Wholistic worldview analysis: understanding community realities (PLA 56)

Journal (part) article
PDF (783.83 KB)
G02908.pdf
Language:
English
Published: June 2007
Area(s):
Participatory Learning and Action
Product code:G02908
Source publication:
Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) 56

In this article, Ravi Jayakaran describes the wholistic worldview analysis (WWVA) tool. Using PLA exercises, this tool has been used successfully to create a wholistic baseline for a community, analyse its needs and identify its vulnerabilities, with the ultimate aim of building capacity to overcome those vulnerabilities which had been hindering any community-level development plans. The author discusses how a community’s worldview and its survival strategy are connected, i.e. what challenges they must face to survive and how they perceive them in relation to their survival strategy, and their capacity to cope with them. The article then describes how to create a WWVA diagram. Using a combination of PLA analysis methods, such as livelihood, problem and uncertainty analysis, the community decides which issues they want to analyse in the diagram. Then, the community is facilitated to assess which of these issues are within or outside of their control to change. The diagram is used as a visual aid and a record, helping to analyse how – or if – these vulnerabilities can be reduced, who the key stakeholders are, and what programme activities and capacity building are needed to address the issues.

Article in: Participatory Learning and Action 56. Co-editors: Holly Ashley, Angela Milligan and Nicole Kenton.

Participatory Learning and Action (PLA, formerly PLA Notes) is the world's leading series on participatory learning and action approaches and methods. PLA publishes articles on participation aimed at practitioners, researchers, academics and activists. All articles are peer-reviewed by an international editorial board. See: www.planotes.org

To read the full table of contents please click on the link below.

Cite this publication

Jayakaran, R. (2007). Wholistic worldview analysis: understanding community realities (PLA 56). .
Available at https://www.iied.org/g02908