In English only
Volume 6
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Cet article examine les problèmes auxquels se heurtent les universitaires et les maisons d'édition africains, dans le contexte des progrès rapides des technologies de l'information et d'un fossé économique toujours plus marqué entre les pays industrialisés et ceux du Tiers-Monde. Nombre de ces problèmes, et les manières conventionnelles dont les bibliothèques, les éditeurs et les donateurs y réagissent, sont eux-mêmes un legs des relations coloniales; le plus significatif est la dépendance de plus en plus profonde vis-à-vis des formes de connaissances occidentales et des systèmes occidentaux de validation de ces connaissances. L'auteur met en question les expressions `riche en information' et `pauvre en information' et souligne qu'il est nécessaire que les Africains développent les moyens de générer, de valoriser et de diffuser leurs propres formes de connaissances.
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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 Commission européenne (CE) et d'autres pays de l'OCDE aimeraient que soit élaboré un traité sur les investissements étrangers (ou `accord sur les investissements multilatéraux') dans le cadre de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC). Ceci permettrait aux sociétés étrangères de s'implanter, avec 100 pour cent de leur capital-actions, dans tous les secteurs (sauf la sécurité) de tout pays englobé par l'OMC, et de bénéficier du `traitement national' au même titre que les entreprises locales. Les politiques nationales qui privilégient les entreprises ou services locaux seraient considérées comme discriminatoires et par conséquent illégales aux termes des règles de l'OMC. Les sanctions appliquées en cas de non-observation des accords de l'OMC sont considérables. Cet article examine les graves implications d'un tel traité pour les pays en voie de développement et suggère les autres solutions possibles à leur disposition.
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La réforme agraire et la réforme des terres ont pratiquement disparu de l'ordre du jour international en matière de développement depuis les années 80. Cependant, de nombreuses organisations populaires (OP) et ONG de pays du Tiers-Monde tentent actuellement de les rétablir comme une priorité en matière de développement et un élément impératif des politiques suivies. Les Philippines fournissent un exemple de réforme agraire mise à l'oeuvre actuellement dans un cadre politique démocratique et qui, bien que comportant sa part de problèmes, offre l'occasion d'apporter de véritables changements pour les petits agriculteurs et les paysans sans terres. En 1989, PhilDhrra, réseau d'ONG des Philippines, a lancé un mécanisme et un programme tripartites entre les OP, les ONG et le gouvernement afin de faciliter le processus de réforme agraire; dans plusieurs provinces, les résultats de cette initiative s'avèrent encourageants.
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Cet article en deux parties examine l'expérience que suppose le fait de vivre et de travailler pour une ONG de lutte contre la pauvreté dans une guerre civile causée à l'origine par la distribution chroniquement inéquitable des pouvoirs et de l'accès aux ressources. Cet article se base sur 12 ans de travail en Amérique centrale, principalement avec des réfugiés du Salvador, et il se penche sur les exigences et les contraintes imposées aux travailleurs humanitaires internationaux dans le contexte de la contre-insurrection, et sur les manières dont les rapports avec les organisations et ONG locales s'en trouvent affectés. L'acquisition de pouvoirs et la participation sont examinées dans l'optique de ceux qui rejettent leur rôle de victimes de la guerre. Dans la deuxième partie (qui sera publiée dans le Volume 7, Numéro 1), l'auteur examine les effets immédiats et à long terme de la guerre et de la violence politique sur ceux qui ont survécu d'une part et sur les travailleurs locaux et internationaux qui se soucient d'en aborder les causes et les conséquences.
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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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Les ONG afghanes ont apporté des secours humanitaires considérables au cours du conflit afghan. Elle restèrent opérationnelles au cours de cette période en `dansant' avec et entre les diverses parties du conflit, leur survie dépendant de leur aptitude à établir des modèles ad hoc d'alliance et de coopération. Cet article explore la nature de cette `danse' entre les ONG, les parties en guerre et les groupes constituants des ONG. Il soulève la question suivante: le fait de `danser avec le prince' représente-t-il une sorte de pacte avec la violence ou bien est-il un compromis nécessaire qui, en fin de compte, contribuera à la résolution du conflit? Il conclut en tirant des leçons clés pour les bailleurs de fonds qui soutiennent des ONG autochtones qui opèrent dans le cadre d'urgences politiques complexes.
