Bsc Hons Psychology Disertation

i
An investigation into the role that attitudes play in the sustainability of
community development projects
BY
NHLANHLA MLILO (R0436326)
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of social sciences honors in Psychology
To the
Department of Psychology
At the
MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY
JUNE 2008
SAPERVISOR: MR S MAPHOSA

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P. BAG 9055, Gweru.
TEL: (263) 54 260450 Ext 261
FAX: (263) 54 260311
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
APPROVAL FORM
The undersigned certify that they have read and recommended to the Midlands State
University for acceptance, a project entitled “ an investigation into the role that attitudes
play in the sustainability of community projects”, submitted by NHLANHLA MLILO
(R0436326) in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the (Bsc) Honours degree in
PSYCHOLOGY
Supervisor …………………………………………
Chairperson ……………………………………….
External supervisor ………………………………..
Date ………………………………………………….

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P. BAG 9055, Gweru.
TEL: (263) 54 260450 Ext 261
FAX: (263) 54 260311
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
RELEASE FORM
AUTHOR NHLANHLA MLILO (R0436326)
TITLE OF DISSERTATION An investigation into the role that attitudes play
in the sustainability of community projects.
DEGREE PROGRAMME BSC HONORS IN PSYCHOLOGY
Permission is hereby granted to Midlands State University to lend a copy for scholarly
purposes only.
The author reserves the publication rights, and neither the dissertation nor extensive
extracts from it may be re-printed or otherwise reproduced without the authors’ written
consent.
Signed by
Student ………………………………
NHLANHLA MLILO
Department ………………………….

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DEDICATIONS
To my family (Nobuhle, Janet and Alfred Mlilo and Revonia S. Mpofu) l dedicate this
work and so much more.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am very indebted to my academic supervisor, Mr. S. Maphosa whose assistance and
guidance was the backbone of this study, who was supportive and always available to
give sound, comprehensive advice at every stage of the study.
Special thanks to the Lumene community that showed much interest to be part of the
research.
Last but not least, a lot of thanks to my parents for their spiritual, emotional and material
support which was of much value in this research. I would like to extend my gratitude to
my friend Zibusiso Ndlovu and my class mates for being of great assistance in proof
reading and discussing the project in detail with me. Lastly I would like to express my
gratitude to Revonia S. Mpofu for all her support throughout the research project time.

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ABSTRACT
The study aimed to establish the nature of the relationship between attitudes and
community developmental project sustainability. The research study was carried out the
Lumene village of Gwanda District in Matabeleland South Province. For data collection
the research employed the interview, questionnaire and the desk study as its data
gathering tools. The three data collection tools were used so as to enable triangulation of
data obtained and at the end of the study come up with more accurate results. The
Lumene population was divided into two strata’s, which were group A (community
leaders and project coordinators) and group B (general public), a simple stratified random
sampling was used to select participants for the research. Interviews were conducted with
group B participants while questionnaires were administered on group A.
The research found out that there is a generally positive relationship between attitudes
and the sustainability of community development projects. Thus projects met with
positive attitudes are more likely to be sustainable while those met with negative attitudes
are most often unsustainable. The research concluded that there is a need for behaviour
change programing if developmental goals are to be attained and these gains maintained/
sustained. Attitudes towards a project are the major determining factor in determining its
sustainability. It is the research’s finding that an increase in transparency by
developmental organisations on their projects usually leads to an increases in the trust
from communities and conversely leads to increased participation on projects and buy-in
on goals of projects. People naturally gravitate towards the truth and transparency, so by
increasing transparency organisations are building trust with communities and hence
fostering positive attitudes towards their projects. The research also discussed the
relationship between community involvement in a project and its sustainability. In
essence the research concluded that active involvement/ participation of people at all the
stages of a project leads to them having positive attitudes towards the project because
they feel that they are taking their destiny into their own hands, leading to increased
interest in the project which culminates in the sustainability of the project.

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ACRONYMS
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
HIV Human Immune Virus
CSC Cold Storage Company
CSO Central Statistics Office
CFWRZ Community Foundation for the Western Region of Zimbabwe
HBC Home Based Care
UNDPF United Nations Development Fund
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Education Fund
ADRA Adventist drought relief agency

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Table of Contents
APPROVAL FORM........................................................................................................ii
RELEASE FORM......................................................................................................... iii
DEDICATIONS.............................................................................................................iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................v
ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................vi
ACRONYMS................................................................................................................vii
Table of Contents .........................................................................................................viii
Table of figures ...............................................................................................................x
CHAPTER 1 ...................................................................................................................1
1:1 Introduction...............................................................................................................1
1:2 Background of the study............................................................................................1
1:3 Statement of the problem...........................................................................................3
1:4 Significance of the study ...........................................................................................3
1:5 Research questions ....................................................................................................4
1:6 Objectives of the study ..............................................................................................4
1:7 Hypotheses................................................................................................................5
1:8 Assumptions..............................................................................................................5
1:9 Purpose of the study ..................................................................................................5
1:10 Delimitation of the study .........................................................................................5
1:11 Limitations ..............................................................................................................6
1:12 Definition of terms ..................................................................................................6
1:13 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 2 ...................................................................................................................7
2:1 Introduction...............................................................................................................7
2:2 Theoretical framework ..............................................................................................7
2:2:1 Attitudes and attitude formation .....................................................................7
2:2:2 Attitudes versus project proposal and coordination.......................................9
2:2:3 Project introduction and handing over .........................................................11
2:2:4 Attitudes versus sustainability of projects.....................................................12
2:3 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................14
CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................15
3:1 Introduction.............................................................................................................15
3:2 Research design.......................................................................................................15
3:3 Target population ....................................................................................................16
3:4 Population sample ...................................................................................................16
3:4:1 Justification of the sampling method.............................................................17
3:5 Research instruments...............................................................................................17
3:5:1 Interview.........................................................................................................17
3:5:2 Questionnaire .................................................................................................18
3:5:3 Secondary data (desk study)..........................................................................19
3:5:4 Effects of data triangulation ..........................................................................20
3:6 Data collection procedure ........................................................................................20
3:7 Data presentation and analysis.................................................................................21
3:7:1 Data analysis methods....................................................................................21

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3:8 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................22
CHAPTER 4 .................................................................................................................23
4:1 Introduction.............................................................................................................23
4:2 Data presentation.....................................................................................................23
4:2:1 Data obtained through interviews .................................................................23
4:2:2 Data obtained through questionnaire............................................................25
Figure 1: Number of project meetings ...........................................................................26
Figure 2: Frequency of work times in projects ...............................................................26
Figure 3: Question time available during project meetings.............................................27
Figure 4: Projects led by locals are much more sustainable............................................28
Figure 5: Turnout in project meetings............................................................................28
4:2:3 Data obtained through desk study.................................................................29
4:3 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................29
CHAPTER 5 .................................................................................................................31
5:1 Introduction.............................................................................................................31
5:2 Discussion of results................................................................................................31
5:2:1 Community involvement................................................................................31
5:2:2 Culture versus project sustainability.............................................................32
5:3 Conclusions.............................................................................................................33
5:4 Recommendations ...................................................................................................35
5:5 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................37
APPENDIX A: interview guide.....................................................................................38
APPENDIX B: Questionnaire........................................................................................39
APPENDIX C: Desk study guide ..................................................................................41
REFERENCE................................................................................................................42

