Senegal
Commune de Bignona
March - November 2020
15th.
When COVID 19 appeared, the mayor of Bignona was the first to call on the community to come and support the efforts of health workers in the battle. Thus, a communal meeting was organized at the town hall bringing together municipal councilors, health personnel, neighborhood councils, grassroots community organizations, and local security agents. The "KATIKEN CORONA" (Fighting CORONA) committee was born.
The experiment aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of participatory democracy mechanisms.
Specifically, the experiment seeks to
Groups are formed to scour the city. A hand washing and mask control system is installed at the entrances to the town. The same surveillance and alert system was set up in public places. At the same time, the communication group went around the city with a mobile sound system to raise awareness.
This project is about community involvement in the fight against COVID in the 1st wave. This experiment aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of participatory democracy mechanisms.
Specifically, the experiment seeks to:
Its objective has been achieved in its entirety, both in health and social terms, thus enabling the commune to face up to resilience.
The experience of the commune of Bignona is 100% transferable, especially with regard to community integration in local public policy and citizen participation in the development effort.
When COVID 19 first appeared in Senegal, the mayor of Bignona was one of the first to declare that in addition to the efforts of health workers, the entire community must rise to the occasion. According to him, only a community-based approach could enable the pandemic to be tackled. Thus, a communal meeting was organised at the town hall bringing together municipal councillors, health staff, neighbourhood councils, grassroots community organisations, the communal youth council, women's promotion groups, local security agents, professional groups, etc. The "KATIKEN CORONA" (Fighting CORONA) committee was born and its coordination team set up.
Groups were formed to scour the city. A hand-washing system was set up at all the entrances to the town. Dynamic teams take turns between 6am and 8pm. This system ensures that masks must be worn and that all persons are checked with a thermoflash before entering the town of Bignona. The same surveillance and alert system has been put in place in markets, bus stations, motorbike taxi stops, services, public squares, places of worship, crossroads and several places in the commune. In total, one thousand hand washing points, mask control and advice on barrier measures were set up throughout the commune. At the same time, the communication group toured the town with a mobile sound system to raise awareness about the pandemic.
Hundreds of people were "VOLUNTEERING KATIKEN CORONA".
On the other hand, the development of participatory governance mechanisms and channels for citizen participation, as well as the growing demand for participatory processes, made this process almost inexcusable.
This experience took place in different phases:
After this process, the mayor of the commune brought together all the community actors who had been involved in the process for a thank-you session. This was an opportunity to give everyone certificates of recognition for their service to the population of Bignona.
Sources
"This is an experience directly related to the COVID 19 pandemic situation, through which the community, as a whole, is fighting the first wave (March-November 2020). The objective was to generate a mechanism to support the efforts of health personnel that creates a community dynamic; a process not very traditional in the local and regional space. The project is limited to the situation described and it is suggested to expand the way co-responsibility is expressed and evaluation is implemented. "
"Community organizing to take action against COVID, but no real evidence of shared decision making."
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