Servol: An education and community development project in Trinidad. Advisory Mission report, October 11-18, 1981

Abstract

Servol (Service Volunteered for All) is a voluntary organization in Trinidad and Tobago with a staff of some 90 people engaged in a wide range of activities grouped in seven Life Centres and a periphery of 13 nursery schools, as well as family farm units in a rural area. From a modest start in late 1970, Servol grew steadily during its first decade, engaging in a variety of projects throughout the country. An advisory mission from the Bernard Van Leer Foundation visited Trinidad from October 11-18, 1981 to assess the progress and accomplishments of the programme; to appraise the long-term viability of the project, and to advise it on the ways in which the project might develop after the Foundation's involvement ended. The advisory mission found that Servol was fostering self-reliance in the communities which it serves; that it was functioning as a change agent to a certain extent; and that its management, although good, had room for greater training for future leaders--all ideals set forth in Servol's mission. As a whole, the mission regarded the Servol experience positively. Servol links community development and education into a coherent whole, not only in response to theoretical perception or humanitarian concern, but as a translation into reality of the expressed needs and desires of the community. It has had a positive impact on Trinidadian society and on the wider Caribbean