Lethapa, Motlhakeng2026-07-062026-07-062025https://hdl.handle.net/10566/24848The purpose of this study was to develop and apply the Community-Based Participatory Research framework for community assessments that inform community development planning in Kokong village. This research aimed to address the lack of documented guidelines on participatory rural development and disjointed procedures and structures meant to foster community participation in community assessments. The study was situated within participatory development in Kokong, Mabutsane District Council, which has one of the highest poverty incidences in Botswana. Research has shown that despite the importance of community participation in local development planning to ensure local priorities in projects, empirical evidence indicates that exclusions and ineffective consultation still occur in participatory processes controlled primarily by local government rather than by the community. These experiences of ineffective consultations were also observed regionally in countries such as South Africa and globally in countries such as Australia. This study aimed to develop a framework that would enable the Kokong community to contribute meaningfully to participatory community development processes. The primary research question was: What are the critical factors contributing to effective community participation during community development planning using a CBPR approach? The research employed an exploratory embedded single-case study design. Data was collected using Semi-Structured Interviews and workshops. And analysed using thematic analysis. The SSI findings revealed that community participation in the community development planning in Kokong was tokenistic, and the community had limited influence in decision- making. The workshops were used to test the SLF-ABCD CBPR conceptual framework and proved effective in getting the community to be proactive and discover their assets and new livelihood strategies. The study concluded that the conceptual framework was effective, conceptually relevant, and socially relevant; however, there were a few institutional, procedural, and power imbalances that hindered full participation. The study recommends reforming policy and legal frameworks to remove impediments to community participation in development planning and formalise the community development plan at the village level. Future studies can apply the framework in similar contexts.enCommunity-Based Participatory ResearchCommunity DevelopmentCommunity ParticipationLivelihood AssessmentSustainable Livelihoods AssessmentThesis