Thomas-Slayter, B.

This article discusses opportunities for NGOs to work towards sustainable development in Africa. NGOs can facilitate strengthening institutional capacities at the local level. But NGO effectiveness can be constrained by the need for autonomy and government need for control; problems of scaling up and confusion over appropriate roles. The article addresses these issues in the context of two case studies of NGO activity: an environmental NGO in Zimbabwe and a PRA approach in Kenya involving international and national NGOs and the Kenyan government.

This report concerns the use of PRA methods in participatory natural resources management in Kenya. The aim of the study was to learn whether a team consisting of national level staff, a foreign representative, and community leaders could gather data, define problems, rank solutions and devise an integrated village plan for natural resources management with substantial community participation. The bulk of the report consists of discussion of the PRA process, and descriptions of the use of various PRA methods and the results.