In English only
Volume 6
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E’ste artículo examina los problemas que enfrentan los académicos y editores africanos dentro del contexto de los rápidos avances en la informática y del creciente golfo que se va abriendo entre los países industrializados y los del tercer mundo. Muchos de estos problemas, así como sus respuestas convencionales que surgen desde las bibliotecas, los editores y donantes son por si mismas un legado de relaciones coloniales; siendo la más significativa la creciente profundización de la dependencia que su validación adquiere de formas y sistemas de conocimientos occidentales. A través de un cuestionamiento de los términos ‘ricos’ y ‘pobres’ en información el autor pone énfasis en la necesidad de que los africanos desarrollen los medios para generar, valorar y diseminar sus propias formas de l saber.
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The need for a comprehensive information service based at the rural level in Bangladesh is discussed, noting the demands of NGO activists who require reading materials, particularly in their own language, for updating their knowledge, developing skills, analysing social issues, and motivating communities. The establishment of the Community Development Library (CDL) in 1980 whose role is to cater to the information needs of development agencies and social workers, through an institution which would provide development workers with resource materials and up-to-date information on a variety of issues is discussed. The organization of the CDL is described, and additional services are noted: press clippings; current-awareness services; a reading circle; action research and publication; audio-visual programme; and development resource promotion. The CDL also maintains 30 regional, district, and local Rural Information Resource Centres (RIRCS). The impact and some restraints of the RIRCS are noted. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The author reports on the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo), working actively in Argentina to discover the whereabouts of the desaparacidos, the children who were abducted by the military regime of the 1970s to early `80s. Their achievements include tracing over 50 children, successfully lobbying for the creation of a genetic databank on the families of the disappeared, and campaigning for action from the government.
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The author researched women's experiences of domestic violence and abuse in Calcutta, India. She reports on their strategies for coping with and resisting this violence, noting that the majority of the women developed resistance strategies, and that in many cases these worked. A pragmatic approach is taken, since, the author argues, it is unhelpful to assume that the best course of action for these women would be to leave their partners. The women who were most successful in resisting violence were those who were least isolated; who had access to other family members, or other women through a variety of organisations.
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An unnecessary polarisation has arisen between `relief' and `development' work and agencies are looking to bridge the gap, moving towards an integrated response to disasters which promotes sustainable development. Effective rehabilitation may provide a way forward, and the author discusses this concept, arguing that development agencies will need to foster relevant capacities in recipients as well as shift their planning, programming, implementation and evaluation approaches, in order to enable rehabilitation to work as a strategy in its own right, rather than as a stop-gap between continuing relief and development work.
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Kishore Saint, one of Development in Practice's founding Editorial Advisers, shares his thoughts on the way forward for the journal as he prepares to stand down from his position.
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La Comisión Europea y demás países de la OCDE desean un tratado de inversión extranjera (o ‘acuerdo de inversión multilateral’) con la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC). Ello les permitiría a las compañias extranjeras establecerse con un 100 por ciento de equidad en todos los sectores (con excepción de la seguridad) en cualquier país de la OMC; y recibir ‘tratamiento nacional’ a la par de firmas locales. Las políticas nacionales que favorecen las empresas locales van a ser consideradas discriminatorias y por lo tanto ilegales bajo las reglas de la OMC. Las penalidades de no cumplimiento con los acuerdos de la OMC son extensivas a todas. E’ste artículo explora las implicancias graves de tal tratado para los países en vías de desarrollo, y sugiere las alternativas que estos tienen a su disposición.
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La reforma agraria ha virtualmente desaparecido de la agenda de desarrollo internacional desde la década de los 80. A pesar de ello, muchas Organizaciones de Personas y ONGs de países del tercer mundo están intentando restaurarla tanto como prioridad de desarrollo así como imperativa política. Las Filipinas nos da un ejemplo de reforma agraria que esta siendo actualmente implementado dentro de un marco político democrático que, al tiempo que no esta carente de problemas, presenta una oportunidad de cambio significativo para pequeños granjeros y campesinos sin tierra. En 1989 PhilDhrra, una red de ONGs de las Filipinas, inicio un mecanismo tripartito y un programa entre las Organizaciones de Personas, ONGs, y el gobierno a los efectos de facilitar el proceso de reforma agraria que esta mostrando resultados alentadores en muchas provincias.