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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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Transfert de la gestion d'un projet opérationnel à la communauté, dans le Nord du Darfour, au SoudanLe projet Kebkabiya fut le premier des projets opérationnels de développement d'Oxfam lancés dans les années 80 à initier la cession de la gestion du projet à la communauté. Il offre par conséquent un modèle possible pour d'autres projets opérationnels qui réfléchissent actuellement à leur futur. Cet article analyse les processus du transfert dans le cadre de ceux qui affectent le contrôle opérationnel de la prestation de services, le contrôle de la gestion et la base financière du projet. Il soutient que tout transfert, s'il veut réussir et durer, doit être traité comme un ensemble complexe d'activités qui exigent beaucoup de temps, à l'instar de tout autre processus de développement.
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Le développement organisationnel et institutionnel, ou développement des capacités, suscite un intérêt croissant, mais rares sont ceux qui comprennent vraiment ce qu'il suppose dans la pratique. Cet article propose une étude de cas d'un programme réussi de développement institutionnel à long terme, qui a accru les capacités de la communauté des réfugiés tibétains en matière de planification du développement. Il se concentre principalement sur les caractéristiques clés qui doivent être adaptées par les praticiens du développement. Les auteurs éclaircissent également certaines des confusions présentes dans le débat sur le développement organisationnel et institutionnel.
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Le développement organisationnel et institutionnel, ou développement des capacités, suscite un intérêt croissant, mais rares sont ceux qui comprennent vraiment ce qu'il suppose dans la pratique. Cet article propose une étude de cas d'un programme réussi de développement institutionnel à long terme, qui a accru les capacités de la communauté des réfugiés tibétains en matière de planification du développement. Il se concentre principalement sur les caractéristiques clés qui doivent être adaptées par les praticiens du développement. Les auteurs éclaircissent également certaines des confusions présentes dans le débat sur le développement organisationnel et institutionnel.
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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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Cet article met en question l'enthousiasme récent, et dépourvu d'esprit critique, concernant idée que les institutions micro-financières auraient le pouvoir de réduire la pauvreté. L'auteur y soutient que, bien que l'on comprenne mieux désormais comment concevoir des services financiers intermédiaires pour lutter contre la pauvreté, la campagne actuelle visant à augmenter la quantité de ressources assignées à ce secteur pourrait bien miner la durabilité même qui est recherchée. En outre, les études réalisées sur l'impact du crédit aux micro-entreprises suggèrent qu'il n'est pas forcément avantageux pour les personnes extrêmement pauvres. Toute intervention dans la prestation de services financiers ne doit être lancée qu'après avoir mené à bien une analyse, spécifique à l'endroit concerné, des fonctions des services déjà en place relatifs à l'épargne et au crédit. Le fait que l'accent soit porté sur l'échelle du service a pour effet de décourager ce type d'analyse et accroît le risque de réapparition d'une approche de type `schéma directeur' de l'action de lutte contre la pauvreté.
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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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Au Bangladesh, les organisations gouvernementales et non-gouvernementales mettent actuellement en oeuvre des programmes et des projets d’économie d’énergie afin de protéger l’environnement. Cet article examine les programmes de ce type dans le domaine spécifique de l’amélioration de la technologie des fourneaux. Il montre que l’évaluation inadéquate de l’environnement réalisée par des environnementalistes et des praticiens du développement les a menés à sélectionner des technologies inappropriées, qui ont abouti à la non-incorporation des femmes dans le mouvement en faveur de l’économie d’énergie. Il identifie les raisons du refus des femmes d’une technologie qu’on leur a imposée au lieu de la baser sur une estimation de leurs propres problèmes, culture et écologie distinctifs.
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La réhabilitation suppose le rétablissement de la sécurité des moyens d'existence parmi les foyers les plus pauvres afin de les rendre moins vulnérables aux désastres futurs, de relancer l'économie de manière durable et d'éviter la dépendance. Cet article expose les expériences des efforts de réhabilitation de l'après-guerre et suggère que, bien que nombre de foyers aient rapidement repris la culture de produits alimentaires, ils demeurent vulnérables parce qu'ils n'ont pas été à même de rétablir leurs réserves. L'auteur met le lecteur en garde contre le retrait excessivement rapide des programmes de secours humanitaires, et suggère que la distribution d'argent, pour permettre aux foyers d'acheter ce dont ils ont le plus besoin, est parfois une méthode plus appropriée que la distribution de nourriture, de semences, d'outils et d'équipement ménager sélectionné.
