Community relations are those methods and activities that you undertake to establish and promote a setting that is conducive to good relationships, and which create a strong bond with the community. Your methods of communication with communities typically involve a series of local meetings, but can also include special events and wider community meetings. The community members are central to all parts of the health programmes. If you are not involving the community the health programme will fail.

A large community meeting.

Typically, community mobilisation will involve a series of community meetings. (Photo: Basiro Davey)

Working with the community

Go to the community
Love with them
Live with them
Learn from them
Link your knowledge with them
Start with what they have
When you finish your job, the people will say we did it all by ourselves.

Adapted from the words of the Ancient Chinese philosopher and teacher, Lao Tsu