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E’ste artículo que será en dos partes explora la experiencia de vivir y trabajar para ONGs que enfoca su trabajo hacia la pobreza en medio de una guerra civil adonde sus raíces están asentadas en una distribución desigual de poder y de acceso a los recursos. Basada en 12 años de trabajo en América Central, el artículo reflexiona sobre las demandas y limitantes que existen en los trabajadores internacionales en el contexto de conflicto civil; y en las maneras en que las relaciones entre las organizaciones locales y las ONGs son afectadas. El adquirir poder y la participación son examinados desde la perspectiva de quienes rechazan su papel de victimas de la guerra.
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The author discusses her involvement, as a member of the Indian Women's Movement (IWM), in campaigning for increased protection under Indian law for women, and children, from sexual assault of any kind. The law at present has large gaps in it, and is formulated with the joint aims of protecting `virginal' women and protecting men at risk from the false allegations of low caste, impoverished, sexually-aware women. The evolution of the current law is presented, with examples of injustices, suggested areas for future lobbying, and pleas to ensure that victims are not revictimised by lobbyists themselves. This article also appears in the Development in Practice Reader Development and Rights.
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The author examines the effect of forced evictions and homelessness on children, in the long and short-term, psychologically and physically. Housing, land, and legal rights fail to protect children, she argues, and poor people need greater access to legal advice on how evictions can be resisted. There is rarely coherent policy about the status of street children, resulting in their further marginalisation and criminalisation. Slums and squatter camps are symptomatic of urban development and acknowledging this is the first step towards providing the infrastructure necessary to prevent damaging millions of children and their families in sub-Saharan Africa.
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The insecurity of land tenure in Uganda has been a critical issue in the economic development of the country. The development of an equitable land distribution policy is discussed. Information is presented on: the historical background of land tenure systems (noting the difference in land tenure systems: Mailo, freehold, leasehold, the Busulu (ground rent) and Envujo (commodity rents) law, and the 1975 Land Decree); the work of the Technical Committee; and issues raised by the proposed reform (land as a technical question, over-riding economic considerations, avoidance of social issues, the sale of land, compensation, the plight of rural pastoralists, a ceiling on land acquisition, a uniform land tenure system, and the timing of implementation). It is concluded that the proposed land reform in Uganda does not promise to balance technical, economic, social, and political criteria. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The authors describe the extent of the trade in mainly rural Nepalese women, sold into prostitution and bonded labour in Asia and the Middle East, often by their families, because of poverty. The organisation Women Acting Together for Change (WATCH) works for and with these women, aiming to empower victims and to change the way women are perceived in Nepalese society and law. This article is freely available as a chapter in Development with Women.
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The development of an unionized work force in the north-east of Brazil is described. The area has seen considerable growth in the export markets for grapes and mangoes which provides significant employment; other areas of employment are in labour-intensive crops, for example tomatoes and onions. The paper discusses: some new union strategies, improvements for wage labourers, and some of the limited victories that have been achieved with the work of the NGO, Oxfam. It is argued that there are limits to this kind of development model given the low value of the wages earned by the workers. The conclusion proposes considerable networking amongst unions and NGOs with the aim of providing information that may allow them to define and implement new directions for development. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI. This article is freely available as a chapter in Development and Social Action.
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In English only
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Las ONGs afganas han sido uno de las grandes proveedoras de ayuda humanitaria a lo largo del conflicto afgano. Ellas se mantuvieron operacionales durante éste período gracias a estar `bailando' con y entre las diferentes facciones en conflicto, estando su supervivencia ligada a su habilidad de construir alianzas y cooperaciones de forma `ad hoc' (poco previsible). E'ste artículo explora la naturaleza de la relación entre las ONGs, las partes en guerra, y los grupos de las ONGs. Pregunta si ésta `danza con el príncipe' representa una acomodación con violencia o si es un compromiso necesario que contribuye a resolver el conflicto. Concluye con una reseña de las lecciones claves para aquellos donantes que apoyan a ONGs nativas operantes de emergencias políticas complejas.