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Table of figures
Figure 1: Number of project meetings ...........................................................................26
Figure 2: Frequency of work times in projects ...............................................................26
Figure 3: Question time available during project meetings.............................................27
Figure 4: Projects led by locals are much more sustainable............................................28
Figure 5: Turnout in project meetings............................................................................28

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CHAPTER 1
1:1 Introduction
This chapter deliberates the background of the study and the objectives with special
reference on the significance of the whole research on the target population and greater
population as a whole will be discussed in detail. In this chapter delimitation and the
research questions will be spelt out clearly. The research was undertaken after the
realization of the high failure rate of community developmental projects.
1:2 Background of the study
In Zimbabwe, Lumene village in Gwanda alone, billions of dollars have been poured into
the developmental projects by many organizations such as the non-governmental
organizations, the government and the private sector doing their corporate social
responsibility duties throughout the years for developmental projects yet when
assessment of the projects is done nothing tangible is found.
Talk about the heifer scheme of the Cold Storage Company (CSC), the Home Based Care
(HBC) programme of the ministry of Health and Child Welfare, the rural farming project
of the Adventist Drought Relief Agency (ADRA) just to mention but a few have, all gone
down the drain in Lumene village.
This study comes as a result of the observation that Lumene villagers have benefited
enormously through skills training programmes yet when the funding for these
programmes, which they were trained for, and when monitoring organizations pull out of
the area, the villagers automatically withdraw themselves from the project. A case in
point is with the child play center programme which was introduced in 1992, play center
minders were trained and the community informed on the importance of sending their
children to these play centers, yet four years after cessation of funding for this
programme, the programme is a white elephant.

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All to often the projects funded in the Lumene village are a brain child of the donor
community. The village is engaged in the development initiative in a doctor-patient
relationship, were the donor community views the village as to be done good with. The
HBC programme was a brain child of the ministry of Health and Child Welfare which
was rolled out uniformly throughout the nation with little to virtually no consideration of
the differing cultures of people. The child play center programme also did not consider
the differing life maps of different communities hence when introduced in Lumene the
programme was at divergent paths with the village way of life hence people did not fully
support it. The games and toys in the play centers were foreign, making it hard for them
to be carried over to home were grandmothers through their indigenous means of
storytelling and games brought up children.
All having been said, the researcher strongly believes the afore mentioned background is
lays a strong case to investigate the role that people’s attitudes play in the community
development initiatives, with the aim of informing future programmes towards being
tailored to be more sustainable. According to Thabo Mbeki (president of South Africa
2007), as cited in the New Africa (September issue 2007:14);
…the development game has for long been mere window dressing for donor
agencies and in some cases governments to burn some cash in the name of
developing a people. Maybe the jinx about sustainable development lies in the
attitudes of the people towards developmental initiatives, any kind of development –
a key factor in this sustainability of development. After all, what is the value of
development that constantly hemorrhages?
Battern (1964), assets that the school system in most of the southern African countries
has taught people a difficult attitude, that personal gain and advancement are far much
worth causes than striving for the betterment of the whole society. It is, thus the school
system tends to weaken the social bonds, to undermine the traditions, affections that unite
men with one another and generation with generation.

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1:3 Statement of the problem
An alarming number of developmental projects have failed in the Lumene area, play
center buildings lye idle without students in them, the community hall is not being
utilized.
1:4 Significance of the study
Numerous researches have been carried out in the field of sustainable development and
many projects tailored in recognition of the findings of these researches. The failure of
these projects has been attributed to the misguided nature of the research programmes,
the rigidity of the findings which have in most cases failed to recognize and accord
importance to diversity and progression of cultural-economic issues and most important
people’s needs. However, the major stumbling block that has in most cases led to the
failure of many projects is the failure to accord importance to studying of people’s culture
with the vision of coming up with developmental; projects that are compatible with a
peoples culture hence sustainable in the area.
The research will go a long way in capacitating both the academic and project officers on
the importance of studying people’s attitudes and molding them towards obtaining
favorable results in project implementation. The research will emphasize on the need to
firstly change people’s attitudes and then implement a culture conscious developmental
project hence allowing for a shared vision which leads to the sustainability of the project.
The research will also seek to explore the importance of community involvement in
project planning, implementation until the handing over of the project to be run
independently by the community, to give full support to projects conceived and proposed
by the community.
The Lumene community will benefit through being informed by the programme
coordinators to adapt favorable attitudes for the sustainable implementation of
programmes to develop their area. The Lumene villagers will also benefit through efforts

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to guide them towards the sustainability of developmental projects in their area.
Theoretically the research will seek to benefit students of developmental studies and
community developmental workers in that it would bring to light all factors about
people’s attitudes and how they interact to affect the sustainability of developmental
projects.
The Lumene community will benefit in that, after the coordinators are aware of factors
affecting sustainability there would be increased sustainability of projects in the area.
Also the Lumene community will benefit in that the village will be greatly developed if
the people are actively participating in developmental projects.
1:5 Research questions
 Do people’s attitudes towards developmental projects have a bearing on the
sustainability of the project?
 Do negative attitudes towards a project directly lead to project failure?
 Do positive attitudes towards a project translate to project success?
 Does the level of community involvement in project proposal, planning and
implementation have a bearing on the sustainability of a project?
1:6 Objectives of the study
 This study seeks to establish the nature of the relationship between attitudes and
community development projects sustainability.
 The research will investigate how negative and positive attitudes affect project
sustainability.
 This study aims to establish the nature of the relationship between the level of
community involvement in a project and the sustainability of the project.

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1:7 Hypotheses
Negative attitudes held by the community towards developmental projects contribute
towards the failure/ unsustainability of community developmental projects in the long-
run, while those met with positive attitudes are sustainable.
1:8 Assumptions
 It is assumed that people need progress in their community in the form of
community developmental projects.
 People will cooperate with the researcher as he is known in the village.
1:9 Purpose of the study
The purpose of the study is to establish the nature of the relationship between attitudes
and community project sustainability, investigating how the level of community
involvement in a project has a bearing on the future sustainability of a project.
1:10 Delimitation of the study
The study was carried out in the Matabeleland South Province, Lumene village in
Gwanda District, and 60km along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge road. According to statistics
published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) (2004), a village is consisted of a
hundred households and a household is consisted of an average of six people, hence the
research in Lumene focused on a target population of six hundred people in a hundred
households. The target population was divided into two strata’s, which were group A and
group B. group A was consisted of the village leadership and project coordinators and
project committee members, while group B was consisted of all other Lumene villagers
not included in group A. group A was consisted of a total of thirty households while
group B was consisted of a total of seventy households. From a total of hundred
households, Group A is consisted of thirty households (100 – 30 = 70), it therefore
follows that group B will be consisted of seventy households.

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1:11 Limitations
The research was during the agrarian; hence people may opt to concentrate on their field
work than attend interviews. Also the unstable political situation would be a hindrance in
the holding of as many as needed and the administering of questionnaires since most
people would be concentrating on the elections activity.
1:12 Definition of terms
The meanings of terms used in the study are given:
Attitude – a learned predisposition deduced from behavior to respond in a consistently
favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a given object, person or spatial
environment.
Sustainability – used herein to refer to a project that continues to function as mandated
on inception after cessation of funding
Community – a group of people living together, bound by a common language, culture
and sharing their resources.
Community development – a programme that seeks to improve the status/ welfare of the
whole community, thus there is collective gain from the project by the community as a
whole.
1:13 Conclusion
The chapter dealt with the delimitation and background of the research, clearly laying out
the factors leading to the undertaking of research. Furthermore, the chapter exhaustively
stated the objectives and discussed the significance of the research.

