Resources

This paper presents the results of research on how street children, hotel boys and the children of pavement dwellers and construction workers in Bombay meet their daily needs. Section two describes the factors which lead to children being in such circumstances and the inadequacies of public provision in meeting their needs. Section three describes the organisations responsible for undertaking the survey and the unconventional means by which contacts were made with the children. It also describes how involving the children in the survey became a means of establishing better contact between the children and the government agencies and voluntary organizations seeking more effective public responses to their needs and problems. Section four presents the findings of the research. (Author's summary)

This paper considers the adaptation of Participatory Rural Appraisal to an urban artisanal fisheries environment in Conakry, Guinea. It describes how the Ministry of Agricultural and Animal Resources (responsible for fisheries), artisanal fishing port users, and the regional West African Integrated Development of Artisanal Fisheries Programme (IDAF) of the FAO have been collaborating to develop methods to help the fishing port users and the government fisheries officers work effectively together. PRA was used in order to increase the awareness of port users and port authorities of the operational conditions of the port, prioritising problems. Methods of fishing, processing and marketing were also examined. A significant finding was the large number of groups involved, none of whom felt they could take any responsibility. A port users committee was therefore set up, which was involved in following through the initial PRA. Fisheries officers were trained in PRA, and were able to link their planning skills with the specialised knowledge of the fishermen, traders, smokers and boat builders to set up 'mini-projects'. The conclusion is that the use of PRA within the government structure creates flexibility in planning, transferring responsibility to the managing committee.

This short article describes the process and the outcome of a participatory urban appraisal carried out in Chainda (a large slum) on the outskirts of Lusaka. A number of methods used in the PRA approach were used for appraisal and planning. Although the process involved discussing most issues, people carried out detailed analysis and planning involving issues of improving livelihoods, support required by the women for the informal sector and institutional and power relationships. A number of adaptations were needed for use of PRA methods. The paper concludes that many participatory methods developed in rural areas work equally well in urban situations but need continuous adaptation. Also due to the intensive nature of the process in participatory urban appraisal the planning process gets linked with the political and administrative process quicker than happens in rural areas (author's abstract).

This training manual for innovative, community-based shelter training programmes is the result of a partnership which has developed since 1991 between the People's Dialogue, a national network linking representatives from illegal and informal settlements in South Africa, and a group of three organisations in India. These are SPARC, an NGO working broadly in the area of housing and community development; the National Slum Dwellers Federation; and Mahila Milan, a federation of women's collectives. The first part of the manual describes the participation of the South African delegation in a shelter training programme in India. Part two focuses on a follow-up training conducted by the South African delegates in their own country, with the support of the Indian trainers. Forty leaders of the Federations of the Homeless Poor in South Africa took part as they assisted one township to explore their shelter options. The final section reflects on the kinds of methodology followed in the process and provides guidelines for training.

This workshop introduced the participatory learning approach (PALM) to the ODA Slum Improvement Project Implementation Staff from four states in India. Fieldwork was conducted in the slums of Hyderabad to give participants experience applying the tools introduced. The workshop encouraged practionners to recognize urban people's knowledge and skills, and to identify local resources. The workshop introduced PRA methods for use in urban areas. These methods included mapping, seasonality, matrix ranking, Venn diagramming, and livelihood analysis.

This ten-minute video was made by Manor Street Community Group in North Belfast, Northern Ireland with the help of students from King Alfred's College. Manor Street is situated in the heart of an area divided by religious and political conflict. The film focuses on efforts by the Community Group to get support from the community and funding for a new Community Centre. After a 3-year public consultation period plans for the centre were drawn up and the City Council was approached for funding to build and run it (00). There was a great need for the centre. Since a wall had been built between the warring catholic and protestant communities shops had closed and buses stopped running (01). There was nothing for young people to do and vandalism was common (02). The problems had been exacerbated by the loss of the old centre and its youth club. All community spirit had gone from the area and the lack of opportunity for protestants and catholics to meet meant the two communities were even more divided (04). The Community Group made contact with various bodies to obtain support and funding. Discussions with residents made it clear that people wanted a centre which would provide something for all ages (05). One person suggested that keep fit classes for women could help deal with stress. The Centre would help put the heart back into the area by providing the community with a focal point and a morale booster (06). The plans provided space for a creche as well as rooms for meetings and classes for the unemployed (08.30). Volunteers from the community were sought to fundraise, run activities and join the management committee (09). The aim was to encourage the whole community to join in.

The thesis analyses the potential of PRA to empower communities in the development process. The research is based on a literature review that includes both theoretical literature and project documents and evaluations. It discusses the emergence of empowerment as an issue in development, and looks at why it has been so difficult to achieve in practice. The empowering potential of PRA is then discussed in the context of a case study from urban Pakistan. It is concluded that PRA "can be a potent tool in empowering communities but this will not happen automatically".