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An analysis is presented of research carried out in 1995, focusing on programmes funded by an NGO, Oxfam, as the basis of a case study of the Ugandan health sector. The involvement of NGOs in service provision for the state in Uganda is discussed together with the changing trends in aid distribution and what they mean for NGOs, the state and for their relationship with each other. Sections consider whose responsibility it is to provide a viable health service, and the importance of NGO support for the health service in Uganda. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI. This article is freely available as a chapter in Development NGOs and Civil Society.
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In 1994, the UN Volunteers programme (UNV) and UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) collaborated on a research project, Volunteer Contributions to Social Integration at the Grassroots: the Urban or `Pavement Dimension'. The author describes how the researchers hope to contribute to understanding of how global forces erode community structures, including the way governments increasingly privatise public services, and highlights the challenges and potential rewards for communities which voluntarily pull together to change their circumstances.
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40 participants from 24 countries took part in this workshop, organised by the International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC) in Oxford, UK. Much of the workshop was spent trying to reach agreement on what civil society means, and the degree to which it can be conceptually separated from the State, and reinforced by NGOs. Another concern was that Northern and Southern NGOs' understandings of civil society were often different; the Northern interpretation was accused of being donor-driven and neo-imperialist, and there were general concerns that less powerful groups could be assimilated by stronger organisations attempting to impose `togetherness' and `co-operation'.
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El proyecto Kebkabiya fue el primero que Oxfam instigara durante la década de los 1980 a entregarlo operativo para su manejo comunitario. Por lo tanto el mismo se ofrece como modelo posible para futuros proyectos operativos. E'ste artículo analiza los procesos de entrega en los siguientes componentes: control operativo de la entrega de servicios, control de gerencia, y base financiera del proyecto. Argumenta que para que la entrega sea exitosa y sustentable ésta debe ser tratada como un conjunto complejo de actividades que requieren de un marco temporal extenso, similar a cualquier otro proceso de desarrollo.
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Existe un interés creciente en el desarrollo institucional y orgánico (construcción de la aptitud o capacidad) pero poco entendimiento sobre lo que ello implica en la práctica. E'ste artículo proporciona un estudio de casos de un programa de largo plazo exitoso de desarrollo institucional, el cual construyo la aptitud de la comunidad de refugiados tibetanos para planear el desarrollo. El foco principal está en aspectos claves para la adaptación por parte de quienes practican del desarrollo. Los autores también aclaran algunas de las confusiones en el debate de desarrollo orgánico e institucional.
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Las nuevas tecnologías de comunicación podrían ser una bendición a medias para los estados tropicales africanos. Por un lado ellas podrían fomentar el desarrollo a través de la promoción de la salud, la educación, la agricultura, los entretenimientos, los negocios y el turismo; así como mejorar el mercado internacional y la cooperación regional. Pero por otra parte estas tecnologías podrían acentuar la brecha entre los países ricos y pobres, creando una sociedad caracterizada por un una elite rica y una sub clase pobre en información. En una era donde la información es poder, ello podría devastar a países que enfrentan problemas de pobreza, enfermedad, hambre e inestabilidad política. U'ltimamente estas tecnologías podrían poner en peligro la soberanía, la seguridad, los derechos humanos y consecuentemente, el desarrollo de los países del A'frica tropical.
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NGOs are using `civil society' to mean different things: the author argues that the wide definition means that any potential partner organisation becomes a civil-society organisation, and that consideration of the conditions that are central to a community organisation becoming a civil organisation may be useful in helping NGOs focus on the quality of the associations they choose. This article is freely available as a chapter in Development NGOs and Civil Society.
