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Microcredit Schemes Run by Indigenous Women Reactivate Economy

The Puna plateau region in northeastern Argentina has become a showcase for community financial administration, run by women. They have small banks, manage investment and health loans, and are reactivating the economy, for the good of the entire community. (Marcela Valente,IPS News, 14 June 2006)

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33624

(Added: Tue Jun 20 2006   Modified: Wed Jun 21 2006   Hits: 239)

Participatory methods toolkit: a practitioner's manual

This 167-page manual reviews what is meant by a "participatory approach," and the benefits to such an approach. The authors emphasise that effective and meaningful public involvement is seen as essential to, for instance: enabling high quality and democratic governance; strengthening civil capacity; developing and deliver programmes effectively and efficiently; building public confidence and trust in decisions. (Carmen Villegas Caballero, UNU/CRIS, 17 August 2006)

http://www.unu.edu/hq/library/Collection/PDF_files/CRIS/PMT.pdf

(Added: Mon Aug 28 2006   Hits: 498)

Aid Initiatives Not to Be Taken on Faith

This article compares the experiences of two foreign faith-based charitable organisations -World Vision and Dream for Africa - in Swaziland, whose differing attitudes towards local communities determined whether they would suceed or fail in their common mission of 'helping'. (James Hall, IPS News, 10 April 2006)

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32841

(Added: Fri Apr 21 2006   Modified: Mon Aug 21 2006   Hits: 374)

Alternative energy and women in Rural Nepal [PDF]

The Rural Energy Development Programme in Nepal aimed to take a holistic and participatory approach to development, including the empowerment of women. This article looks at the impact of the programme on women in Kavre district, including some of the factors which influenced the outcome of the programme for women in two villages where it has had varying degrees of success.

http://www.leisa.info/FritZ/source/getblob.php?o_id=72639&a_id=211&a_seq=0

(Added: Wed May 11 2005   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 542)

Assessing Access to Information, Participation, and Justice for the Environment: A Guide

The Access Initiative has developed a set of tools to help civil society groups measure how well governments are performing on access to information, public participation, and justice in decision-making for the environment. These tools are available in the new CD-ROM publication, Assessing Access to Information, Participation, and Justice for the Environment: A Guide. The Guide describes our unique methodology and includes more than 150 research questions designed to measure law and practice in the following areas: * Degree of access to selected types of Information about the Environment; * Degree of Public Participation in decision-making processes; and * Comprehensiveness and quality of Capacity Building efforts to encourage informed and meaningful public participation. In addition, the Guide provides detailed and user-friendly instructions for all phases of the assessment, including assembling a coalition, launching a study, selecting cases and research methods, finalizing data, and using findings to stimulate tangible results.

http://www.accessinitiative.org/how_to_guide.html

(Added: Thu Jan 19 2006   Hits: 444)

AusAID investments pay dividends in Sri Lanka: The case of community based forest management

This article describes a pilot experiment of community engagement in forest protection and management supported under an AusAID funded project in Sri Lanka (ADGm 1 May 2008). It demonstrates the dividends for community engagement in forest management including its protection. Some significant lessons for wider applications as well as a few areas for future assistance under AusAID are also highlighted in the article.

http://www.developmentgateway.com.au/jahia/Jahia/pid/6770

(Added: Sat May 03 2008   Modified: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 8)

Books Without Borders

Give a book, or give a lift to a book: ordinary New Zealanders make a difference and move 29000kilos of books to the other side of the world in partnership with the Reading Association of Nigeria. A project without money even coming near the equation. Just people participating in enhancing the learning of friends unmet.

http://www.theglobalbridge.com/bookswithoutborders/

(Added: Mon Dec 10 2001   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 312)

Building the Capacity of Local Groups (pdf)

