CCODER has developed a special Development Education package which is strictly practical and is suited to people of all ages, from young children to the elderly. It is designed to help people deal with their current problems by making them aware, foresighted, and resourceful. Development Education helps people to realize and understand their situation – to make them conscious – to awaken a sense of social awareness. People learn to identify the root causes of their problems, set clear goals, and formulate realistic, feasible plans for achieving those goals. Education is the key to success, and Development Education in particular has proved to be vital for positive change to happen.

After people have participated in Development Education, meaningful institutional development is possible. CCODER encourages people who are aware of their own condition and potential to devise individual development plans, and then to join with their neighbors to form a  organization called a Community Development Committee (CDC). The purpose of the CDC is to assess how available resources can best be used to achieve everyone’s individual goals, and to institute a community-wide plan of action. After the formation of a CDC, representatives of ten to twenty CDCs unite to form a Regional community development committee (R-CDC). The R-CDC draws up development plans according to the projects and goals of its member CDCs. At the R-CDC level, community banks, community health centers, community schools, and other community institutions, are founded. Because at times tasks or problems might become too complex to be solved on the CDC-level the people’s organizations corporate between themselves, with the local government and other communities.

Unification is the key to effectively performing many different kinds of tasks. Within a unified group good leadership is essential. A leader must be trustworthy, motivated and capable of distributing responsibilities throughout the group. If he fails to exhibit these qualities it is up to the group to select a new leader. Clearly then, active participation on the part of every member is important. Only through the involvement of members can an organization gain strength, effectiveness and sustainability. The group must therefore not only pick one main, strong leader who demonstrates responsibilities to all, but it must also cultivate leadership skills in every group member. By doing so, the organization will be able to grow from the village, to the regional, to the district, and finally to the national level.

The most important principle for achieving success is self-help. CCODER helps people at the local level recognize their own abilities, resources and potentials, and thereby restore their faith in individual economic and social improvement.