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An examination is presented of an NGO project in Zambia, focusing on its approach, its specific consequences for local participation, potential for sustainability and its ability to hold the government accountable for how its uses public resources. Sections focus on: channeling food aid; and food for work programmes. It is concluded that unless aid projects make it a priority to establish or reinforce mechanisms by which existing, locally available resources are mobilized and used effectively in resolving the problems of the poor, they cannot contribute to laying a basis for further development. This article also appears in the Development in Practice Reader [13]Development, NGOs, and Civil Society. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI. This article is freely available as a chapter in Development NGOs and Civil Society.
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A description is presented of the development of NGOs in Brazil from small grassroots movements into over a 1000 specialized and consolidated organizations in 1996. NGOs generally operate through one or more of six inter-related activities: applied research; grassroots organizations; training and technical assistance; information sharing; public policy advocacy; and networking. The important role they play in promoting debate on public policy at the grassroots level is highlighted. The growth of the Anti-Poverty Campaign started in 1993 through the efforts of several leading NGOs is an illustration of the influential role NGOs now hold in Brazilian society. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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An analysis is presented of the expansion of the NGO, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in Gujarat, India following the approval of a #10 million grant for rural development from the European Union. The challenge facing the NGO is to scale up the kind of community based development which it has been successful at to a size that has an impact on a larger number of people. The grassroots approach adopted by the AKRSP is examined and the need to maintain this approach despite the increase in programme size highlighted and the problems this creates are outlined. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The authors report on a neighbourhood-based sanitation service set up in Dar es Salaam using appropriate technology for emptying pit latrines; the Manual Pit Latrine Emptying Technology (MAPET) project. The participatory development process and use of technology fitting the localised scale of the project contributed to its success, while notable lessons learned include the need for the cooperation of a local agency (whether an NGO or local government) in purchasing and replacing equipment.
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The author briefly discusses the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, negotiated and adopted by 189 countries at the Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1995, and how it promises that governments will take responsibility for its implementation, while recognising the roles NGOs have to play.
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In English only
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E'ste artículo reta el reciente entusiasmo no-critico del potencial de la microfinanciación para reducir la pobreza. Se argumenta que, a pesar de que ha mejorado el entendimiento sobre como diseñar la intermediación de la financiación anti-pobreza, la corriente campaña para incrementar la alocación de recursos en éste sector podría roer las bases de la propia sustentabilidad que se persigue. Además, los estudios del impacto de los créditos para la microempresa sugieren que esta no es necesariamente beneficial para la quien ya es muy pobre. Las intervenciones en la provisión de servicios financieros no deberían hacerse sin un análisis especifico de las funciones que cumplen los esquemas de ahorro y crédito existentes. Un énfasis en la escala actúa como un desincentivo para dicho análisis, e incrementa el riesgo que renazcan fórmulas `prototipo' para la acción anti-pobreza.
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Mala milk is a cultured dairy beverage of consistent quality that can keep for four days without refrigeration, and up to three weeks with refrigeration. It offers important nutritional benefits for rural consumers, can be produced in simple facilities with a capacity of 500 litres per day or more, and is less complicated than cheesemaking. The production of mala milk in Kenya is discussed, and the equity trust approach is described. An innovative approach to the provision of financing, technical and managerial assistance proved successful for the establishment of small, community-owned mala milk plants in Kenya. Implemented by Techno-Serve-Kenya, this activity received core financial and technical assistance from Appropriate Technology International and enterprise finance from several other donors. The benefits of operating mala milk production in this way are noted. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The author comments on research into poor urban women's survival strategies done in Zambia in 1994, funded by the Natural Resources Department of the British government's Overseas Development Administration. Chilimba is an informal savings and credit system, one variation of the ROSCAs (Rotating Savings and Credit Associations) successfully in use throughout Africa and elsewhere. The author discusses the potential for intervention designed to enable those with no capital or regular income to participate, and to increase and widen the benefits gained from participation.
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As markets are increasingly deregulated and government control over public service provision loosens, so the importance of effective urban management is growing. No longer directly providing urban services, governments should now, the author argues, perform an `enabling' role, planning and co-ordinating provision. Werna reports on case studies from Bangladesh, Kenya and Brazil, and discusses the common problems faced in these very different urban environments and how local government authorities can work to close the growing gulf between service management and provision.
