of joint action
COORDINATION
• Organizations modify their activities in order to provide better service to the target
beneficiary
• Becomes time consuming as it requires more involvement and trust from the committed
organization
COOPERATION
• Organizations share information and resources to make adjustments in one’s own
agenda to accommodate their organization’s agenda
• Organizations share ownership of the success, rewards as well as problems and hassles
that go along with working together
COLLABORATION
• Organizations help each other enhance their capacities in performing their tasks as well
as in the provision of services
• People become partners rather than competitors
• Entails a lot of work, but the potential for change can be great
COALITION or MULTI-SECTORAL COLLABORATION
• Organizations and citizens form a partnership
• All parties give priority to the good of the community
• Requires great investment in terms of effort, time, trust and the will to make a change
ADVOCACY
• Promotes community participation
• Helps people attain optimal degree of independence in decision-making in asserting
their rights to a safe and better community
• Places the client’s rights as priority
• Helps empower the people to make decisions and carry out actions that have the
potential to improve their lives
II. READINGS AND REFERENCES
Cuevas, Frances, et.al (2007), Public Health Nursing in the Philippines, 10th Edition, National League of
Philippine Government Nurses, Incorporated.
Famorca, Zenaida (2013), Nursing Care of the Community, Elsevier, Singapore Pte, Ltd
Layug, Ma. Estela (2009), East West Comprehensive Reviewer for the Nurse Licensure Examination,
C & E Publishing House, Inc.
Londrigan-Marie Truglio (2011), Public Health Nursing, Practicing Population-Based Care, Jones and
Barlett Publishers, LLC.
Maglaya, Araceli S. (2005), Nursing Practice in the Community, 4th Edition, Argonauta Corporation,
Marikina City
Prepared by:
JUNEFAITH ELESE C. NEO, MSN
NCM 113 Instructor
2ND Semester, S.Y. 2020-2021
Approved by:
REGIE A. BAUTISTA, RN, MN
Dean, College of Nursing