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CHAPTER 2
2:1 Introduction
The chapter focuses on the theoretical framework guiding the research, taking special
mention of the literature that has been gathered about people’s attitudes in relation to the
sustainability of community developmental projects. The chapter discusses the afore
mentioned aspects in connection with the area of study, discussing the attitude formation
processes, the project introduction and handing over impact on sustainability and overall
how attitudes impact on the sustainability of community developmental projects.
2:2 Theoretical framework
2:2:1 Attitudes and attitude formation
The concept of an attitude is an invaluable concept in the study of behavioral sciences,
for it brings together both internal mental life and overt behavioral responses within one
framework.
According to Fishbein and Azjen (1975), most researchers would agree that an attitude is
a learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner
with respect to a given object, person or spatial environment. Messer (1983) further
argues that attitudes are learned schemas of processing information, hence predisposing
one to react in a consistently similar fashion to a given stimuli. Messer (1983) further
purports that attitudes are frameworks through which people process information quickly,
thus if one has had an unfavorable interaction with community developmental
coordinators in the past, then one is bound to view these people with contempt and
suspicion latter on in life. It thus can be concluded that attitudes predispose to behavior.
Fishbein and Azjen (1975) further theorized that attitudes are abstract concepts
comprising of three basic features; the notion that an attitude is learned, that it
predisposes to action and that it is relatively consistent overtime. It thus can be theorized
that if the Lumene villagers have in the past had a bad experience with developmental

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staff, the villagers learnt not to trust developmental staff in general. This in turn leading
to them viewing with suspicion all projects brought by developmental agencies and
viewing them with suspicion and this relationship is usually consistent with time.
Kelman (1961) stated that there are three main processes involved in the formation or
changing of attitudes, these are compliance, identification and internalizing. If a villager
actively participates in a project because everyone else does, they are complying. If one
finds himself agreeing with everything a friend they particularly admire says about a
community developmental project they are identifying with the friends attitude. If a
villager genuinely likes a developmental project regardless of what other villagers say or
do, then one is expressing an internalized attitude. According to Gross (2005) culture
influences everything from our taste in food to our attitudes towards events in our
surroundings and our political opinions. A case in point is the failure of the piped water
project in Mtshabezi, community of Gwanda because women were used to fetching water
from communal wells were they exchanged ideas on family life, they resisted the new
project, did not contribute towards the purchase of fuel for the pump to supply water
leading to the failure of the project.
Triandis (1971) posited that attitudes are consisted of three main components which are,
the cognitive element (a person has some knowledge or opinion about an object, event or
environment), the behavioral component (the way he is predisposed to act towards the
attitude object, event or environment) and the affective component (his feelings towards
the stimulus). An example is when in Lumene a gully filling project was introduced, the
Lumene people had previously known forestry officers to be looking for people doing
stream bank cultivation to be fined (cognitive component), thus the employment of a
forestry officer to coordinate this project lead to people not supporting it (behavioral
component) because they felt that the project was a clever cover-up for the forestry
officer to investigate and prosecute those having gardens near rivers (affective
component).

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This assumption can better explain the failure of the heifer/restocking scheme in Lumene
village. The CSC funded the project and a successful project officer from the forestry
department was selected to head the project. Because the people of Lumene village had
never met a forestry commission officer who was genuinely trying to help, they viewed
this project as a mission of spying on their natural resources for the government.
Villagers were thus suspicious of the real motives of the officer and in turn the
programme, hence leading to lack of commitment to the success of the programme by the
Lumene villagers.
2:2:2 Attitudes versus project proposal and coordination
Ndlovu (2006) argued that it is not enough for development to take place or that people
should want better tools or houses. Such can only be permanently satisfied when the
reception of a developmental initiative is holistic. By holistic Ndlovu (2006) meant that
there would be community ownership of the developmental project and the people’s
attitudes will be favorable towards the initiative. In support of this notion is Hubbard
(2007), assets that it is not enough that the worker at work should wake up every day and
aim to earn a wage, but that the worker should have motivation beyond monetary
rewards, the worker own and love his work. In this light it can be concluded that a worker
with a favorable attitude (is in control of his work activities and way of doing work)
towards his work is the most valuable asset a company can have. It thus can be argued
that community owned projects are most sustainable because of the commitment for
success by the community.
Observations made by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDPF) in southern
Africa reveal that supporting projects that have their roots in the community, leads to
increased sustainability of projects. Furthermore it can be argued that those projects
initiated and coordinated by indigenous people receive greater support than those led by
external coordinators. A case in point is when the UNDPF funded the Community
Foundation for the Western Region of Zimbabwe (CFWRZ), a grassroots self-help
organization. The CFWRZ was a Matabeleland initiative based on the time tested
“qogelela” concept, were community members contributed small funds towards a

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communal purse to help the disadvantaged. When an elderly woman was interviewed, she
described the fund as, “a big purse of money that they were growing for the benefit of
their children and grandchildren”. It thus can be concluded that the community was aware
that the money they contributed would not necessarily benefit them personally, that the
building of the endowment was a long-term process meant to benefit future generations.
The continued existence of the CFWRZ twelve years after its inception is clear testimony
that once a community conceives its programme and the programme is tailored in respect
and being complimentary of their culture, the programme would be sustainable. Ncube
(2003) argues that ownership and control of a project by the community is important
because it makes them feel proud that they are taking their destiny into their own hands
and determining their own future. They are not helpless charity cases relying on
handouts. The effect that this pride has on a community that is experiencing severe
hardships should not be underestimated. It is a major motivating and driving factor,
resulting in the sustainability of a project.
Further reading s have revealed that community needs, cultures and views have long been
relegated to the dustbins of project conceptualization and implementation to the total
demise of the whole project. Battern (1962) takes mention of a resettlement project
undertaken in New Guinea in (1943). The objective of the whole project was to resettle
people from their traditional lands which were tsetse infested and had poor infertile soils
to fertile lands without tsetse flies. The government experts carried out all the technical
work (surveys of roads, wells, grazing lands, agricultural lands, village layouts together
with trade routes) without consultation with the villagers. Thus all the planning took
place in the heads of the government people. The logic behind this kind of thinking was
that the government knew best what was good for the people. However, trouble only
started when after all plans had been put afoot and the villagers were asked to move to
the new villages. It was at this stage that the project faced resistance; it all came as a
shock to the government that all possible preparations had been done yet the villagers at
the end did not behave as planned. Thus, the project faced resistance to the extent that
some villagers running away from the resettlement back to their old villages. A report
published by an evaluation team revealed that the project was bound to fail and the

11
expenses incurred in using brute force to enforce order and prevent running away were
too much. This was the case until a promotions team was put in place to tour the villages.
The team was made up of professional actors who used plays and films to educate and
explain to the villagers the good inherent in their new villages. After a successful tour it
was noted that the villagers accepted the new villages and settled good into their new
lives.
Unlike manual or technical projects, community development projects cannot be
undertaken to instructions at a set prefixed pace. Hubbard (2007), notes that, in
community development unlike other forms of development, the people (their needs and
plans) are the workers ultimate authority. If a developmental organization ignores this
notion by pressing too ambitious a programme (divergent from community way of life)
on the community, or by expecting them to achieve too much in too short a time, the
programme will be doomed to fail. Battern (1962), notes that the above-mentioned notion
happens most acutely in big, nationwide programmes. “The large bureaucracy required in
the operation of such programmes tends to make it difficult to maintain the idea of
building from the bottom-up”, Battern (1962). There is a tendency for targets, specified
for attainment of long-term national goals to conflict with targets which villagers
themselves would specify. It thus can be concluded that projects conceived by external
organizations come with their set objectives, which in most cases are at divergent paths
with the true needs of the community leading to the unsustainability of the project
because it does not address the real issues the community would like to be addressed.
2:2:3 Project introduction and handing over
Sustainability of community developmental projects has been noted to depend to a large
extent on the first impressions that the community forms about the project. According to
Battern (1962), the agent chosen in a community to pilot the programme can do a lot to
neither build support or contempt for a developmental project. Battern (1962) further
argues that there are basically two avenues to introduce a project to a community, thus
one can solicit the support of the dominant alliance/community leadership or use the
easier route of using the poor to introduce the project to the community. However, it has

