Sierra Leone: DELTA dilemmas : hierarchy, tradition, participation and change

DELTA (Development Education and Leadership Training for Action) began in Kenya through the Catholic Church and spread rapidly to other countries. This article analyses the use of DELTA in one area of Sierra Leone, bringing out issues around empowerment and action in the context of the implementing institution, the Anglican church. The DELTA method is greatly influenced by Freire's writings. The various stages include: the listening survey, identification of generative themes, from surveys to codes and action planning. Dilemmas that emerged in the implementation of DELTA were around the role of facilitator (how far 'manipulator' would be a better word), how to enable marginalised people to express their concerns and whether a 'project' could actually change the 'root causes of injustice'. 'The ideological strength of DELTA could also be its weakness. It can take people to a place of awareness but is not strong in the organisational and strategic skills which enable them to take their needs further or to draw from other methods.'