Tearfund, by Isabel Carter (2001). A PILLARS Guide (Partnership in Local Language Resources). These guides are designed for use in small group situations where one or more people are literate and confident enough to lead others in group discussion. They aim to provide material for discussion around a subject either in isolation or as part of a regular group meeting; for example of farmers, literacy trainees or Mothers Union members. Ideally just two or three pages should be used each time allowing plenty of time for discussion of the issues raised and for carrying out some of the practical ideas suggested. No training is first necessary for the discussion leader. PILLARS Guides aim to increase confidence among group members, so that they can successfully manage change within their own situation without the need for outside intervention. They try to build on existing knowledge and experiences among the members or within their community, so that different ideas can be tried out, adapted, and then either abandoned if not useful or appropriate, or found useful and adopted.

http://www.tilz.info/uploads/documents/Capacity_EBW.pdf

(Added: Fri Mar 14 2003   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 474)

C.E.G.A. Resource Centre

Within the C.E.G.A. Resource Centre one can find practical handouts on more than 25 topics, in English and Bulgarian language, easy to download as .zip files.

http://www.cega.bg

(Added: Fri Nov 22 2002   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 292)

Can You Imagine a Better World?

On this page Idealist invites you to imagine a better community and a better world, and to see how we can build it together, starting right now. There is a good chance that right now, on different floors of an apartment building somewhere in your country, two people are looking out their windows and wishing there were a garden or a playground below instead of a dirty lot. But acting alone can be difficult, and in many neighborhoods, both rich and poor, there is no way for people to know that they are not alone-that down the street, or two floors above or below them, there may be others who would gladly work with them if they only knew where or how to find them. This sense of unrealized potential is one engine driving this project. The other is a conviction that working together across our differences we can do something about it. Attend or host a start-up meeting in your neighborhood, school, or workplace. Post a comment by logging in below. Invite other people to take part in this initiative.

http://www.idealist.org/if/idealist/en/Invite/default?sid=82854371-244-Mik

(Added: Wed Jan 17 2007   Hits: 212)

Children changing their world : understanding and evaluating children's participation in development

Prepared for Plan by Jason Hart, Jesse Newman and Lisanne Ackermann. Plan International, 2004 (pdf) Plan's vision is of a world in which all children realise their full potential in societies that respect people's rights and dignity. Plan is one of the world's largest child centred community development organisations. Plan staff and volunteers work with children, their families and communities in 45 countries, building the skills, the structures and the resources to give all children an equal voice and an equal chance to develop into healthy, educated and responsible adults. Plan also works through 15 national organisations. Staff in these offices work to develop an understanding of Plan's approach among current and potential supporters, and campaign on behalf of children worldwide. By doing so, they build committed partnerships with ndividuals,organisations, companies and governments, all of which means that Plan has reliable funds available. Plan believes that children should be encouraged to express their own priorities alongside those of the adults. No project is undertaken unless it will have a positive impact for the children and there is a deep commitment to its success. Once the priorities have been identified, Plan works with a community to build its collective skills and resources to enable it to take a leading role in designing, executing and managing the projects. Plan supports this work by developing partnerships at all levels to increase the impact of programmes, influence policy, improve resource and service provision, and ensure that children's voices are heard.

http://www.plan-uk.org/pdfs/childrenchangingtheirworld.pdf

(Added: Thu Aug 12 2004   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 294)

Citizens as Partners: OECD Handbook on Information, Consultation and Public Participation in Policy-

Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, drafted by Marc Gramberger (2001). This OECD Handbook on Information, Consultation and Public Participation in Policy-making is a practitioner's guide designed for use by government officials in OECD Member and non-member countries. It offers a practical "road map" for building robust frameworks for informing, consulting and engaging citizens during policy-making. The Handbook recognises the great diversity of country contexts, objectives and measures in strengthening government-citizen relations. As a result, it offers no prescriptions or ready-made solutions. Rather, it seeks to clarify the key issues and decisions faced by government officials when designing and implementing measures to ensure access to information, opportunities for consultation and public participation in policy-making in their respective countries.