12
been noted that projects piloted by the community poor are largely unsuccessful since
people are less likely to be influenced by those they view as inferior to them and also the
poor have little to lose should the project fail as compared to the successful individuals.
Using the community leaders has been noted to to greatly increase the sustainability
levels of a project. Because these people are respected and their views respected, projects
supported by them get community approval and the attitudes towards the projects would
be favorable leading to their sustainability.
According to Thabo Mbeki (2007);
… the development game has for long been mere window dressing for donor
organizations and in some cases governments to spend some cash in the name of
developing a people. Maybe the whole jinx about development lies in the attitude
of people towards development, any kind of development – a key factor, this
attitude, in this sustainability of development. After all what is the value of
development that constantly hemorrhages.
2:2:4 Attitudes versus sustainability of projects
The South African government has sought to use attitude change techniques so as to
attain sustainable results in it HIV/AIDS behavioral change campaign. The campaign is
focused on reducing the HIV/AIDS prevalence in a country worst hit by the epidemic.
“Get an attitude”, is the slogan of the campaign. Having realized that people’s attitudes
play a major role towards their behavioral tendencies, the South African government
sought to influence the attitude formation process of the people towards being responsible
hence promote safe sexual practices thus decreasing the HIV prevalence. The campaign if
reversed and applied to community development projects would be helpful in that it
would focus on changing people’s attitudes towards being favorable to developmental
initiatives. Besides, there is a saying that, “were there is a will there is a way”, thus if
people have favorable attitudes towards a project, half the job will already have been
done. Since the start of the “Get an attitude” campaign the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in
South Africa has decreased by 12%, (Department of Health Statistics, South Africa
2008).

13
The District Development Fund (DDF) in its report of 2003 revealed that there is a great
need for the DDF to spend more on project promotional teams so as to lay a fertile base
for the successful implementation of their projects. The report revealed that there is a
need to foster community ownership for projects to be sustainable. A case in point was
the water sanitation project undertaken in Lumene village. Water surveys were done and
boreholes sunk. What the technical team did not consider was why people opted to use
their traditional wells. Firstly the borehole water is not good for washing, the wells are in
forested areas hence one would also collect firewood in that one trip. During the
construction of the boreholes villagers contributed in labor and bricks as asked for by the
project supervisors. However, on completion the boreholes were referred to as the DDF
boreholes and less frequently used. This is a classic case of lack of community ownership
and commitment to a project hence leading to the project failure.
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in Zimbabwe is also engaged in an
education for all programmes. In this programme, children and schools are given play
materials; books and fees are paid for the economically disadvantaged. In recognition of
firstly creating a favorable environment for the success of the programme, UNICEF
pioneered a behavior change programme were villagers and schools were concientised on
the importance of affording children a good education and childhood. Observations have
revealed that in communities were the villagers have actively participated and understood
the programme; the programme has been successfully implemented.
Battern (1962) noted a funny scenario in Israel; he notes that the nomads living in the
desert fringes were forced to reside in brick houses instead of tents. Latter observations
revealed that some nomads were erecting tents inside their houses. This goes a long way
to show that people’s attitudes/culture cannot be changed through force but through
convincing them of people of the good inherent in your new way of doing things.

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2:3 Conclusion
The chapter dealt with what other scholars have said about sustainable development.
Relevant examples of project sustainability being affected by people’s attitudes were
discussed in the chapter. Attitude formation modes were also discussed in the chapter.

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CHAPTER 3
3:1 Introduction
This chapter will discuss the research methodology used to carry out the research,
exploring the sampling techniques used in the research. In this chapter, research tools are
clearly examined, stating the data collection procedure used and methods of data
presentation and analysis. In essence the chapter was a qualitative study and all technical
aspects of the research are discussed in this chapter.
3:2 Research design
The aim of the research was to find out the role that attitudes play in the sustainability of
community developmental projects. Because attitudes cannot be seen nor handled but
inferred through people’s behaviors and what they say, hence researcher used the
qualitative research method, using interviews and questionnaires. Bicklem (1992)
explained that, qualitative research is used a an umbrella term to refer to several research
strategies that share certain characteristics, that is, the data collected has been termed soft,
meaning, rich in description of people, places and conversation. With the above
mentioned definition of the research topic, it can be concluded that the qualitative
technique suits the requirements of the research topic, which calls for the collection of
data in a naturalistic set up using descriptive and narrative methods of data collection,
recording and analysis.
To obtain data the researcher asked a couple of questions through the interview process
and the questionnaire. The questions were largely descriptive in nature, thus they
solicited descriptive answers. According to Marion (1998), descriptive research style is
suitable when description and explanation is sought. The research assumed inductive
logic style in analyzing the findings of the research. The inductive approach seeks to
explain the phenomena, as it starts with gathering data, analyzing and matching
generalizations on outcomes to theories hence it was compatible with this research.

16
3:3 Target population
The target population of the research is from Lumene village in Matabeleland South
Province. According to statistics published by the CSO, a village is consisted of a
hundred households and a household is consisted of an average of six people hence the
research in Lumene village is going to have an average of six hundred people in a
hundred households as its target population. Demographic data about Lumene village, as
cited in the CFWRZ annual report 2007, shows that the community is made up of 40%
males and 60% females, 36% of the total population are school going children while 28%
are the economically and sexually active and an average of 15% is made up of the
elderly.
The total, actual target population of the research would be hundred household heads who
will be engaged either to fill in the questionnaire or be interviewed. It it is hoped that
their views will mirror the views of all the other adults in each household.
The research will target only residents of the Lumene village. The target population will
be divided into two strata’s, which will be group A and group B. group A will be made
up of households which have people who are in the village leadership, community project
coordinators while group B will be consisted of all other households not falling into the
category of group A.
3:4 Population sample
According to Foreman (1993:13), “sampling refers to the process of selecting or choosing
research respondents from a population. A sample is a subject portion of the population,
which is assumed to be representative of the population from which it has been taken
from”. In the research the researcher employed a stratified random sampling method for
selecting respondents from the two strata’s, group A and group B. Cozby, Wooden and
Kee (1989:44) defined stratified random sampling as, “a method in which the population
is cast into groups, strata’s using their demographic differences like sex, education,
position etc, the random sampling techniques are used to select members to participate in

17
the research from each stratum. From the target population of hundred households, group
A had thirty households while group B was consisted of seventy households.
In using the stratified random sampling technique the researcher assigned numbers to
households in group A and group B alike and then place the cards with these numbers in
a box. For group A, from a total, of thirty cards representing thirty households in this
stratum, ten were drawn to be involved in the research by filling in the questionnaires.
For group B, from a research population of seventy households, thirty cards were drawn
to be respondents in the interviews.
3:4:1 Justification of the sampling method
Stratified random sampling targets all groups and generally accords equal opportunity to
be chosen to all in the research population. It takes into consideration the varying socio-
economic differences inherent in the community such as class and authority, gender and
race as they all shape behavior and attitudes of the people.
3:5 Research instruments
The study employed interviews, questionnaire and the desk study research to collect
relevant data.
3:5:1 Interview
The research assumed a directive nature in interviews. Gall et al (1996) asset that,
interviews consist of oral questions and oral responses from participants. N the study, the
interviewer was in control of the response writing, scheduling of participants and setting
mutually agreeable time and place of question answering. The researcher visited all thirty
households chosen to be respondents in group B, a day before the holding of the
interviews to set appointments for interviews. Family heads were interviewed in the
entire thirty households, it was assumed by interviewing family heads that their views
were representative of all family members in their households. All interviews conducted
were highly flexible as they allowed for a more conversational atmosphere.

