The 15th International Thematic Workshop on Participatory Approaches and Tools September 2011 at Siloam in Umsaw, Meghalaya, India  

The Praxis Annual Commune is an event that brings together development workers, policy makers and proactive individuals from across the world to share information and experiences as well as keep themselves abreast of the latest in the field of participatory development. It provides both a theoretical understanding of participatory approaches/tools as well as the opportunity to apply them in the field. Check out the tool for real at The Real World. While the diversity and the wealth of experiences participants bring with them makes each edition unique and unrepeatable, the workshop follows a common learning program, grounded in years of experience. The workshop will be facilitated by some of the best-known proponents of PRA/PLA, along with some members of the Praxis team. To Read More....

China's social transformation over the last 30 years has been among history's most dramatic ones. Economic growth has been phenomenal; an estimated 500 million people have been lifted out of poverty. While the political system has been remarkably stable, fundamental changes have taken place and are continuing in the relationship between the state and citizens. The government has substantially increased its commitment to pro-poor and rural development. Community participation is seen as an important precondition for improved efficiency and effectiveness of national and international poverty reduction projects. This publication documents the authentic experiences of practitioners working at grassroots levels and how participatory approaches are playing a significant role in this transformation. It also provides first-hand evidence that the discourse on participation has gone a long way from 'specialist knowledge' within the academic realm to be widely shared by those working immediately at the government-community interface in China.

Best Practice in the Participatory Approach to Delivery of Social Services

Over the last decade, as we have been witnessing an extraordinary expansion of democratic reforms across Africa, awareness of the importance of people participation and good governance have been growing, culminating in a continent-wide consensus on the need for more open, transparent and accountable political and economic systems. How do ordinary people, especially poor people, affect the social policies that in turn affect their well-being? What should be the role of citizen participation in social policy formulation and implementation in this era of globalization? How can government institutions become more accountable and more responsive to the demands of their citizens? Illustrated by international experience across the developing world whilst maintaining the overall focus on the African context, these are some of the critical questions to be addressed in this publication. Read More

Participatory Learning and Action Notes Issue 61:
Tales of Shit: Community-Led Total Sanitation in Africa

Where do you shit? In developing countries, the answer may determine whether you live or die. Around 2.6 billion people defecate in the open. The consequences are dire: shit carries disease and is a major killer. Recently, a radical new participatory approach called Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) has encouraged millions of people to look at, talk about and tackle the problems caused by open defecation. Communities analyze their hygiene habits and practices and mobilize to take collective action to totally sanitize their environments. Following its development and spread in Asia, CLTS is now being piloted in Africa, and this special issue of PLA Notes draws on this growing body of experience.

Deepening Participation for Social Change Cases from Africa and Asia  

The RCPLA experience of the past years has demonstrated the crucial importance of adopting the participatory approaches in the field of development. RCPLA has developed this publication to present conceptual reflections on participation in development. The book is divided into two parts: the first part offers a brief introduction about participation; the different participatory approaches; how participation could be integrated in the different stages of the project lifecycle; and key challenges to the practice of participatory approaches. The second part provides case studies from Africa, Asia and the Middle East about participatory practices in community development projects. To Read More....