Resources

Introductory article to a special edition of PLA notes devoted to participation, literacy and empowerment.

After four years of implementing REFLECT in Uganda, this article examines some of the issues REFLECT participants have discussed including, children's education and the giving of food to relatives and friends after a good harvest. The impacts the approach has had are briefly outlined.

An overview of the life and work of Paulo Freire. Some of the key concepts he developed that are significant to both PRA and REFLECT are outlined.

Micro-finance programmes are currently promoted as strategies for both alleviating poverty and also empowering women. However, a number of recent academic studies have questioned the benefits of such programmes for women. Given the need to examine their gender impact, this paper proposes an alternative to the traditional costly quantitative and qualitative impact studies. A participatory approach is proposed which integrates empowerment concerns with ongoing programme learning, which in itself contributes to empowerment.

This document outlines the learning process that the Rural Integrated Project Support, RIPS Phase II has gone through in introducing a participatory approach to its work in rural development in two southern regions of Tanzania over the last five years, as seen by the stakeholders and facilitators in that process.