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Les politiques suivies par le régime de l'apartheid ont détruit prématurément la paysannerie sud-africaine, laissant des millions de personnes sans terre ni emploi. L'abrogation des lois raciales qui réservaient 87 pour cent des terres aux Blancs fait qu'il est à présent possible de lancer des politiques qui abordent les besoins des paysans noirs. Les efforts réalisés en vue de promouvoir l'apparition d'agriculteurs commerciaux noirs risquent d'aggraver les conditions de la plus grande partie de la population rurale. Bien qu'elle ne puisse pas négliger l'agriculture commerciale et la sécurité alimentaire, l'Afrique du Sud a aussi besoin de revigorer l'agriculture paysanne, laquelle peut jouer un rôle similaire à celui que joue le secteur informel en milieu urbain.
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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 participation doit être perçue comme politique. Il y a toujours des tensions sous-jacentes aux questions comme: `qui intervient?', `comment?' et `aux conditions de qui?'. Bien que la participation ait le pouvoir de mettre en question les modèles de prédominance, elle peut aussi constituer le moyen par lequel les relations de pouvoir déjà en place s'enracinent et se reproduisent. Les arènes dans lesquelles les personnes perçoivent leurs intérêts et jugent si elles peuvent les exprimer ou pas ne sont pas neutres. La participation peut avoir lieu pour toute une série de raisons qui n'ont rien à voir avec la liberté. Il est important de percevoir la participation comme un processus dynamique, et de comprendre que sa propre forme et sa propre fonction peuvent devenir l'axe central de luttes.
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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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L'evaluation rurale rapide (RRA: Rapid Rural Appraisal) et l'evaluation rurale participative (PRA - Particpatory Rural Appraisal) ont surgi dans le contexte du travail mené avec les communautés rurales des pays en voie de développement. Mais les principes de la participation et des recherches orientées vers l'action sont tout aussi valables pour le travail de développement en milieu urbain, et dans les pays industrialisés. Cet article décrit l'utilisation des techniques d'évaluation participative au sein de communautés défavorisées du Royaume-Uni, dans les domaines de la santé et de la sécurité sociale. En s'inspirant d'une étude de cas de ses travaux, l'auteur aborde les difficultés pratiques, organisationnelles et politiques qui sont inhérentes à tout regroupement de professionnels issus de diverses organisations, de travailleurs du secteur public et de membres des communautés locales, et au développement d'un consensus fonctionnel entre ces personnes.
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Cet article examine dans quelle mesure le système éducatif a reconnu l'importance du secteur informel de l'économie pour les femmes et comment ce secteur s'est efforcé de les préparer à l'emploi ou au travail indépendant en son sein. Il évalue les résultats de l'éducation formelle d'un côté et de l'éducation non formelle de l'autre au moment de conférer aux femmes les compétences nécessaires pour leur permettre d'entrer en concurrence avec les hommes sur le marché du travail, et conclut que les deux systèmes ont, en termes généraux, échoué à aider les femmes à obtenir des emplois bien payés et sûrs; au lieu de cela, ils en ont confiné un nombre gigantesque à des activités de niveau subsistance dans le secteur informel. Dans le cadre de l'approche non formelle de l'éducation, l'article examine la formation dans des projets de `génération de revenus', laquelle constitue un moyen primordial d'assistance aux femmes pauvres dans les pays en voie de développement. Il y figure quelques recommandations pour des stratégies améliorées en matière d'éducation et de formation.
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Bien qu'elles soient bien placées pour prêter assistance aux réfugiés, les ONG autochtones ne jouent souvent qu'un rôle marginal, comparées aux ONG du Nord, qui dominent la plupart des programmes d'aide humanitaire. L'auteur se penche sur le déséquilibre des relations de pouvoir entre les organismes et les donateurs du Nord d'un côté et les ONG du Sud de l'autre dans la prestation d'assistance aux réfugiés. En utilisant des données provenant des programmes d'assistance aux réfugiés mozambicains du Malawi et du Zimbabwe, l'auteur examine également les stratégies et les conditions par le biais desquelles certaines ONG autochtones ont mis en question cette situation dominante, et ce avec succès. Les facteurs considérés comme significatifs sont: le développement institutionnel, la diversification de la base de donateurs, la conception et le développement de projets, et les compétences et connaissances techniques des directeurs de terrain. L'applicabilité élargie de ces expériences fait aussi l'objet d'une réflexion.
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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.
