What does ABCD mean in HEALTHCARE

Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is a social justice framework for community development that emphasizes the use of existing social and material assets within communities to enable them to become self-sufficient.

Traditional approaches tend to prioritize external resources or interventions, while ABCD puts emphasis on meaningful community engagement and reflection. It seeks to create change by leveraging local assets, rather than relying on outside help or solutions.

Assets could include anything from human capital such as people's skillsets, networks, and relationships; physical capital such as buildings, parks, transportation systems; natural capital such as forests, rivers, beaches; financial capital such as grants or investments; and spiritual capital including religious organizations or faith-based initiatives.

Practitioners of ABCD typically engage communities in conversations about what matters most to them, surface shared values, promote capacity building among residents and organizations who can lead collective action towards achieving their goals. The objective is not only to increase a sense of ownership amongst citizens, but also foster collaboration between different stakeholders in the area - including local government or businesses.

Yes! There have been many successful projects using the principles of Asset Based Community Development across the world — including a flood recovery initiative in Thailand, an HIV-education project in Zambia, and efforts around economic empowerment in Detroit. These initiatives demonstrate how creative partnerships between individual participants and public/private entities can create positive outcomes for all parties involved.