Communities relatively near geographically can vary wildly. One community can be organized, healthy, happy, and passing the day tsk-tsking their neighbors. It happens and with frequency. So why do some communities kick butt and take names while others seem to pass the time wondering why they've been left out? While some communities are thriving, leveraging the resources of government agencies or NGO's, some seem to be caught in a holding pattern of complaining about their lot in life.
Most communities seem to have at least one strong leader. They may be the one that has traveled or worked abroad, is more educated, has had exposure to more ideas, or just plain works hard. They are usually the reason behind a Peace Corps volunteer serving in that community. But usually the one leader is not enough. There needs to be a critical mass of leaders, of change agents that seize opportunities, that motivate and empower the community to seek out positive change. In general, only a few leaders aren't enough to implement community cultural change. There's just too much cultural inertia to overcome.
Of course that are many other aspects to the culture of a community and many factors influencing those cultural traits. But as a volunteer trying to implement health-related projects in the community, the role of its leaders and the community's willingness to work comes to the forefront.
What has really been interesting is seeing how these work-related issues aren't boxed neatly by geographic location or race. Instead, every community seems to have their distinct culture. A few passionate leaders can move entire communities. A few strong characters can define the culture of their community.
