In the sustenance and strengthening phase, how are community programs evaluated?

In the sustenance and strengthening phase, community programs are evaluated through guidance from the community-wide organization primarily because this approach focuses on the involvement and input of community members themselves. In this phase, it is essential for the community to actively participate in assessing and enhancing their own programs. By utilizing feedback, insights, and experiences from within the community organization, evaluations can be more reflective of the actual needs, challenges, and successes that have been experienced.

The active engagement of community stakeholders ensures that the evaluation is relevant and tailored to the specific context, making it more useful for future planning and improvements. This method fosters ownership among community members, encouraging them to take an active role in sustaining and strengthening the community programs, as they have a direct stake in the outcomes.

Surveys, external auditing, and comparisons with other communities can provide valuable data but may not capture the holistic view of the community's unique circumstances and aspirations in the same way that guidance from a community-wide organization does.