Small Towns Development Sector Project

The community's involvement in various project activities and its interactions with the government and project staff greatly enhanced the sense of ownership. Community participation and contribution was the key to successfully completing the village upgrading subcomponent. This was evidenced by the fact that the actual community contribution of $206,000, mainly in cash, exceeded the estimated amount of $200,000 expected at appraisal to be mainly as labor. The success of the village upgrading subcomponent indicates the importance of stakeholder consultation throughout the planning, design, and implementation stages.