Description

Citizens’ voices in Peru have been gaining prominence in communities all over the country. Since 2007, World Vision Peru has been implementing and developing the Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) methodology in communities within four main locations (Lima, Ancash, Cusco and Ayancucho).

In those communities, people were not fully aware of their rights and duties as citizens, which resulted in poor public service delivery and communication with the local government. Inadequate treatment in health clinics and lack of quality education in primary and secondary schools were two major complaints of community members. However, the people felt powerless to achieve any change.

In 2007, with the goal of empowering citizens to pursue better quality of life, World Vision introduced CVA to communities in Peru. Through training and gatherings, community members learned about public policies, government commitments, and how to hold public authorities accountable for adequate delivery of services.

The process of sensitizing was essential in order to empower community members. They were able then to realize that the development and well-being of their communities were also in their hands as they worked alongside their government. CVA provided citizens with a platform from which to monitor services, evaluate them, and provide feedback to local authorities, demanding action as needed.

From 2007 to 2010, six communities monitored one service each. The monitoring occurred at a health clinic in suburban Lima (Nuevo Progresso), a health clinic in Ancash, a health centre in suburban Cusco (Santa Rosa), a support hospital in suburban Ayacucho (Accoscca), and two schools, one in suburban Cusco and another in the rural region of the province of Cusco.

Throughout the process, community members, including children and young people, showed interest in engaging in the methodology. These were the final number of participants that evaluated services: 77 community leaders, 36 authorities, 36 service providers, 88 adult service recipients, and 103 children and adolescents. Out of this total, 99 individuals participated in 6 working groups that organized and mobilized the community during the implementation of the CVA approach.

Fourteen indicators were selected for the evaluation and monitoring of health facilities and schools. Examples of the indicators were: amount of medicines and equipment in health clinics, appropriate treatment of patients, and number of health practitioners and staff. In schools, community members evaluated facilities, the use of teaching methodologies, and the amount and quality of information about learning outcomes and results.

After the identification of problems, CVA working groups designed action plans in order to demand the government to match up to their commitments. The results showed the efficiency of the CVA methodology.

Community members reported a higher level of satisfaction towards the treatment they were receiving in health clinics. Equipment and services were improved, including the installation of a heating system in Santa Rosa health clinic. Another important improvement was the installation of a birth registration office inside the support hospital of Huanta, which will benefit hundreds of children that are born there each year. Also, facilities in two health clinics in Nuevo Millenio and Accoscca improved, and Accoscca also received the donation of a piece of land for the construction of a health centre.

Beyond improvements and changes in health and education services, CVA also brought about the mobilization of community leaders and organizations. World Vision Peru reported that 27 community based organizations were reactivated and/or strengthened. Seventy-seven leaders were also empowered to exercise monitoring of public services, managing partnerships, dialoguing with local authorities, and influencing decisions done by the local government.

In Ayachuco, local leaders and other organizations decided to implement CVA in order to improve health services provided to women and newborns. A plan of action was designed and signed on September 2011 by several stakeholders, who became aware of the community engagement in monitoring services and demanding change from the local government. This was an important step for the people of Ayachuco, and hopefully the starting point towards a brighter future.

The CVA methodology played a key role in empowering Peruvian citizens to voice their concerns and attain better quality of life for those in their communities, especially children. This is the proof that the CVA approach has diminished the gap between people and government. CVA has equipped communities with a tool that is sustainable and thus produces lasting changes. After all, CVA is about uncovering the potential within citizens to exercise their rights and duties as they maintain government accountable for its commitments.