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En un esfuerzo de salvar el medio ambiente las organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales de bangladesh están implementando programas y proyectos de ahorro de la energía. E'ste artículo examina programas en el área especifica de tecnología para el mejoramiento de hornos. Se expone que una valoración inadecuada del medio ambiente tanto por parte de los medioambientalistas, así como de los practicantes del desarrollo, los ha llevado a la selección de tecnologías inapropiadas que han resultado en el fracaso de la incorporación de la mujer en el movimiento de ahorro de la energía. Identifica las razones detrás del rechazo por parte de las mujeres de una tecnología que fue impuesta en lugar de haber sido basada en una apreciación de sus problemas distintivos, su cultura y la ecología.
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La rehabilitación incluye el restablecimiento de la seguridad de los medios de vida entre los hogares más pobres a los efectos de reducir su vulnerabilidad frente a futuros desastres, de recomenzar la economía local de una forma sustentable, y de evitar la dependencia. E'ste artículo discute las experiencias de la rehabilitación de postguerra en Mozambique y sugiere que a pesar de que muchos hogares retoman la producción de cultivos de forma rápida, ellos se mantienen vulnerables por no haber podido acumular nuevas reservas. El autor advierte sobre los peligros de una rápida retirada de los programas de ayuda de emergencia, y sugiere que tanto la distribución de dinero corriente como el permitir a los hogares comprar lo que más necesitan son a veces estrategias más apropiadas que distribuir comida, semillas, herramientas y artículos domésticos seleccionados.
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Las políticas del régimen de apartheid destruyeron de forma prematura el campesinado de Sudáfrica dejando millones de personas sin tierra o sin trabajo. La abolición de las leyes raciales que reservaban el 87 por ciento de la tierra para los blancos hace posible lanzar políticas que señalen las necesidades de los granjeros negros. Los esfuerzos para promover el surgimiento de granjeros comerciales negros pone en riesgo de deteriorar las condiciones de la mayor parte de la población rural. Mientras que no se puede dejar de lado la agricultura comercial y la seguridad alimenticia, Sudáfrica también necesita revivir la agricultura campesina, la cual puede jugar un papel similar a aquella que posee el sector informal de las áreas urbanas.
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The author expands on the four ingredients `feminist-flavoured gender-sensitive development' should have: Strategic needs of women; Agenda-setting direction to mainstreaming; Flexibility; and Empowerment philosophy (`SAFE').
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The paper defines financial sustainability; why financial sustainability is a valid objective; how it can be measured; and what can be done to improve levels of financial sustainability. The discussion is situated within the context of NGOs managed credit schemes, operating in developing countries. The following issues are considered: importance of savings; gender; appropriate loan size; realistic interest rates; repayment periods and intervals; security and collateral; group loans versus group businesses; separation of finance from other support; systems; measurement; incentives; and scale. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The indigenous informal credit market within Sri Lanka encompasses a wide range of financial arrangements, including: direct money-lending (professional and semi-professional money-lenders); indirect money-lending (trade financing, commission agencies, and credit related to mortgages on crops); and voluntary credit groups (single purpose and multi-purpose credit assistance and cheetu/ROSCAs). The paper focuses on: the Hatton National Bank; 'barefoot banking'; the extension of irrigation; and, the role of NGOs. Aspects are listed in which outside agencies could assist the banking systems in reaching the small- and micro-enterprise sector: preferential interest rates; risk sharing; awareness of banking; identifying potential entrepreneurs; entrepreneur development; monitoring; encouraging savings habits; and group lending. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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A case study is presented of the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in Gujarat, India, which has taken on responsibility for providing marketing support to the Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas groups in the Banaskantha district. It is the first time a voluntary organisation has been involved directly in business activities in an open market environment. A brief introduction of the SEWA experiment is presented, followed by a discussion of the group process in marketing; links with external agencies are presented, and some lessons are noted. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The authors discuss the feelings, status, and working conditions of women in factories making garments for export. Many legal requirements under the 1965 Factory Act (child care facilities, maternity leave, length of working hours, holiday entitlement) are rarely observed, workers are often unaware of their legal rights, and factory owners argue that such provisions would involve expenses which would nullify Bangladesh's low-wage advantage over other exporters.