http://www1.oecd.org/publications/e-book/4201141E.pdf

(Added: Fri Mar 14 2003   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 417)

Communities, livelihoods and natural resources: action research and policy change in Asia

This book synthesizes results from a 7-year program of applied research on community-based approaches to natural resource management in Asia. The 11 case studies featured illustrate how local innovations in participatory natural resource management can strengthen livelihoods, build capacity for local governance, and spark policy change. The lessons are derived from the application of a participatory action research framework that engaged resource users, local governments, and researchers in collaborative learning. They illustrate practical innovations to strengthen livelihoods through improved collective resource management practices and broader technology choices. (Stephen R. Tyler, IDRC, 2006)

http://www.idrc.org.sg/en/ev-97782-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

(Added: Thu Nov 16 2006   Modified: Thu Dec 14 2006   Hits: 296)

Community-driven Reconstruction as an Instrument in War-to-Peace Transitions (PDF)

CPR Working Paper No. 7, August 2003 This working paper was published jointly by the Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction Unit and the Community Driven Development Thematic Group in the Social Development Department. The paper was written by Sarah Cliffe (OPCOS), Scott Guggenheim (EASES) and Markus Kostner (AFTRS). Although the paper focuses on Timor-Leste and Rwanda, where the Bank launched some of its first community-driven reconstruction programs in the early 1990s, it also draws from the authors' first-hand experience in postconflict situations in several countries and different regions. (PDF-92KB)

http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/sdvext.nsf/60ByDocName/Community-drivenReconstructionasanInstrumentinWar-to-PeaceTransitions/$FILE/SDP43-CPRWP07Aug21.pdf

(Added: Thu Nov 06 2003   Modified: Wed Jan 10 2007   Hits: 634)

Conducting a Participatory Situation Analysis of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: Guidelines and Tools

APRIL 2005 -- Family Health International has released an important new resource for improving the lives of orphans and vulnerable children. The guide, Conducting a Participatory Situation Analysis of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: Guidelines and Tools, is a powerful tool that builds on experiences from FHI's work in the developing world. Conducting a situation analysis is a complex and delicate process. It gathers and analyzes information to guide planning and action. Done properly, it can help build consensus and among key stakeholders‑‑ essential in a growing epidemic ‑‑ and produce sound recommendations to promote shared understanding among relevant parties. Collecting data that is not directly linked to specific programs helps identify strengths and weaknesses in national and sub-national responses. Because this resource is focused on children, it features a special emphasis on ethical considerations for information-gathering. The six-chapter, 210-page guide offers sample consent forms, baseline surveys and interview guides, which can be adapted for local use. It was funded by the U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator through the U.S. Agency for International Development. It was written by Renee DeMarco with FHI's OVC Team.

http://www.fhi.org/en/HIVAIDS/pub/guide/ovcguide.htm

(Added: Mon Sep 26 2005   Modified: Mon Aug 28 2006   Hits: 260)

Deccan Development Society

The Deccan Development Society is a rural development organisation working in the semi-arid tropic of Deccan in South India for over a decade and a half. The Society presently works with women's sanghams (voluntary village level associations of the poor) in about 75 villages 100 kms away from Hyderabad, the capital of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The 5000 women members of the Society represent the poorest of the poor in their village communities. Most of them are dalits the lowest group in the social hierarchy. This triple jeopardy -- being women, poor and dalits --- affects their day to day realities and makes them constantly vulnerable. But after having formed themselves into sanghams and deriving strength from their solidarity and numbers these women are producing a new quiet dignity for the poor through a host of activities.

http://www.ddsindia.com/

(Added: Fri Nov 07 2003   Modified: Thu Dec 15 2005   Hits: 462)

