Abstract
Sometimes we find ourselves in unjust situations that are so compelling we need to act immediately to change the reality that exists. One such instance occurred five years ago when a group from the United States visited Nicaragua’s Managua City Dump and saw waste pickers living and working in the horrible conditions that exist there. Within six months Project Chacocente was founded. The organization began relocating participants from the dump to the rural project site, giving access to the resources and trainings deemed necessary by the organization for the participants to realize self-sufficiency in the five-year project cycle. In the haste of moving people out of the dump as quickly as possible no problem assessment was done nor a formal project design created. Chacocente operated for four and a half years without a defined goal, project description, or monitoring and evaluation system. This capstone explores the question, “What have been the effects of the limited project design on Chacocente’s implementation and how will this affect the success of its participants?” The assessment draws out 1) how intended implementation has contrasted with actual implementation, 2) if the quality of life on the project site is preferable to that of the dump, 3) the effects of limited participation on the project’s sustainability and 4) constraints that have been faced by several stakeholders because of the limited design. The analysis section offers insights into how the use of project design tools (logframe, exit strategy, and a monitoring and evaluation system) could have aided Chacocente in avoiding unnecessary risks and been more effective in meeting the needs of its participants, perhaps limiting some of the negative outcomes outlined in the assessment section. Recommendations are given based on the findings of the assessment and analysis sections for improving both the current and next phase of project implementation.
Disciplines
Other Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Urban Studies and Planning
Recommended Citation
Pike, Brooke M., "Creating Dependence To Realize Independence. How An Organization Is Trying To Sustainably Relocate Residents Of The Managua City Dump With Minimum Project Design" (2008). Capstone Collection. 314.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/314