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In English only
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La participación debe ser vista desde un punto de vista político. En los temas sobre quién esta involucrado, cómo, y en que términos siempre existen tensiones que las subrayan. Mientras que la participación tiene el potencial de desafiar los modelos de dominancia, también ésta puede ser el medio por el cual existan relaciones de poder que son atrincheradas y reproducidas. Las arenas en las cuales la gente percibe sus intereses y juzga si les es posible expresarlos no son neutrales. La participación podría tener lugar por un conjunto de razones que no son libres. Es importante ver la participación como un proceso dinámico, y entender que su propia forma y función puede devenir un foco de lucha.
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The paper argues that education should be a crucial part of relief operations which respond to emergencies in developing countries. In practice, however, educational needs in emergencies have been neglected in competition with the demand for more conventional relief. An example from southern Sudan demonstrates how the need for education can be addressed in an emergency. Indigenous initiatives for the re-establishment and improvement of educational provision have been supported by a group of agencies working as part of the emergency operation. A flexible system of teacher education is the focus of a programme which invests in people rather than buildings. It emphasizes the crucial importance of the involvement of local communities, on whom the success of rural primary school education depends. The scheme has also recognized the importance of schools for conveying information and stimulating discussion on topics such as health, psycho-social needs, and girls' education, and integrating these cross-cutting issues into teacher education. This article also appears in the Development in Practice Reader Development in States of War. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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Academic urban development training programs tend to either train in town planning, where the focus is on the production of plans, or in urban studies, where the focus is on the development of urban areas; there is a need, the author argues, for training that produces `working planners' with knowledge of both. He advocates `for-the-job training', in which trainees use the real problems they face in their working environment as study material, allowing trainees to produce useful outputs while being trained, and ensuring the relevance of training.
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Against a background of reduced government funding of African universities, the International African Institute in London co-ordinated a study in 1995 to evaluate university libraries, in terms of their sustainability, now that many survive on (usually short-term) funding from donors. Through structured interviews and questionnaires, the researchers discovered libraries are becoming marginalised and decentralised within universities, and many are not providing the most basic services for students and staff.
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La Valoración Rural Rápida (Rapid Rural Appraisal) y la Valoración Rural Participativa (Participatory Rural Appraisal) emergieron en el contexto de trabajar con comunidades rurales de países en vías de desarrollo. Pero los principios de la participación y de investigación orientada a la acción son igualmente válidos para el trabajo de desarrollo en el sector urbano, y en los países industrializados. E'ste artículo describe el uso de técnicas de valoración participativa en comunidades que están en desventaja en el Reino Unido en los campos de la salud y de la seguridad social. Basándose en un estudio de casos de su trabajo, la autora observa las dificultades prácticas, organisativas y políticas inherentes en juntar profesionales de varias agencias, trabajadores del sector publico y miembros de comunidades locales, y en desarrollar un consenso funcional entre ellos.
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La Valoración Rural Rápida (Rapid Rural Appraisal) y la Valoración Rural Participativa (Participatory Rural Appraisal) emergieron en el contexto de trabajar con comunidades rurales de países en vías de desarrollo. Pero los principios de la participación y de investigación orientada a la acción son igualmente válidos para el trabajo de desarrollo en el sector urbano, y en los países industrializados. E'ste artículo describe el uso de técnicas de valoración participativa en comunidades que están en desventaja en el Reino Unido en los campos de la salud y de la seguridad social. Basándose en un estudio de casos de su trabajo, la autora observa las dificultades prácticas, organisativas y políticas inherentes en juntar profesionales de varias agencias, trabajadores del sector publico y miembros de comunidades locales, y en desarrollar un consenso funcional entre ellos.
