ORGANIZING A VILLAGE PROGRAM
The team invited Julio to take part in evaluating the needs of other disabled children,
so that he could learn history-taking and advisory skills. They also gave him the job of
chief ‘work checker’. His job was to keep a list of the various jobs that needed to be done
each day and who was responsible for doing them. He would check to see that the jobs
were getting done and speak to those who needed reminding. Since he could not get
around easily the group agreed that when Julio asked anyone to send someone to him, he
or she would do so. Thus Julio, as the most severely disabled team member, was given
the most power in terms of program management. This is in agreement with the politics
of the program, that only through a just redistribution of power will the weak and
marginalized gain a fair place and voice in our society.
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The fact that PROJIMO has no ‘boss’ creates certain problems while it avoids others.
Individual concern, group pressure, children’s urgent needs, and parents’ appreciation
are the main motivations to do a good job. Some team members work much harder than
others. When someone is not working enough or other problems arise (such as rudeness
to families), the group meets with the person. In extreme cases the person may be asked
to meet the group’s expectations or to leave. So far however, those who have left have
done so by their own choice.
Different team members are able to work at different speeds and effectiveness,
depending on their disabilities. Therefore, the group judges a person’s work not by how
much he produces, but by whether or not he is doing the best he can. A person who
works responsibly gets higher pay, even if unable to work fast. Within the limitations of
money available, the group decides how much different team members will receive. New
team members who are learning work habits and skills begin as volunteers, with only their
room and food paid. Later, they earn more, depending on how responsibly and steadily
they work. The group decides.
The team meets regularly to
plan activities and to decide
who will take responsibility for
what jobs. Different persons
take charge of different aspects
of the program: consultations,
record keeping, accounting
and different shop activities,
such as aids making or
wheelchair making. Playground
maintenance, housekeeping,
cooking and clean-up are
usually done by turns. One
person keeps track of the hours
worked each day by different
participants and this is used as a
guide for monthly wages.
Members of the PROJIMO team at a weekly meeting.
This whole organizational approach is informal and loosely structured. It is a process of
ongoing experimentation and change. In short, a group of people are learning how to work
and live together as equals. Sometimes things seem to work out better than others. It is
the adventure of it all that keeps everyone going—the challenge to create a friendlier and
fairer social order, if at first within only a small group.
disabled village children