S
tr
engthening C
ommunit
y L
ear
ning C
en
tr
es thr
ough Link
ages and Net
w
or
ks: A S
yn
thesis of Six C
oun
tr
y R
epor
ts
6
Marketing opportunity increases.
There is increased access to the flow of information.
The scope of communication is increased.
It is possible to provide services at lower cost.
Capacity is enhanced.
Both the organizational set-up and physical infrastructure of CLCs are used by
agencies to provide services to the community (or even by individuals from
agencies like the Agriculture Block Officer for dissemination of knowledge about
new agriculture techniques, etc.).
Bangladesh Report, p. 31
From the results of the study, we found that the most obvious benefits of
networks were in the form of resources that helped CLCs in their administration
and operation. These included budget, personnel, materials and equipment.
Apart from these, network linkages resulted in the exchange of knowledge
between members of internal networks and members of external networks. This
resulted in the energy for thought and new knowledge factors that resulted from
the integration of deep background knowledge... Apart from the direct benefits
that have already been mentioned, we found that network organizations
were developed from pseudo networks to become allied networks that could
coordinate, link, create relationships and create activities based on mutual
benefits.
Thailand Report, p. 31
F. Obstacles and Problems
No major undertaking, no matter how successful, is without problems and obstacles.
The same is true even with the CLCs included in the country reports, even if they have
been chosen precisely because they were successful. In general, the obstacles and
difficulties were quite common to most of the CLCs in different countries. There was
a common appeal for more funding, and more reliable and continuous funding, to
enable the centre to work more efficiently and not depend on constant fund-raising
activities. There was a common desire for capacity-building, to improve the skills of
CLC coordinators, CLC committee members, and project implementors. There was
a desire for greater coordination and, in this case, more regular and more frequent
communication was a desirable goal. There was a need to be constantly reminded
of relevance to the local community, implicitly warning against external or political
interventions, and again underlining the need for community acceptance and
ownership. In particular, the specific country reports articulated the following:
Thailand reported four specific areas as continuing challenges: the limitations of
the leaders and key groups in the network; the activities that do not conform to the
problems and needs of the community; the need for vigilance, intervention and
control; and communication within the network.
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