18
Throughout the interview process, the researcher was in a position to appraise the
accuracy and validity of responses. Gall et al (1996) pointed out that, interviews allow
and can build trust and rapport with respondents, thus making it possible to get
information that an individual will probably not reveal through the questionnaire. The
personal conduct of the researcher and informants greatly facilitated valid data collection
in the sense that, questions that were not readily grasped by the interviewees were
rephrased; some repeated with brief explanations were necessary. This facilitated the
researcher to be in a position to appraise the accuracy and validity of responses.
Notwithstanding the gains obtained through the use of interviews, there were some
discrepancies brought by the use of the tool. The interview research tool suffered from a
“double dose of subjectivity”, as it integrated unwarranted interpretations, guesses,
impressions into the data and reported informants personal opinions and thinking. Young
(2003) argues that a tool usually subjected to “double dose of subjectivity” suffers from
faulty perceptions, faulty memory, lack of insight and inability to articulate on the part of
the interviewee. In a bid to ensure that data collected was valid the researcher resorted to
using not only interviews but also questionnaires as well as secondary data.
3:5:2 Questionnaire
The researcher made use of the questionnaire. These consisted of questions carefully
prepared and arranged to give logical meaning and flow of data. The structured
questionnaires used were mainly open-ended. The responses solicited were free and
characterized by spontaneous expressions on the part of the informant who was not
limited in his replies. Since it was non-restrictive, a wide range of answers were obtained,
some articulate and others meaningless with a wide intermediate graduations of report.
The researcher used structured questionnaire that have non-direct responses. Young
(2003) argues that, non-direct responses cause some problems of classification and
analysis. Due to its unrestrictive nature then tool supplied inconsistent data, which led to
some difficulties in data analysis.

19
The researcher visited the ten households selected to be respondents of questionnaires,
the family heads were given the questionnaire to be answered. The researcher left the
respondents with the questionnaires to be answered/completed overnight and collected
for analysis the next day.
However, as Young (2003) noted, generally the questions posed in structured
questionnaire were sufficiently suitable to be quantified although much qualitative
information was secured. The quantified data largely facilitated benefit value ascertaining
and construction of statistical analysis tools to try and explain the relationship between
the alleged causal factor (attitude) and the alleged resultant effect (project
failure/unsustainability). The researcher opted for this instrument basing on its relevance
to the investigation. More so, the instrument has advantages on its side which include low
cost of sampling respondents, less time required to collect data, the questionnaire can be
standardized and can also be posted hence reduce transport costs for the researcher and
reach a wide population.
3:5:3 Secondary data (desk study)
The secondary data analysis was mainly concerned with document data collection and
concurrent analysis. Gay (1996:221) refers to a document as, “any written or non-written
record which exists and which may enhance the researchers overall understanding of the
situation under study”. Such documents include but are not limited to, minutes of
meetings, progress reports, financial statements and past reports. Gay (1996) notes that,
the use of secondary data sources significantly contributes in terms of enhancing the
reliability of research findings largely because such documents are “obstructive”, thus
they are not affected by the presence of the researcher. More so, the documents help the
researcher in assessing past trends that provide data for interpreting developing events.
In the desk study the researcher used annual reports from organizations such as the World
Vision Zimbabwe, CFWRZ, DDF and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). The
researcher also used magazine and newspaper articles that were relevant to the study.
Program review reports from the ministry of Health and Child Welfare, minutes of

20
programme review and monitoring meetings of the Lumene HBC were also used in the
study. The documents enhanced the reliability and validity of the research findings. From
these documents the researcher mainly analyzed the frequency of holding meetings, the
attendance numbers in the meetings and the amount of time set aside for comments,
questions and answers by the meeting attendants.
3:5:4 Effects of data triangulation
Due to the high need to promote accuracy of findings and also to increase validity and
reliability of research, the researcher adopted the data triangulation process in form of
data collection and triangulation. More so, the researcher used the process to compliment
the chosen research strategies and to be near to the truthful findings as possible.
3:6 Data collection procedure
Data collection is the process of gathering and compiling research data from the research
population.
The interview process was used by the researcher, to collect data from the group B
sample of respondents. A total of thirty people were interviewed, the respondents were
household heads whose views it is assumed represented the views of all those in their
households. A one-to-one approach to interviewing was used by the researcher, this
approach helped in that it removed the barriers inherent to group interviews. In the
interview process, the interviewer asked the questions and the interviewees responded as
best as they could, the interviewer wrote down all the responses for latter analysis.
The interviewees were able to answer and elaborate in isindebele, their mother tongue,
for greater emphasis and also ask for clarification in cases of misunderstanding of
implication of the question. For a non-biased and accurate analysis of findings, the
researcher logged/ recorded everything that the interviewees said in the field. According
to Cohen and Marion (1994), recording all that the interviewee says in the field and then
analyzing the answers latter is advantageous in that the analysis will be done at a relaxed
state hence leading to more accuracy. The researcher visited the chosen households a day

21
before the holding of interviews to set mutually agreeable times and venues for
interviews with the concerned household heads.
The research also used questionnaires in data collection. Ten questionnaire sheets were
handed out to the selected participant’s in-group A by the researcher when he visited their
households. The respondents were given one full day and a night to fill in the
questionnaire. The researcher then went around the ten households collecting the filled
questionnaire sheets on the third day; of the ten questionnaire sheets distributed all were
returned
3:7 Data presentation and analysis
According to Miles and Haberman (1994), analyzing of qualitative data consists of three
actions; data reduction, display and conclusion drawing. The typical mode of display in
qualitative research is narrative text, although narrative text alone is sometimes
considered a weak and cumbersome form of display, Miles and Haberman (1994). To
counter for the weakness of narrative text alone the researcher blended the study with
statistics supported by data display instruments such as tables. Czarniawska (1999),
argues in favor of narrative knowledge as an alternative approach for bridging the gap
between theory and practice.
The researcher analyzed all responses in the interview, questionnaire and desk study data
individually. Responses were looked at and presented in tables; explanations generated
basing on the representation of responses in the tables.
3:7:1 Data analysis methods
a) Patter-matching
For qualitative data analysis, one of the most desirable strategies is to use pattern-
matching logic. Such logic compares empirically based pattern with a predicted one. “If
the pattern coincides with the research findings; the internal validity of the research is
strengthened”, Yin (1994:119). Patter-matching follows that, the researcher gathers data

22
from the field, the data is the analyzed and findings related to existing theories hence
that’s why the study employs an inductive logic approach.
The researcher after data analysis was engaged in patter-matching, such patterns as;
negative attitudes towards a project lead to project failure, involvement of community
members from the initial stages of a project proposal and implementation leads to
sustainability of a project, were looked into. Comparing the findings of the research with
the existing theories and patterns helped the researcher reach more valid conclusions
about the role of attitudes in the sustainability of community developmental projects.
b) Explanation building
“Explanation building is a special type of pattern-matching. The goal will be to analyze
the collected data by building an explanation for it to stipulate a set of causal links about
it”, Yin (1994:120).
The researcher employed more of explanation building, although pattern-matching
method was used in general. By using the explanation building and pattern-matching
methods, the researcher appreciates that there are various theories that have been laid
down to try and establish the relationship between attitudes and behavior, which
henceforth affects the sustainability of a project.
3:8 Conclusion
The chapter discussed the research methodologies used by the researcher, explaining in-
depth on the administration of questionnaire and interview. Issues of sampling were also
discussed, bringing to light how respondents were selected; furthermore, data
presentation and analysis procedures employed by the research were discussed great
depth. Overall the chapter discussed the research design.

