Empowerment in Health and Community Settings

Empowerment in Asian countries is a relatively new concept, and the manner in which it has been implemented has varied across cultural settings and with different groups. In this chapter we discuss the concept of empowerment, and then present a specific model for the process of community empowerment (the CASE Model, developed in Japan), as well as how empowerment has been applied effectively in various conditions. The stages of this model are Creation, Adaptation, Sustenance, and Evaluation/Expansion (CASE), and require different skills and steps at each stage. These are outlined in this chapter, along with critical factors for success in empowerment efforts in any cultural environment, whether at the personal, social, and/or systemic levels of community development.