PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 5 Participatory Rural Appraisal: is it culturally neutral?

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 5 Participatory Rural Appraisal: is it culturally neutral? Thoughts from a PRA in Guinea-Bissau Weyman Fussell A pilot project was implemented in Guinea- We spent several days in each of the villages Bissau to explore the methodology of of Pelundo and Bara. We were graciously Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) as a tool for village based community development invited into the homes of the community, we workers. An in-service training was given joined the men and women at work in their jointly to a group of expatriate and host country fields, we shared food at their tables, we drank development workers. Additionally, needs- their wine, we joked with the children, and we assessments were done in two villages to test talked of aspirations and exchanged questions the PRA process as a programming instrument about the quality of life in our respective for village based workers. In its general form, countries. Throughout it all, we were struck by PRA is a variation of Rapid Rural Appraisal the sense of well-being and absence of and emphasises an especially broad scope of compelling felt needs among the village community participation in identification and residents. The village environment was ...