Older people’s conceptualisation of poverty and their experiences of government programmes in Uganda

This article explores older people’s understandings of poverty and analyses their experience of government policies for fighting poverty. It employed qualitative methods, including focus group discussions and key informant interviews. A total of 120 older people in two districts in Uganda participated in the study. Based on thematic analysis and observation of non-verbal communication, older people’s perspectives on poverty included a wide range of deprivations in their household. Findings reveal that there is a lack of legislation support and effective information for old people to demand accountability or influence policy strategies to address poverty. Despite the difficult living conditions of older people in poverty, the majority live independent lives, are self-reliant and use a variety of strategies to address poverty. Therefore, there is a need for scrutiny to ensure that poverty alleviation support reaches those who need it most.     

Are current aid strategies marginalising the already marginalised? Cases from Tanzania

Engaging with and assisting marginalised communities remains a major challenge for governments of developing countries, as many national development strategies tend in practice to further marginalise chronically poor communities. Development aid strategies, including poverty-reduction initiatives, have focused primarily on economic development. As a result they have contributed to the erosion of the asset base of these communities, and in particular their access to natural resources. While questioning the impact of aid arrangements on the poorest and most vulnerable communities in society, this article recognises that current aid arrangements, such as national poverty-reduction strategies, have created an environment in which chronic poverty can be addressed by national governments and other stakeholders. The authors emphasise the need for greater sensitivity in the processes of planning and managing national development strategies that seek to reduce poverty, as well as a commitment to institutional arrangements that include marginalised groups in the country's political economy.     

“SMART” Photovoice agricultural consultation: increasing Rwandan women farmers' active participation in development

Through two case studies, this paper evaluates the value of the feminist visual methodology Photovoice as an interactive consultation tool with rural Rwandan women working in agriculture. This exploratory study suggests that it is possible, through an adapted Photovoice process, to engage and empower women in the production of information about what is most relevant to them, and reach and engage practitioners and officials through an exhibition of participants' photographs and captions. This confirmation of Photovoice's applicability with rural women in the generation of information that captures the attention of stakeholders demonstrates its potential for reproducibility in other development contexts.

Consultation agricole Photovoice « SMART » : accroître la participation active des agricultrices rwandaises au développement

À travers deux études de cas, cet article évalue la valeur de la méthodologie visuelle féministe Photovoice comme outil interactif de consultation avec des rwandaises rurales travaillant dans l'agriculture. Cette étude exploratoire suggère que cette utilisation est possible, à travers un processus Photovoice adapté, afin de mobiliser et d'autonomiser les femmes dans la production d'informations sur ce qui est le plus pertinent pour elles, et de toucher et de mobiliser les praticiens et les fonctionnaires en leur présentant une exposition des photos et des textes explicatifs créés par les participantes. Cette confirmation de l'applicabilité de Photovoice parmi des femmes rurales en vue de générer des informations qui attirent l'attention des parties prenantes démontre le potentiel que présente cette méthodologie d’être reproduite dans d'autres contextes de développement.

Consultas agrícolas por Photovoice “smart”: aumentando la participación activa de campesinas ruandesas en el desarrollo

Apoyándose en dos estudios de caso, el presente artículo evalúa la metodología visual feminista Photovoice como método de consulta interactiva a mujeres campesinas ruandesas que trabajan en la agricultura. Este estudio exploratorio revela la posibilidad de involucrar y de empoderar a las mujeres, a través de un proceso de Photovoice adaptado, destinado a producir información en torno a aquello que resulta más relevante para ellas; asimismo, dicho proceso permite involucrar a los operadores y a los funcionarios mostrándoles las fotografías de las participantes con sus correspondientes pies de foto. Una vez confirmado el valor de utilizar Photovoice para generar información entre mujeres campesinas, capturando, además, la atención de los actores principales, queda demostrado el potencial que tiene su replicación en otros contextos de desarrollo.

Consulta agrícola através da metodologia Photovoice “SMART”: aumentando a participação ativa de mulheres produtoras rurais de Ruanda no desenvolvimento

Através de dois estudos de caso, este artigo avalia a metodologia visual feminista Photovoice enquanto ferramenta de consulta interativa com mulheres ruandesas rurais que trabalham na agricultura. Este estudo investigativo sugere que é possível, através do processo Photovoice adaptado, engajar e empoderar as mulheres na produção de informações sobre o que é mais relevante para elas, e ter acesso e engajar profissionais e funcionários através da exposição de fotos de participantes e legendas. Essa confirmação da aplicabilidade do Photovoice com mulheres de áreas rurais na geração de informações que capturem a atenção de stakeholders demonstra seu potencial para a reprodução em outros contextos de desenvolvimento.     

Using community indicators for evaluating research and development programmes: experiences from Malawi

Evaluations involving stakeholders include collaborative evaluation, participatory evaluation, development evaluation, and empowerment evaluation – distinguished by the degree and depth of involvement of local stakeholders or programme participants in the evaluation process. In community participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E), communities agree programme objectives and develop local indicators for tracking and evaluating change. PM&E is not without limitations, one being that community indicators are highly specific and localised, which limits wide application of common community indicators for evaluating programmes that span social and geographic space. We developed community indicators with six farming communities in Malawi to evaluate a community development project. To apply the indicators across the six communities, we aggregated them and used a Likert scale and scores to assess communities' perceptions of the extent to which the project had achieved its objectives. We analysed the data using a comparison of means to compare indicators across communities and by gender.