An ongoing research project on schistosomiasis control in Guruve District,
Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe is based on the active involvement of local
communities in the growing and application of the plant molluscicide, Phytolacca
dodecandra as a supplement to other control measures such as chemotherapy and
health education. The rural based control method is a new phenomenon and involves
encouraging the affected community to cultivate, process and apply the berries of
Phytolacca dodecandra at water contact sites. P. dodecandra’s ability to kill snails, the
intermediate host of schistosomiasis and its rapid degradation in water is now known.
After introducing the control project it was observed that plant care fluctuated during
the four years study period. Furthermore, a few people participated contrary to findings of a survey where stated willingness to participate was 94%. This invoked an
investigation for explanations to this scenario. Focus group discussions, semistructured interviews and observations were used to solicit information. Many
explanations emerged, inter alia low perceived value about the disease, need for
payment in participation, inaccessible fields and weak leadership. We realise in this
study that community participation is a complex process impacted by a multiplicity of
factors broadly falling into social economic and political categories. If community
participation is to become a norm in development programmes it ought to be viewed as a learning process by both beneficiaries and project staff. This will facilitate sharing of its success as well as solutions to obstacles during the process. In addition, motivation in community participatory projects is an indispensable aspect to be considered for the success of such projects.