23
CHAPTER 4
4:1 Introduction
The main thrust of the chapter is to present the data that the researcher obtained from the
field. The data was obtained through the use of interview, desk study and questionnaire
tools. The chapter presented the findings starting with the data obtained through the
interview followed by data from the questionnaire and then lastly data from desk study.
4:2 Data presentation
4:2:1 Data obtained through interviews
The interviews were conducted with twenty respondents who had been selected through
the stratified sampling procedure. As stated in chapter three, respondents of the
interviews were people selected from group B category, which consisted of the general
community members.
Of the twenty interviewed, 70% stated that they had poor relations with donor
representatives in their area. They said their distrust and dislike of these individuals was
due to the elitist stance they took in lecturing the community in a superior manner. 30%
of the respondents however felt that their relations with the donor representatives were
cordial. From the above findings it can be concluded that there is generally a bad
relationship between community members and donor representatives. 70% of the
community members dislike these people because they are foreign and are always
imposing decisions on the people.
74% of the total respondents felt that the child play centers are a way of milking villagers
of their hard earned money for government use and also that this programme benefits the
people in the government through the food the community is forced to contribute, saying
it is to feed children in the play centers. 26% of the respondents however, felt that the
child play center concept was a good initiative because it provided opportunities for the
children to interact and play in protected environments while leaving them to do their

24
work. From these findings it can be concluded that most people in the community have
negative a attitude towards the play centers and would not willingly participate in the
activities concerning this project.
Of the 30 respondents, a sum of 75% of the sample stated that they did not attend project
meetings frequently, stating that it was waste of time for them to leave their field work
and attend project meetings will not benefit them in any way and besides their views
were never considered. 2% of the respondents revealed that they attended almost all
project meetings because they felt that their participation in the meetings helped to shape
the decisions and redirect the developmental routes of their community. Analysis of these
findings reveals that past bad experiences in which communities’ views were not
considered led to the formation of negative attitudes towards participating in project
meetings.
60% of the respondents in the research revealed that they felt that the community
leadership was not being respected by developmental agencies, stating that these agencies
by-passed the leaders and did not use the official route of first seeking permission from
the village leadership to implement their programmes. 40% of the respondents however
felt that the invitation of the local leadership to be patrons and grace the official opening
of projects is testimony that the leadership is respected.
In response to the question, what do you think about the family planning programme,
75% of the respondents felt that family planning was a bad and a deliberate attempt by
the government to reduce their population and at the end take up all the community
natural resources. Respondents felt that the projects were aimed at introducing diseases in
the Lumene community. 25% of the respondents felt however that this was a good
programme as it helped to educate the people on means to plan their families. From these
findings it can be concluded that most people due to lack of adequate information regard
this programme as being bad.

25
23 of the 30 respondents say that the child play center programme is a government
project to source funds from the community since they now have to start paying fees
earlier than in the past when they started paying when a child attended grade one. Also
these respondents say this programme is aimed at destroying their culture as the language
used and the games played in the platy centers are all foreign. 7 respondents said the play
centers are geared to help develop the psycho-social well-being of children thus
empowering children to have better lives.
The employment of local people as coordinators of developmental projects in the village
was viewed by 70% of the respondents as having fostered a sense of ownership of the
projects. The respondents stressed that the involvement of their children in the
coordination of the projects was clear testimony that they were in control of their own
destiny and also owning the projects. 309% of the respondents viewed the use of locals in
the coordination of community projects as a deliberate move by donors to dump their
burden on the community. The respondents accorded this kind of thinking to the all too
common happening that donors give leadership of a project to a local when the project
funding is about to gat finished. These findings reveal that the appointment of a locally
into the coordination of a developmental project helps a lot in the attainment of project
sustainability and support.
80% of the respondents felt that the trench digging project has helped the community
maintain the quality of the fields and reduce surface water run-off in their fields. The
respondents agree that, “this is our project; the government people are only here to help
us”. However, 20% of the respondents argue that they felt badly about the programme as
it had negative effects in terms of deterioration of people’s health. These results show
that people will participate whole heartedly in projects they initiated and are in control of.
4:2:2 Data obtained through questionnaire
A total of 10 respondents were selected to complete the questionnaire, these 10 were
respondents selected from group A strata which was consisted of the village leadership
and project coordinators.

26
70% of the respondents stated that family planning was received with suspicion and
caution by the villagers as most villagers suspected that this programme was a ploy to
reduce the population of the Lumene village. 30% of the respondents revealed that the
project was received well and welcomed. These findings reveal that the lack of complete
information about a project leads to project failure as shown by the majority (70%) of the
respondents who did not support the programme because they had inaccurate and
incomplete information about family planning, leading them not to support the
programme.
Figure 1: Number of project meetings
No of respondent Percentage
Once a month 7 70
Once a week 2 20
never 1 10
A higher percentage of the respondents (70%) revealed that project meetings were held
once a month, while 20% stated that weekly meetings were held and only 10% of the
respondents revealed that they never met with villagers for community developmental
project meetings. These findings show that there is gross lack of communication between
65he community and the developmental agencies.
Figure 2: Frequency of work times in projects
Once a month 0 0
Once a week 4 40
never 6 60
The respondents of the questionnaire revealed that a higher (60%) of the people do not
attend project working shifts. Only a small group (40%) is attending these work shifts
once a month. This phenomenon can be explained from the findings of the interviews
were the villagers said they never attend project meetings because they are non-

27
productive, thus their views are not taken into consideration in project planning and
implementation.
Figure 3: Question time available during project meetings
Yes 3 30
No 0 0
Sometimes 7 70
7 respondents revealed that question time was available only sometimes (at some
meetings but not at others), 3 respondents said that question time was usually available
during meetings. These findings are consistent with the revelation by the villagers in
response to the interview that they did not attend project meetings because they were not
considered and their views and opinions were not asked for in project meetings.
80% of the respondents revealed that the community members have generally viewed the
child play center project within suspicion. 20% of the respondents however, felt that the
general feeling of the community towards the child play center project has been that of
acceptance and support. Results analysis reveals that the failure of the majority (80%) of
the population to accept the project is due to the fact that the programme goes against
their culture and way of life,, thus it is hard for the community to adapt to new ways of
teaching their children (e.g. teaching them English plays while they used to teach them
Ndebele plays).
The majority (50%) of the respondents revealed that community members have tended to
increase their support of a project with the appointment of a local to coordinate the
project. .20% of the respondents revealed that the employment of a local as a coordinator
had no observable effect on the participation levels of the community members in a
project. However, 30% of the respondents revealed that the use of local people in the
coordination of a project has very little impact on the participation levels of the

