Transformational development indicators to measure the impact of community development programmes in rural societies

Abstract

There are several development programmes being implemented in rural societies to uplift the living standard of people, particularly during last two decades by many government institutions and NGOs, although, the poverty is still remaining in these areas. The question is whether the investments on such programs were effective or not. After the tsunami, in Hambantota district, about 70 local and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) were working in coastal villages to develop these communities. However, conventional development indicators do not show a remarkable development in these societies after spending a huge sum of money. This may be due to either all money spent on development is not effective or the indicators used cannot capture the development. This paper discusses the applicability of Transformational Development Indicators (TDIs) to measure the development process in poor communities. Five tsunami devastated villages - Kirinda, Andaragasyaya, Pallemalala, Wediwewa and Bundala- of Hambantota district were selected for the study where NGOs were working in community development programs. Socio-economic profile of the villages was collected from relevant government officers for three consecutive years from 2005. Information on TDIs was collected by a questionnaire survey (n=180), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and direct or participatory observations. TDIs were observed under categories of child development, gender issues, family resilience and transformation, community transformation and system transformation. All indicators were measured in the five point scale from -2 to +2. The non-parametric KW statistics were employed to analyze the data. Results revealed that, although, the average family income has not been significantly increased in real terms during last three years, the TDIs showed significant improvements in the aspects of child development, gender related issues and family resilience. However, some indicators of system transformation did not show a significant improvement. It can be concluded that TDIs are better to measure community development compared to conventional development indicators in rural communities. The invisible but important aspects of development such as social values can be effectively captured through TDIs although it is impossible to measure in monetary terms. Further research to develop TDIs to measure in quantitative terms is recommended.