Publication year:
1994
This paper presents a preliminary draft of a needs assessment exercise carried out for an integrated rural development programme run by Save the Children in Vietnam. PRA methods were used to carry out the needs assessment, and NGO and local government personnel received training in PRA. Critical reflections on the PRA training and the use of PRA in the needs assessment process are made, principally that participants' biases and resistance to change of attitudes were constraints. Institutional and personal reasons for these constraints are discussed in detail. It is noted that if analysis and review of findings are left until after the fieldwork, an important learning opportunity is missed. The writing-up process is also discussed.
Interest groups:
This paper may be of interest to trainers and fieldworkers, particularly in Vietnam.
Pages:
4p.