Resources

This is the report of visits to the Participative Integrated Development of Watersheds (PIDOW) project which aims to promote resource management by direct users (communities), and to elaborate participative strategies that integrate regeneration of degraded common lands and increase productivity. The visit aimed to learn about the project approaches and to discuss experiences and achievements. The report discusses environmental compatibility of grassroots resource management; the importance of technical and institutional development, particularly the participative approaches; investment in environmental regeneration and monitoring of environmental impacts and impacts of participative approaches.

This brief paper is a Technical Note paper (TN) which incorporates the experiences of the ODA and is supplemented by two other guides on similar issues. It starts by detailing definitions of stakeholder participation and describes the extent to which we can at present answer questions on when, why and how to encourage participation. The paper emphasises the importance of participatory approaches for the sustainable implementation of aid programmes and describes how key stakeholders can be identified. A series of steps are also listed to guide the level of participation that is feasible at different levels of the programme and in different sectors. Part two examines how participation can be enhanced in policy reform at the macro-level. The costs of such a move to donors are also highlighted. For projects that emphasise a process approach, it is recommended that local organisations are supported to enhance overall participation. Some methods of doing this are identified including PRA methods before the paper concludes with checklists.

This interesting article describes how the author sought to show how an appreciative inquiry technique can be used to embed a self evaluation process in an organisation that caters for the needs of street children in Africa. The paper describes using a narrative style the findings of a three day workshop using this methodology. Appreciative Inquiry works by highlighting the organisations best practice which is then used as a bench mark for all the practitioners to assess their own performance. Several problems existed within the specific context in which this workshop was held which would influence the evaluation. These problems were promptly identified by the author and listed as being as follows; i) the contrast between the rhetoric of democracy and participation on the one hand and the reality of an authoritarian style leadership on the other, ii) the great diversity in the formal education and training levels of the participants, iii) the bias that existed in the organisation which favoured the caring/counselling role but left a gap in the administrative and finance functions and iv) what was described by the author as a kind of 'corporate introspection' where the organisation and it's participants felt undervalued by the donor communities because of the nature of their work. The key technique utilised by the appreciative inquiry methodology was that of story telling and PRA style mapping. The events of the workshop are clearly described in this paper which is generally refreshingly simple in it's style.

This handbook discusses the basic definitions and principles of M&E, including where, why and how evaluation is carried out, and a detailed examination of what qualities are possessed by both good and bad indicators. There is an in-depth discussion of the functions of community based M&E and a list of 'ten steps' is provided to guide in developing and supporting a community based M&E system. Each steps is examined and illustrated with reference to a project in in India. There is also a list of do's and dontÆs in supporting a community based M&E system and a discussion of links that can exist between the M&E systems of an agency such as an NGO and that of a community based organisation. The paper concludes with a discussion of how M&E fits into the project cycle and the importance of fostering the right attitudes towards M&E practice is emphasised.

The article discusses the nature of PRA and how it differs from other participatory methodologies. The paper emphasises principles, and attitudes and behaviour rather than on methods or tools. The article addresses issues of the PRA as a tool for empowerment and how it affects policy. The broad range of examples it draws on makes it a good read for enthusiasts and beginners to see the wide range to which PRA can be applied and the flexibility of the approach. The report has an interesting collection of quotes from field experiences from South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.

This document addresses the World BankÆs approach to country poverty assessments. It looks at the increasing involvement of stakeholder groups, with the aim of building in-country capacity to address the problems of the poor. With examples from a number of countries, it argues that the participation of government and other institutional stakeholders in all aspects of the work increases sensitivity to poverty issues, enhances analytical skills, and builds allegiance to the measures proposed for poverty reduction. In addition it claims that, conventional statistical analysis is complimented by qualitative information from participatory social assessments, which reveal the concerns voiced by the poor.

This article outlines a new technique which it is hoped will contribute to a basket of approaches designed to link PRA to policy. It was piloted with communities in two Game Management Areas in Zambia in December, 1995. The PRA team comprised experienced facilitators and extension workers from the government wildlife authority and an NGO (WWF -BWP). The article describes the technique and some of the lessons learned from the case studies. An important issue examined is how to meaningfully link the information gained through participatory analysis with the actual process of policy formulation.