Democracy in Russia: Putin's Path into the 19th Century

The Russian president is moving closer towards turning Russia into an authoritarian state -- with a supervisory board for Russia 's civil society. The "People's Chamber" is intended as a forum for the voice of the people. Officially, its role is not only to guarantee the cooperation of all citizens with all government bodies, but also to protect "rights and freedoms" and oversee officialdom. However it is highly questionable whether it will have any real power. (Jörg R. Mettke, Spiegel, 5 June 2006)

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,419136,00.html

(Added: Tue Jun 13 2006   Modified: Thu Jun 15 2006   Hits: 177)

Democratic Decentralization of Natural Resources: Institutionalizing Popular Participation

This brief presents preliminary findings and recommendations from research on natural resources in decentralization efforts around the world. The findings derive from WRI's Accountability, Decentralization, and Environment Comparative Research Project in Africa, and cases presented at the WRI-organized Conference on Decentralization and Environment in Bellagio, Italy in February 2002. The Africa-wide research project conducted field studies in Cameroon, Mali, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe in 2000 and 2001.

http://pdf.wri.org/ddnr_full_revised.pdf

(Added: Wed Nov 13 2002   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 322)

Diploma in Development Leadership- Jun 30 - Dec 5 2008

The Diploma in Development Leadership provides a framework for just and sustainable development based on a participatory, practical, holistic approach. Its overall purpose is to strengthen the capacity of development leaders to effectively motivate and support people in the development of their own communities and societies.

http://www.comminit.com/en/node/268136

(Added: Thu Apr 03 2008   Hits: 179)

Empowering Communities: Participatory Techniques For Community-Based Programme Development (PDF)

Includes Volume 1: Trainer's Manual and Volume 2: Participant's Handbook. From the Centre for African Family Studies, the John Hopkins University, and the Academy for Educational Development.

http://pcs.aed.org/empowering.htm

(Added: Wed May 21 2003   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 569)

Empowerment and Poverty Reduction: A Soucebook

Discussion of What is Empowerment? and Applying Empowerment Principles by the World Bank 2002

http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/empowerment/sourcebook/draft.pdf

(Added: Thu May 15 2003   Modified: Wed Jun 21 2006   Hits: 315)

Evaluation of a Community Based Rehabilitation Scheme in Uganda

The Community Based Rehabilitation Programme (CBR) in Tororo district, Uganda aims to achieve full integration of disabled persons in the main streams of society by undertaking rehabilitation measures at community levels that use and build on local resources available in the community. This paper presents the findings of an external evaluation of the programme, and assesses the extent to which this overall objective has been met. (J Claussen, B Kandyomunda, P Jareg, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, 2005)

http://www.norad.no/ngo-evaluation/evaluations/59e7926c-37bc-42f7-a52a-30cc86f2ee98.pdf

(Added: Wed Apr 19 2006   Hits: 238)

Evidence-based approaches to crime prevention in developing countries : a scoping review of the literature : final report (PDF)

(Department for International Development) by Joseph Akpokodje, Roger Bowles and Emmanuel Tigere, Centre for Criminal Justice Economics and Psychology, November 2002. The aim of this study was to identify crime prevention programmes and practices in developing countries. A total of 91 studies published between 1980 and 2002 were included in this review.

http://www.york.ac.uk/criminaljustice/word/Evidence-Based-Crime-Prevention-Study.pdf

(Added: Fri Nov 12 2004   Modified: Wed Jun 21 2006   Hits: 257)

Guidelines on ethical participatory research with HIV positive women

ICW, 30 Mar 2004. The following guidelines can serve to appraise the extent to which research projects align with principles of participatory research.

http://www.icw.org/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=29

(Added: Tue Jul 13 2004   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 306)

HakiElimu Community Governance Programme - Tanzania

The Community Governance programme of HakiElimu, a Tanzanian non-profit organisation established in 2001, aimed to enable communities - including parents, teachers, and students - to transform schools and influence decision making by facilitating participation in school and community governance.

http://www.hakielimu.org/dev3/

(Added: Tue Apr 29 2008   Hits: 14)

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