The Participate initiative involves 18 organisations, who work with diverse marginalised people in over 30 countries, coming together to make their voices count on development policy. This anthology is an account of the activities carried out by the Participatory Research Group (PRG) within the Participate initiative between 2012 and 2014, and also a reflection on the methods and processes created and utilised during that time. It aims to share the insights and lessons learnt to help promote thought and discussion about how to use participatory approaches to influence policy at a variety of levels. These experiences include: applying, adapting and innovating participatory methods to promote the voices of participants in all stages of the research process; creating opportunities and spaces for including the perspectives articulated through the research where possible in the policymaking processes; and embedding participatory approaches in local-to global policymaking processes.
This report marks the fourth year of the five year Reality Check Approach (RCA) in Bangladesh. It presents findings from the fourth period of field work carried out in October–November 2010. The aim of the report is to present as accurately as possible the day to day realities of people living in poverty, and in ways that minimise imposition of an authorial voice.
The overall purpose of Reality Check study in Bangladesh is to improve understanding of poor people’s reality. Its design allows researchers to interact and build trust with communities and households.By living in the target communities for intervals over a five year period, a more in-depth understanding of grassroot’s realities have emerged and poor people’s voices have been heard.
The Governments of Sweden and Bangladesh cooperate in the areas of primary health care and primary education and the focus of this study is to monitor perceptions in these two areas. Direct observations on how services are provided and utilised are part of the study as well as listening to both receivers and providers of these services.
In this WASH Talks video, Robert Chambers talks about the use of Rapid Action Learning (RAL) workshops, immersive research and participatory mapping methodologies in India with the purpose of checking what is actually happening on the ground, and learning from this, in relation to the national Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) (SBM-G) (clean India mission).
These methodologies have been developed and implemented with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), WaterAid, Delhi University and the Indian government.
