News, Blogs and Events

Love Matters Music Awards 2015!

In November 2015, IDS together with Love Matters launched the first Love Matters Music Award. This award will provide young people in Kenya the chance to produce songs on themes related to pleasure, sexual responsibility and relationships. Participants will be coached by International visual artists and music producers and will have a chance to perform live to an invited audience.  There will be an Award for the winner from a panel of judges, and a People's Choice Award from on-line votes.  Listen to the songs and add your vote via the Love Matters website!

What is the Unique Contribution of Volunteering to International Development?

image from front coverHighlighting the value of volunteering in development, this new IDS Bulletin is based entirely on the research findings of the Valuing Volunteering project. This two year action-research project was conducted in Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal and the Philippines by researchers from IDS in partnership with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). The Bulletin was launched on 9th September 2015 at the 2015 Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research Conference in

Participatory Action Research Short Course

25-29 January 2016 – Institute of Development Studies, UK.
This exciting new short course is designed to develop participants' understanding and skills in the theory and practice of a range of PAR methods.  It will also provide the conceptual and practical tools needed for participants to design PAR in their own organisation and with their partners. Details are on our IDS website, or contact r.douglass@ids.ac.uk for further information. The closing date is 30th September and places are limited to 20 , so book yours soon!

Breaking the Next Taboo - Menstrual Hygiene within CLTS

Image of report coverThis latest issue of Frontiers of CLTS looks at the often taboo subject of menstrual hygiene.  Menstruation is a core element of sanitation and hygiene affecting half of the world’s population for a large proportion of their lives. This issue shows how Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programmes can address menstrual hygiene management in schools and communities to alleviate these stresses on women and girls. It shares learning, recommendations, innovations and experiences from Plan International, WaterAid, WSSCC, UNICEF, WASH United, Grow and Know and USAID/WASHplus.

Achieving meaningful accountability for people living in poverty and marginalisation

By Thea Shahrokh and Erika Lopez-Franco

Meaningful accountability can shift power imbalances that prevent sustainable development for people living in poverty and marginalisation. However, for the poorest and most marginalised people accountability is often unattainable. This IDS Policy Briefing draws on research by the Participate initiative to highlight the key components necessary for processes of accountability to be meaningful for all.

TheWorkshop2015

Logo for The Workshop19th Praxis International Annual Commune on Participatory Development: September 7-14, 2015 at ECC, Whitefield, Bengaluru, India.

TheWorkshop2015 is an annual residential event that brings together development workers, policy makers and proactive individuals from across the world to share information and experiences of participatory approaches and tools. Through interactive sessions, field work component and talks and film screenings, the thematic workshop on participatory development is in its 19th edition this year.
Visit: www.theworkshop.in
Write to: info@theworkshop.in

Roma Inclusion in Eastern Europe

As part of an ongoing collaboration IDS and SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) recently ran a workshop on Roma inclusion in Eastern Europe, focussing on deepening understanding of discrimination and its relationship with other forms of exclusion. Details of this Bucharest event and its outcomes including videos, papers and learning topics can be found on the Roma Social Inclusion website.

Citizen Participation and Accountability for Sustainable Development

Image of report coverThis new report from the Participate Initiative looks at strategies the poorest and most marginalised have used in an attempt to ensure accountability from national and global policy makers to local people. The need for greater accountability was one the key findings of the Participate research, along with the importance of participatory approaches to ensure the processes of accountability were legitimate. This report situates accountability in citizens’ lives, analyses strategies in relation to natural resource extraction, and shows how community dialogue and vision can influence discourse and policy.

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