(introduction...)

In health education we aim to encourage people to develop the confidence and skills to help themselves. In other words, the planning skills that are discussed in this chapter are not only for the use of health workers but also for the use of the community itself. Involving the community in the planning process is itself educational because once the skills have been learned and practiced, the community will be able to take more initiative in planning its own programmes and activities. That is how self-reliance develops.

In this chapter eight basic planning skills are described:

- Collecting information
- Understanding problems
- Deciding on priorities, objectives, and action
- Identifying and obtaining resources
- Encouraging action and follow-through
- Selecting appropriate methods
- Evaluating results
- Reviewing the process of planning

These skills should not be seen as steps to be followed in a 1, 2, 3 order. Of course information must be collected before action can begin, but evaluation, although listed near the end, should start at the beginning of the process so that progress or drawbacks can be charted all along.

The importance of using appropriate technology, the need for community involvement, the value of partnership between the community and the health worker, and the need to coordinate different levels of health planning are emphasized.