Resources

This resource pack is designed for anyone interested in poverty reduction in a context characterised by inequality and exclusion. DFID has focused on the political dynamics of poverty in Peru in order to address the underlying causes of inequality and exclusion. This has meant engaging with political processes, supporting new spaces for dialogue and participation, and working with and building alliances between state, society and the international community. This resource pack includes a book of reflections from DFID, its partners and other local and international voices highlighting lessons and key issues; a DVD looking at DFIDÆs work to strengthen accountability, build citizenship and institutionalise rights in Peru; and a CD-ROM containing a selection of material on DFIDÆs experience such as the book, a series of papers prepared for DFID on state-society relations, and key corporate documents e.g. DFIDÆs target strategy papers. Some of the main recommendations raised include issues for donors, such as addressing poor people as citizens with rights and responsibilities as a key means of tackling inequality and exclusion; working systematically with both the state and wider society to achieve more inclusive development; investing in alliances between those individuals and institutions that are committed to pro-poor reform; and acting openly, transparently and accountably in tackling this more political agenda.

This is the report from a meeting of 49 people engaged in advocacy and citizen participation efforts in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, North America and Europe. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together activists, researchers, trainers and other practitioners to discuss the challenges and successes of citizen-centred advocacy in different country contexts. This report aims to capture key lessons and recommendations to help donors and international NGOs refine their support strategies for training and action in participatory advocacy. The report is structured around the key themes of engagement in advocacy: when is a policy space strategic and when is it just window dressing?; issue-based struggle or struggle-based issues: linking social transformation and policy advocacy; whoÆs who in advocacy: identity, representation and legitimacy; and how to assess success: evaluation for learning.

In India, people with disabilities experience profound social exclusion, largely remaining hidden and having little chance to share their experiences. There is little data on this exclusion and little understanding of their abilities, skills and potential. This paper describes the processes, outcomes and learning from collaborative participatory action research, facilitated by UNNATI-Organisation for Development Education and Handicap International, in partnership with 13 grassroots organisations. The study aimed to develop awareness and a collective understanding of the needs, potential, rights and aspirations of persons with disabilities and challenge the attitude and behaviour of the community towards them. The paper looks first at the methodology used and gives a summary of some of the findings, which cover issues such as: profound exclusion; mobility, access and participation; family life; rehabilitation needs and services; public health services; access to rights,; livelihoods; education, and mainstreaming. It then goes on to look at methodological issues, such as how exercises are communicated, social mapping as an entry point for awareness, overcoming barriers to participation, different realities, disability issues from a womanÆs perspective and sensitivity towards stakeholders. The study represents the voices of 1154 persons with disabilities in 55 villages and eight urban slums across four Indian districts.

With a few exceptional cases, children are excluded from municipal planning, and adults represent their needs. Yet involving children makes sense: children have the greatest stake in the future, and involvement helps to develop a sense of place and home, which they are more likely to care for. They also tend to have a more objective assessment of what matters, based on the value of the place itself, in contrast to the more commodity or resource-led values held by adults. This paper reports a participatory planning case involving children in municipal master planning in a fast growing tourism region of S.W. Turkey, the Bodrum Peninsula. Working with the Yali Municipality, students from the University of Colarado looked at how the growth of an area in the name of job creation and a better standard of living affects the essence of the place itself, and how many values are lost. The students used participatory photography to involve the children in this study and the paper explains how they did this. First it looks at the principles and methods of participatory photography, then goes on to examine the childrenÆs places and values, including those of aesthetic value, villages and homes, water features, the public realm, play places, work places, endangered species etc. Lastly it describes how the childrenÆs photographs and stories were displayed along with the studentsÆ own analyses and recommendations at a gathering of residents, city council members, and local professionals. Most of all, it was the childrenÆs photos that enabled the audience to make connections and understand the proposals.

Cowley Road Matters (CRM) is an innovative UK public consultation project in Oxford. It came about as a result of Oxfordshire County Council receiving funding for the improvement of Cowley Road, which runs through the heart of East Oxford. A busy arterial route, the road runs through a densely populated residential area and has a mix of local shops, pubs and restaurants. This paper describes how East Oxford Action carried out the consultation, involving and engaging the users of the area in redesigning it to suit their needs. The project involved a number of stages, giving people the opportunity to learn about the process, contribute their own knowledge, explore options and be involved in the design. The paper details the initial consultation process which took three months, and involved talking to businesses and groups, carrying out questionnaires, workshops and street interviews, and setting up a website. A shop was converted to a drop in centre and maps and models of the road were used in workshops and at the shop. Interactive design days followed and the final basic plan was exhibited at the annual carnival attended by 20,000 people. The paper goes on to describe what was successful about CRM, look at transparency in decision-making, discuss the role of the shop and the use of participatory video. Finally it looks at lessons learnt and what could be done differently.