brief them in advance to explain their expected
role in the workshop.
• Time required. It is possible to complete a
CAP workshop in one day, especially where
communities are already quite well organised.
This was the case in Sri Lanka, for example. If
communities are less cohesive, two days may be
required.
• Venue. If the weather allows (without rain, high
winds, high heat or scorching sun) the CAP
can be held outdoors. Otherwise, a suitable
building will be required which can comfortably
hold 50-60 people. If schools and community
halls have been too badly damaged, a tent or
marquee might be needed. The comfort of the
participants needs to be ensured for the whole
day to allow them to participate freely. This
means providing food, drink and washroom
facilities, as well as places to sit.
• Materials. Several flipcharts and a plentiful
supply of pens, pencils, paper, scissors, tape or
blue tack, and card of different colours will be
needed.
• Facilitator and Rapporteur. One facilitator and
one rapporteur can run a workshop of up to
about 25 people. Larger groups would need
more facilitators.
• Languages. Ensure that everyone can follow the
CAP workshop and its important steps. If the
community has different ethnic groups, ensure
that translation is available and that minorities
speaking other languages don’t feel excluded.
The role of the facilitator is critical to the
success of the workshop. They need to be impartial,
and focused on guiding the process towards its goal
of producing a plan of action. The facilitator’s role,
therefore, is to introduce each part of the process,
act as an information point about the process, keep
an eye on the time and schedule, and ensure that
discussions do not become too sidetracked. S/he
will monitor the dynamism of the workshop and
help re-energise participants. S/he also has a role
in ensuring everyone is encouraged to participate,
and to support those who are finding the process
difficult or whose confidence fails them. It takes
time and practice to become a skilled facilitator.
Working as a rapporteur or assistant initially can
help to develop the necessary skills.
The role of the rapporteur is to ensure all the
necessary materials are on hand and distributed
when needed; to make notes about the discussion;
to assist and encourage participants (especially
community members) to take part; and collect
and collate the written contributions, plans and
drawings at the end of the workshop. They may also
be responsible for compiling the report and draft
plan.
Types of infrastructure that can be planned
in a CAP workshop
• Housing
• Local roads
• Paths and tracks
• Harbours and jetties for small boats
• Boreholes and wells
• Water reticulation
• Sanitation
• Drains and culverts
• Slope stabilisation
• Electricity supply
• Fuel supply
• Schools
• Health centres
• Community buildings
• Space and services for small shops and stalls
• Wholesale and retail market buildings and
warehouses
• Disaster protection infrastructure e.g. sea
walls and flood barriers
• Tree planting
• Improvements to agricultural land
Topics for which CAP is particularly useful
CAP workshops will usually help develop plans in
the following areas:
Layout of plots and infrastructure. This might be
necessary if some land regularisation is going to
take place, or if a new area of land is going to
be developed. It can help to ensure that houses
and other buildings can be better serviced by
infrastructure such as roads, water reticulation
and drainage. Some informal settlements can
be particularly cluttered, and post-disaster
reconstruction can provide an opportunity to
rationalise. However, this should only be done if
it is prioritised by residents themselves. There
are often important cultural or livelihood reasons
why settlements are organised in a particular way,
and CAP can help to identify these. Professional
engineers and planners need to learn to listen and
respond to these reasons and not impose their idea
of ‘order’. It can be a complex issue, and may add
time to the workshop.
Small or medium-scale infrastructure. Examples
of the types of infrastructure that can be covered
are given the box above. They generally cost well
under $100,000 each, and cover users in a single
or small number of neighbourhoods. They can
be undertaken using community labour through
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