Francis, S.

Slum improvement projects (SIPs) are integrated urban development projects which incorporate physical improvements with community development programmes. The article describes the use of PALM (Participatory Learning Method) to increase community participation in slum improvement projects in urban slums in India. Methods which have been found useful in this context include resource mapping, seasonal calendars and activity schedules, focus group discussions, wealth and well-being ranking, trend analyses, venn diagrams and matrices.

Both ASA and SPEECH have been working on tank and bund rehabilitation programmes, and watershed management/soil and water conservation. PRA was used to evaluate the performance of these programmes, discover the impact of the project, and assist in finding the future direction.

A topical PRA on health was held in South India for 23 participants belonging to 11 NGO groups. Activities were conducted separately by the NGO group and women's group : their different perceptions of health problems are compared on a table. Information on the reproductive cycle was also produced by the women's group. Some general observations made about women's participation include : "women have come out with seasonal calendar of 10 months" and "women have triangulated only amongst themselves and never wanted to present in the larger forum."

Activitists for Social Alternatives, an Indian NGO, began to use PRA in order to reach the poorest villagers. This report describes their experiences since 1990, under the specific areas where PRA workshops were conducted: tank rehabilitation, watershed development, herbal medicine, women's issues, health and income generation (non agro based).

SPEECH (Society for Peoples' Education and Economic Change) conducted a series of workshops on PRA for NGO and Government officials in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. The workshop at Manavarayanenthal focused on health, "to evolve new strategies in planning specific health projects". The training programme began with a session on the principles of PRA, followed by learning various PRA techniques in the community. Descriptions are given of each activity, including materials used, and an evaluation of the training programme as a whole.

This article outlines one of a series of workshops conducted for NGOs and local Government officials in Tamil Nadu by the Society for Peoples' Education and Economic Change (SPEECH). The 23 participants spent four days learning PRA theory and conducting fieldwork in a village near Tiruchuli. The workshop also analysed group dynamics and recorded the very favourable impressions of participants. Examples are given of village maps, models, matrices and linkage diagrams.

The purpose of the paper is to highlight what aspects of PRA have been covered in manuals and identify gaps. Each review covers the target group, content and tools/ techniques. The potential application of each manual has also been considered. The language style is indicated - whether the text is simple, user frendly or complex and scientific. Comments on the manual are included which illustrate the emphasises placed on different aspects, and strengths and weaknesses of the manual.