28
community members in a project. These findings can be explained by the fact that people
trust and usually believe what is said by a person they respect and know intimately.
85% of the respondents revealed that villagers begrudgingly donated bricks and offered
services towards the building of the child play centers. Only a few (15%) people
participate in the play center programme work shifts wholeheartedly. The majority of the
participants begrudgingly participated in the project because they were forced to
participate yet did not feel any attachment and ownership of the project.
Figure 4: Projects led by locals are much more sustainable
Agree 7 70
Unsure 1 10
Disagree 2 20
A higher percentage (70%) of the respondents revealed that they felt that projects
identified and implemented by the community members are much more sustainable. Only
20% revealed that they disagreed with the statement and 10% of the respondents were
unsure.
Figure 5: Turnout in project meetings
Very good 0 0
Good 2 20
Bad 7 70
Very bad 1 10
From the above statistics it can be inferred that the turnout at meetings is bad at Lumene.
This would also explain the unsustainability of projects in Lumene in that if people do
not meet to discuss the way forward about a project then there is no project sustainability.
The majority of people (70%) do not attend meetings thus do not support developmental
projects hence leading to unsustainability of projects.

29
From the responses obtained, (60%) of the respondents felt that the community still
viewed the donors with suspicion as revealed by the community people saying that the
donor organizations are the governments eyes sent to scout on their local resources for
exploitation by the government. 40% of the respondents however felt that community has
good relations with the donor agencies. These findings reveal that there still exists some
mistrust and suspicion on the objectives of donor agents hence people do not fully
support projects implemented by these people.
4:2:3 Data obtained through desk study
The researcher apart from using the interview and the questionnaire also used the desk
study method to triangulate and validate research findings obtained through the interview
and questionnaire procedures. In desk study the researcher reviewed project meeting
minutes, developmental organization annual reports and review reports for projects.
From the desk study it was revealed that project meetings had few questions and
discussion times. These findings reveal that there was a gross lack of information in
project implementation, there was a top-down communication only, with donors telling
the community what to do but not listening to the peoples vies. This phenomenon has
been noted to lead to people lacking commitment for the success of the project.
In the review reports it was revealed that there was littler participation by the community
in project activities. Also it was revealed that most projects are failing in the Lumene
community as noted by the number of projects left unfinished, some abandoned.
The desk study also revealed that there was a market low attendance record of the
villagers to community developmental projects meetings and working shifts.
4:3 Conclusion
The chapter presented the data obtained from the research through the interview,
questionnaire and the desk research modes of data collection. Further to that, the chapter

30
revealed in summative format the statistical figures of responses hence making it easy for
deductions and conclusions to be drawn when analyzing data to make more meaning out
of the raw data.

31
CHAPTER 5
5:1 Introduction
The chapter will discuss the results of the research, making conclusions as to the
meanings drawn from the research results. The chapter will go further to make
recommendations based on the research findings for ways of improving the sustainability
of a developmental project
5:2 Discussion of results
5:2:1 Community involvement
Community involvement at every stage of the project is critical for towards the
attainment of a sustainable project, research findings revealed that rural communities may
well be capable of defining their own problems, but it also noted, as in the Lumene
people identifying that they had a problem of leaching and surface run-off in their fields
but not knowing how to solve it, that communities may not all the times be aware of what
new developments can be made within the community, nor be able to define solutions too
their problems. It is thus to this end community members would be of little help in the
guidance of a project hence external help is equally useful towards the success and
sustainability of a project as noted when the Lumene villagers asked for technical advice
from the agricultural extension workers but still retained the ownership of the programme
(“this is our project, the government people are only here to help us. In support of this
notion that projects initiated by the community are much more sustainable is Ncube
(2003), he argues that ownership and control of a project by the community is important
because it makes them feel proud that they are taking their destiny into their own hands
and determining their own future. The effect that this kind of feeling has on a community
is that it builds their confidence to try new things and work hard towards the
sustainability of their projects as noted in the above mentioned trench digging programme
example. Donald and Hearle (1984) further supports the research findings that for people
to build and maintain positive attitudes which are favorable for the sustainability of a
project, external helpers (donor agencies) should only be in a community in an advisory

32
nature, their role being to advice the community only and the community makes the final
decisions thus remain in control of its projects.
Furthermore, the research as shown by the 70% respondents who said that then
employment of a local coordinator made them view a project favorably revealed that
community involvement in the coordination of a project helps foster a sense of
community ownership of a project. in support of this notion, Battern (1962) as stated in
chapter 2, argues that since the project coordinator would have been selected by the
community, he would be responsible to the community, supported by his people and
because he is from within the community is assumed to work towards realizing the best
interest of the community and is most often not suspected of harboring ulterior objectives
like an external coordinator.
In essence the research revealed that community involvement is essential for making
people have positive attitudes towards a project thus support it fully. The research
findings revealed that failure to consult the local population on their needs causes great
resentment, hostility and suspicion. Triandis (1971) as stated in chapter 2, states that
going to a community with a ready-made plan for them to follow, without prior
consultation with them displays a lack of understanding off the human nature, people
generally disapprove of being commanded, hence the negative attitude towards anything
associated with the one imposing views on the community. Also the research findings
revealed that, although donors might know new technologies, they do not necessarily
know the local problems and constraints. It is important to consult with the community
on activities because this guide’s the developmental project to address inherent issues that
the community wants addressed hence leading to the support of the project which will in
turn entail the sustainability of the project.
5:2:2 Culture versus project sustainability
General consensus in the community development circles is that there are two basic
modes to introduce a project to a community, cultural invasion and cultural synthesis.
Research findings reveal that cultural invasion leads tom project unsustainability while

33
projects that employ the cultural synthesis approach are readily sustainable. Batter (1962)
supports these findings, through his mention of the Israel housing project which was
unsuccessful because it was going against the peoples culture of staying in tents,. The
nomads were found to be erecting tents in their new houses.
Then handing-over process of projects has been noted through the research findings to be
having a great bearing on then sustainability of a project. Villagers have been heard to
refer to projects as, “the government hall”, referring to a hall built for them by the
government, because the ownership transaction was not done properly. Research findings
reveal that consulting the community on how to carry out the handing over ceremony has
a bearing towards instilling a sense of ownership of the project by the community. This is
revealed by the recorded poor attendance to project meetings and work shifts, with
villagers stating that there is no reason for them to attend because their views will not be
considered. Also the noted small time allocated for questions from the public in project
meetings shows that there is no reciprocal communication hence only a top-down form of
communication. This leads to villagers feeling suffocated and then being resentful of the
programme hence not supporting project activities.
Issues like inviting a priest, a government official or any other notable in society to
preside over handing over ceremony must be discussed with the community. In Lumene,
the community has called the community hall,” the government hall”, because the
government after building the hall used it as a campaign gimmick: that the hall was a gift
for the community to vote for a person they did not particularly like.
5:3 Conclusions
The research findings revealed the predominant role of attitudes in shaping the way
people view and behave towards the community developmental projects. The research
findings also revealed a host of factors that affect people’s perceptions towards a project,
these findings reflect a positive relationship between attitudes and the sustainability of
community developmental projects, :thus positive attitudes held by the community