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A pesar de estar bien localizados para rendir asistencia a los refugiados, las ONGs nativas a menudo juegan un papel marginal, comparado con las ONGs del Norte que dominan la mayor parte de los programas de ayuda humanitaria. Se revisa el desbalance de las relaciones de poder entre las agencias del Norte y donantes y las ONGs del Sur en la entrega de asistencia a refugiados. Usando datos de programas de asistencia para refugiados de Mozambique en Malawi y en Zimbabwe, se examinan las estrategias y condiciones a través de los cuales algunas ONGs nativas enfrentaron de manera exitosa ésta situación reinante. Los factores que fueron considerados significantes son la construcción institucional; la diversificación de la base de donantes; el diseño de proyectos y su desarrollo; y las destrezas y habilidades de los directores de campo. Se considera la puesta en práctica de estas experiencias en un contexto más amplio.
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The paper notes that there are substantial differences between women's studies/women in development and gender studies/gender and development. It suggests that the differences between women in development, and gender and development is such that the focus changes from one of equity to one of efficiency. Within gender and development, there are a number of different loci: gender studies (the conceptual part of the process, during which models are developed and refined through research, debate and networking); gender training (a technical part of the process which involves passing on practical skills for implementing gender-sensitive policy, planning, and training in specific circumstances); and gender planning (the practical application of the skills that have been acquired through gender studies and gender training). The paper examines some of the specific problems encountered in each of these areas, the need to develop effective courses within Africa, the scope of training currently available and the impact of gender studies and gender training as a positive change in the lives of marginalised groups of women. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The Community Development Resource Association (CDRA) is a non-profit NGO, established in 1987 to build the capacity of organizations engaged in development and social transformation in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to do this by providing organizational development (OD) consultancy services, offering OD training and programmes, and through the programme, Action Learning: Education for Development. Since inception, the NGO has worked with 164 client organizations in South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, and Tanzania. Although consultancy services and appropriate development interventions are helpful in building organizational capacity, the NGO perceives fieldwork as the most important aspect of development. The paper discusses the need for field work, within the needs of South Africa, and the importance of promoting good field work including some of the reasons why good field work is not attained. It also considers the qualities found in good field workers, using consultants appropriately, and the necessity to prioritize field work. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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Recent years have seen development NGOs making significant efforts to show how they are performing, a trend impelled by three factors: stricter requirements attached to official aid, which is a fast-growing proportion of NGO funds; doubts about NGOs claims to be more effective than governments; post-Cold War shifts in the role of NGOs, which increase their own needs to know what is being achieved, in order to manage the processes of organisational reorientation and transformation. Almost without exception, NGOs are finding it very difficult to come up with sound, cost-effective methods to show the results of their development activities, or even to demonstrate their effectiveness as organizations. These difficulties arise from both key features of the aid system, and from the nature of 'non-profits'. The paper summarizes the difficulties in each of these two areas, and considers solutions that are emerging from recent experience. A concluding section explores the link between accountability and performance, and speculates on the range of approaches which NGOs might use in the future to prove that they are valuable and effective agents of development. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The World Bank claims to have become the defender of women's rights, urging national governments to 'invest more in women in order to reduce gender inequality and boost economic development'. Through its Women in Development Programme (WID), adopted throughout the developing world, the Bank defines the ground rules on gender policy. A market oriented approach is prescribed, with a monetary value attached to gender equality: women's programmes are to be framed in relation to the opportunity cost and efficiency of women's rights. The Bank determines the concepts, methodological categories, and database for analysing gender issues. The paper critically analyses the World Bank's approach to women and gender issues, and concludes that the neo-liberal gender perspective (under the trusteeship of international donors, such as the World Bank and IMF) is largely intent upon creating divisions within national societies, and demobilising the struggle of women and men against the macroeconomic model. Abstract supplied by kind permission of CABI.
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The UK Development Studies Association is a voluntary body of academics and practitioners concerned with economic and social development. The author highlights the `added value' of academics and practitioners sharing their expertise, and discusses the climate of mutual respect in which Cupertino can be most productive.
