Our Eyes Are Now Open

This video records the process of an exploratory PRA which was conducted by World Neighbours in Kenya. Previous projects in the area had adopted a top-down approach with no participation by local people. Using a PRA approach outsiders such as extensionists or government officers acted as facilitators to initiate the process which the villagers then continued. Through this process people were able to develop an understanding of their situation and themselves, and to realise the potential they had to deal with their problems (02). Initially the facilitators discussed the need for the PRA with the villagers (06). Meetings were arranged so that women were able to participate throughout (07). Information unfolded visually through small group activities and the information which had been gathered was presented to the whole group for discussion and correction (14). The discussion led on to identifying needs and problems as well as suggestions of how to deal with them (14). Key issues were then prioritised through a ranking process (17). Women's and men's daily work and rest patterns were recorded on daily activity charts. Households and village amenities were drawn on a social map (21), and trees and other natural resources used by the village were indicated on a resource map (21.50). Pairwise scoring was then used to determine locational needs (22). In the last stage of the PRA an action plan was designed on the basis of the needs which had been identified (22).