PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 17 Sharing our experiences: an appeal to donors and governments

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 17 Sharing our experiences: an appeal to donors and governments Introduction much in common, and suggest urgent and important lessons. This compels us to appeal to We are an informal group of trainers and donors and governments. We urge all those practitioners who are struggling to evolve, concerned at all levels to recognise the need for promote and disseminate participatory radical but practical change. approaches in development. Most of us come from countries in the South. For ten days we We hope that what follows will be widely read have shared our experiences of participation and and reflected on. We believe that participation in of PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) training development is at a crucial stage - calling for and practice (see article by Somesh Kumar, this decisive action. issue). We have reviewed what we have learnt through working with local people, especially We welcome the efforts to mainstream the poor and marginalised, and with participation in multilateral and bilateral communities and Government organisations, agencies and in international NGOs, and the donors and NGOs in our different countries and increasing stress on participation by varied contexts. Governments and Government departments. Participation has become a ...