34
towards developmental projects contribute towards the sustainability of the project while
negative attitudes lead to the failure of a project.
Findings bring to light the fact that communities are well able to define their problems,
although they are not all the time aware of new technologies that can be adopted within
their communities nor be able to define solutions to their problems – their views are
tantamount towards the sustainability of a project.
Using the research findings it can also be concluded that projects not been successful
because of peoples past experiences of the relationships/contacts with developmental
agencies. The government and other developmental agencies have often been concerned
with taxation and exploitation of the communities’ natural resources and the money
raised has seldom been used to benefit the concerned communities. This has left a legacy
of mistrust and this is the legacy with which a project has to contend with for it to be
successful and sustainable. The bad past experiences of the people breed negative
attitudes towards projects hence leading the communities not supporting the projects
because they would be having negative attitudes towards the projects.
Failure to align projects with a people way of life has been noted to lead to the
unsustainability of community developmental projects. It thus can be concluded that for
increased sustainability, projects need to be culture friendly/sensitive to an area were the
programme is being implemented because if the programme is at divergent paths with the
culture of a people, people tend to resent the programme hence not supporting it.
Research findings reveal that for the sustainability of community developmental projects
there should be a reciprocal relationship between the community and the donors helping
the community in a developmental project. This relationship can best be defined through
the words of Savile (1946), when he said;
… a developmental worker is to teach people to raise their standard of living, by
their own efforts, using their own resources of manpower and materials, with

35
minimum assistance from the developmental agency: by encouraging a local
leadership and a spirit of self-help…
In this statement Savile (1946) argues that the community should be allowed to do all
their work while the donor agency provides technical assistance and minimal material
support.
The above discussed conclusions of the research findings can be best be summarized by
statements made by two Lumene villagers during the research;
To bring about a change in attitude is the basic educational function
developmental agencies seeking to implement sustainable community
developmental projects should thrive to attain.
Dube S, Lumene HBC coordinator (2008)
People must first change their attitude towards change before they can accept
new and better ideas.
Thebele M, Kraal Head, Lumene village (2008)
In essence the research revealed that despite the long over looked influence and role,
people’s attitudes play a major role towards the sustainability of community projects. It
thus can be concluded that attitudes towards a project are the major determining factor in
determining its sustainability. Through changing attitudes there is behaviour change and
if one can foster favorable behaviour traits towards a goal then there is a guarantee for
increased sustainability.
5:4 Recommendations
The research reveals that there is a need for behaviour change programing if
developmental goals are to be attained and these gains maintained/ sustained. Regardless
of development project type, employing behaviour change education strategies is sure to
guarantee the sustainability of a project. It thus is recommended that development

36
agencies concentrate of increasing information to community members on their chosen
project focus so as to gain genuine buy-in on the project goals.
Basing on the research findings it can be recommended that donor agencies should try by
all means to support projects that come from the community people themselves as they
have been noted to be most sustainable. It is further recommended that a further research
be carried out on the roles of people’s attitudes and how benefits affect the sustainability
of community developmental projects.
Furthermore it is recommended that donor organizations engage in needs assessments in
the areas were they need to work so as to gain a more detailed understanding of the real
needs of the people of the area, hence implement relevant programmes. It is
recommended that academic institutions, the government in conjunction with
developmental agencies train Social Workers stationed in programme areas on
community psychology to be able to predict, anticipate and shape people’s behaviors to
be favorable to the sustainability of developmental goals.
It is recommended that developmental organisations increase on transparency on their
projects as this increases the trust from communities and conversely leads to increased
participation on projects and buy-in on goals of projects. People naturally gravitate
towards the truth and transparency, so by increasing transparency organisations are
building trust with communities and hence fostering positive attitudes towards their
projects.
It is further recommended that the government together with developmental agencies
provide the following services to the communities so as to provide and make the
development atmosphere conducive:
Motivation – stimulus and pressure to make people aware of developmental
benefits
Technical advice – technical solutions at the time they are required

37
Problem solving – help in problem identification and solving
Resources – knowledge about assistance from agencies and governmental
departments were inputs, credit and expertise can be obtained.
5:5 Conclusion
The chapter discussed the research results in detail relating them to the Lumene area.
Further to that, the research made recommendations for the improvement of the levels of
sustainability in communities. In essence the chapter brought to light the role of attitudes
in relation to the sustainability of community projects.

38
APPENDIX A: interview guide
1. How do you relate with donors in your community?
2. How do you feel about the child play center project?
3. How often do you attend project meetings and why?
4. How is your community leadership involved in developmental projects?
5. What do you think about the family planning programme of the ministry of
Health?
6. How best would you define the child play center project?
7. How have you contributed towards the child play center project and why?
8. How has the employment of a local coordinator of a developmental project
affected your participation in the project?
9. How you feel about the trench digging programme in the fields?

39
APPENDIX B: Questionnaire
Dear respondent
I am Nhlanhla Mlilo a student with the Midlands State University. I am carrying out a
research study into the role that attitudes play in the sustainability of community
developmental projects. This questionnaire is intended to gather data for a research
project for the Bsc (Hon) in Psychology. Your responses will be used for this purpose
only and be treated as confidential information. You do not need to include your name.
Please feel free and honest as possible in your responses. May I take this opportunity to
thank you in advance for your co-operation. Pleas3e kindly respond by ticking in the
boxes or insert answers in the spaces provided.
1. How has the family planning project been received by the community?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
2. How many times do you hold project meetings with the villagers?
Once a week ( )
Once a month ( )
Never ( )
3. How many times do people come to work on project activities/duties?
Once a week ( )
Once a month ( )
Never ( )
4. Do you have any question times during your meetings?
Yes ( )
No ( )
Sometimes ( )

40
5. What has been the general feeling of towards the child play center project by the
community?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
6. How have the community people responded to the employment of locals to
coordinate developmental projects?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
7. How have the villagers been participating in the child play center project?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
8. Projects identified and championed by the village people are much more
sustainable than those brought by developmental organizations
Agree ( )
Unsure ( )
Disagree ( )
9. How has been the turnout to project meetings?
Very good ( )
Good ( )
Bad ( )
Very bad ( )
10. How does the community view the donor agents in the community?
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................

41
APPENDIX C: Desk study guide
1. How has been the meeting attendance rate?
2. How often do people attend project meetings?
3. Are there any question times during project meetings?
4. What is the ratio of finished projects as compared to unfinished one?
5. How much time is allocated to questions and contributions by the community
members?

42
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Yin K (1994), Case study research: design and methods 2nd
edition, Sage publications
Inc, London
William N (2003), Your research project, Sage publications Inc, London
Gall B (1996) An introduction to research, Prentice Hall, London
Denzin K and Lincoln Y (1996), An introduction to research, Sage publications Inc,
London
Oppeinheim A. N (1992), Questionnaire design, interview and attitude measurement,
Printer publications, London
Ncube T (2003), Development of the Bantu speaking lands, Mambo Press, Gweru
Hubbard R (2007), The problems of work, Bridge publications, California
Battern (1992), Communities and their development, Oxford University press, London
Battern (1964), Training for community work, Oxford University press, London
Gay (1996), Sustainable resource utilization in Africa, World Bank Publications, Geneva
Ndlovu M (2006), Analysis of the state of development in Matabeleland Province,
National Association for Non-Governmental Organizations in Zimbabwe (NANGO)
Marion F (1998) Psychology, Prentice Hall, London
Young A.G (2003), Community development, Makerere University press, Kenya

43
Bickleim R (1992), Malawi Foundation: Annual report, Malawi Foundation

Bsc Hons Psychology Disertation

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