Skill requirements and experiences

The standards of professional qualifications and operational competence required of VDWs are demanding, as are the range of situations in which they will be required to work. VDWs must have appropriate and substantial experience in and area of specialisation, as well as pre-project training to ensure that interventions are effective and sensitive to the concerns of the communities they serve. The political nature of action involving low-income urban groups means that VDW work in this area will be closely monitored by governments, international organisations as well as community groups themselves. In addition, the growing priority accorded to this work by development assistance organisations might provoke governments to increase their involvement in, or control of, the endeavours of NGOs and community self-help groups. This area of work, then, is unsuitable for novice VDWs.