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Research Journal of the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka- Rohana 11, 2019

went to show the development worker where the ‘monster’ was. They left him to
face the beast alone. After crossing the valley, he discovered that the ‘monster’ was

nothing but an overgrown watermelon. Nevertheless, to satisfy the villagers, he
acted ‘brave’ by drawing out his sword and dramatically cutting the watermelon
into pieces as the villagers watched from a ‘safe distance’. To his great dismay, the

villagers would not welcome him back despite what he had done for them! They
requested him to leave the village in peace, fearing that he was yet another monster.
They wondered how he could overcome the ‘monster’ all alone if he was not one

himself. Later there was again another watermelon. Another development worker
came to the village, learning of their fear he asked them to join in with their
traditional weapons and ‘face’ the ‘monster’. On reaching the place they all set on

the ‘monster’ with their traditional weapons until they had shattered it to pieces.
They proudly walked back to the village, singing and dancing, celebrating their

great achievement” (Schenck & Louw: 1995: 83-84)

In order to make changes or transformations, a truly people focused approach has to
be an asset-based one, in which people become central element as an asset (Kenny:

2006). Unlike in deficit-based approaches, it acknowledges that communities are
never a blank-sheet. Any given community always possesses wealth of skills,

knowledge, experience and material resources and wisdom (Chambers: 1983;
Korten: 1989 & 1996; Burkey: 1993). A people focused approach enables

identifying those resources, make them central and work with the community to

create opportunities to expand, improve and use them for their own individual and
1
collective progress . The centrality of connection-centered volunteering strategy is
the acknowledgement that people possess enormous resources and wisdom, they are
capable, they have capacities, and if opportunities are created and given through a

carefully designed non-intrusive, non-disempowering, and facilitative process, they

will use it and become the nucleus of their own progress. It is the condition of

1 “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they are given the opportunity”, Barak Obama,
CNN, 2007

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