A how-to guide to mobilizing communities. Features lessons in: organizing communication, planning, acting, and evaluating efforts.

This field guide has been designed to be used by health program directors and managers of community-based programs who are considering using community mobilization to improve health at the individual, family, and community level. It may also be useful for directors and technicians in governmental and nongovernmental organizations working in public health and human development and other groups and organizations committed to community health, such as churches, universities, philanthropists, and donors. No prior community mobilization experience is required to use the field guide.

The field guide contains illustrative examples and lessons learned in community mobilization experiences from around the world, focusing on working with disadvantaged or marginalized groups in developing countries. The characteristics of each country and each region are very different, so the field guide does not recommend one specific strategy for community mobilization but offers instead general principles and methods which will need to be adapted to local settings and conditions.