Participatory Development – New Project in Tonga

Just think for a moment what it is like when someone has come onto your turf and told you how to fix a problem. Very occasionally their advice is spot on, more often they have misunderstood the situation you are in and so offer advice that is wide of the mark. More often still, while we appreciate their support we actually want to solve things in our own way and in our own time. That way it will be the right solution and the solution we can best live with.

Not surprisingly, development work that addresses poverty alleviation is exactly the same. Unless we seek the input and involvement of local communities the whole way through so that it is really “their solution” the work will nearly always miss the mark or worse still, be totally inappropriate.

That’s why participatory development that seeks the full involvement and regular feedback of the local community must be the basis of everything we do.

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