Rodrigo Aguayo

Planning Process and People's Religious Beliefs: Tensions and Synergies Rodrigo Aguayo

Development practitioners find different complex elements in communities that require close attention. The people's religious beliefs are part of those elements. These beliefs do not only offer an interpretation about transcendence, but also guidance on how to live in the world. This research will look at what is important when the religion or the values of a community are taken into consideration in planning development projects, especially in these projects with participative approach. This frame allowed the observation between religion and development project from a specific case: Solidaridad Fronteriza (SF) in Dajabón, Dominican Republic, an organization that supports local communities and has helped to create grass- roots organizations. These observations permitted to offer a set of analysis, ideas and questions which gives a notion about how understanding people's religious beliefs in order to increase the comprehension of people's experience.