Community mobilisation is a process in which relief workers and organisations work together with a community to address the community’s needs. Efforts of this type may be initiated by members of the local community or by outside groups, but in either case the goal is to support and strengthen the community’s natively-available resources, encouraging ownership and continuation also after the relief organisations have departed.

The goal of community mobilisation is to assist the affected community while it recovers. Following a crisis, the ability of the affected community to function independently will be compromised. Community mobilisation is about coordinating services and programmes cooperatively. The role of responding agencies is to strengthen and build on the affected communities’ resources. Including the affected community as an active and willing participant in the process is at the heart of community mobilisation. It is a partnership between those affected and those responding. The affected communities need to be in control of the direction of their recovery. When they have ownership and responsibility for the programmes, they will be better prepared to sustain changes beyond the recovery period.