PID/PRA Network in Sri Lnak: a glimpse of its history, performance and aspirations

Both government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as donor organizations have expressed a great interest in participatory approaches to development in Sri Lanka; one of the results of this was the establishment of the PID/PRA (Participatory Interaction in Development/Participatory Rural Appraisal) Network in 1994. The Network is facilitated by a working group of 11 members from government organizations and NGOs and was the initiative of the Self-Help Support Programme (SSP) of the Swiss Intercooperation (IC), an organization which has promoted participatory methods in Sri Lanka since 1991.
This paper describes the objectives of the PID/PRA Network. It details its activities and its ongoing development. The second part of the paper consists of a self-reflection. Network members were asked to respond to a questionnaire in order to both reflect on their personal experiences of the effectiveness of the PID/PRA methodology and assess the performance of the network over previous years along with their own expectations of it. The results include lessons learned, positive and negative experiences, and expectations. Finally, key lessons learned by the network are given.