There are four basic concepts as well as community entry and organisation is concern. A concept is a general idea or thought about a thing or a group of things, derived from
specific instances or occurrences. The four basic concept of community entry and
organisation are community, gatekeepers, stakeholders and aids. Community can be
defined in three perspectives; geographic, non- geographic and power or authority
system. Geographically, a community is a place or geographical area where people
live and share common interest and aspirations and have a social network of
relationship at the local level. Example, towns and villages. Non- geographically, a
community is a group of people who do not necessarily live in the same
neighbourhood but share common characteristics in terms of goals, interest, etc. Examples, youth, Ghana Medical Association, etc. In terms of power or authority
system, two communities exist, centralized and non-centralized or acephalous. Centralized communities have a single head whose power is recognised throughout
the community. There is a well defined administrative machinery and judicial system. The order of authority in such communities is: family heads< clan or lineage head<
chiefs< paramount chiefs. Non- centralized communities do not have a single person
to whom authority or power is vested. A community can be traditional, solidarity
community, example(hausa speaking communities-zongo), or neighbourhood
community. Knowing a community is crucial for it entry. Before a profiler or
researcher enters a community for a programme or research, there is the need for the
researcher to first gather information about the community. The researcher or profiler
must understand the information gathered as well. Knowing a community before entry
provides information about the community’s demographic characteristics, the
resources, settlements, lacks or needs, among others which help facilitate a
researchers project within the community. In transect walk and community resource
mapping for instance, the researchers must know the various segments or settlements
of the community in order to gain a successful outcome, and this has to do with
knowing the community. Gatekeepers are individuals or a group of individuals that control access to a place, or
goods and services. They are highly influential. In a qualitative research, particularly
ethnographic research, a gatekeeper(also called key informant) helps facilitate access
to a group of people or a locale. Examples of gatekeepers includes chiefs, assembly
members, district health directors, family heads, etc. Community entry must be
negotiated with gatekeepers. Gatekeepers give researchers the permit for the entry of