PRA-Manual Embracing Participitation tools-only.pdf - PACA

3.6 EMBRACING PARTICIPATION IN DEVELOPMENT: Wisdom from the Field
Given the incremental learning that occurs during a PLA process, it is recommended
that the facilitating team reviews the process and reflects on the
findings while the appraisal is being carried out so that, if necessary, the objectives
can be modified.
1.6 Preparing a check-list of issues to be covered
Once the objectives have been set, it is helpful to prepare a tentative list of
issues and themes that need to be explored during the participatory appraisal.
The facilitating team can prepare this list before the fieldwork starts. It is useful
to have a brainstorming session with all the facilitators to generate this list. If
all the facilitators are not present while preparing this checklist, it is important
that this be discussed with them before the appraisal starts. However, it must be
noted that this is only an indicative and tentative list, which can be modified
and changed during the appraisal process. We may start with a list of issues that
we (facilitators) think are important and must be covered, but it is very difficult
to pre-determine all the issues and concerns that will be raised by the participating
community members during the appraisal. Hence the process has to be
flexible to incorporate all of the necessary modifications. It must also be noted
that this checklist should not be used as a blueprint or the basis of a questionnaire
that has to be followed in the field. This checklist should only help the
facilitators to keep track of the process and to review their progress. In case the
facilitating team is large and works as sub-teams in the field, this checklist also
helps to ensure that there is at least some common ground covered by all the
teams and that the process does not move in several different directions based
on the specific interests of the particular facilitators.
Part 3
For each of the issues listed in the check-list, a ‘menu’ of methods can be
provided. This helps the facilitators to gain confidence in selecting appropriate
methods for analyzing specific issues.
The following matrix gives an example of a detailed checklist of issues that can
be covered while facilitating participatory appraisals on sexual and reproductive
health with adolescents, along with a ‘menu’ of PLA methods that can be used
to explore and analyze each of these issues (this list has been developed from
the PALS experience in CARE Zambia).