Footsteps 31

READERS' FEEDBACK ISSUE

This issue has no main theme. Instead, we cover a number of different subjects, often from previous issues which readers have responded to. A number of articles raise crucial questions about what is at the heart of participatory development and empowerment. The source of the ‘parable’ on AIDS is unknown so we cannot credit the writer. Passion fruit is a fairly new crop for many farmers and though it grows easily, few people know the best ways of increasing production and avoiding disease. Jubilee 2000 is a campaign which I have been personally involved with and believe will become an important – and indeed prophetic – way of marking the new millennium.

Please find below articles from Footsteps issue 31 in html.

To download a pdf version of Footsteps issue 31 click here (983K).

A fresh start for a new millennium Mention third world debt to most people and a puzzled look appears. Mention lack of funding for health clinics and schools and most people would agree and want to add their own experiences. However, in most Third World countries the two are closely l... More >>

Bible study The Principle of Jubilee by Isabel Carter. Read Leviticus 25:8-31 Leviticus is the third book of the Old Testament and it provides guidelines for our relationship with God and our neighbours. Chapter 25 talks of two major festivals – the Sabbath ye... More >>

Breast is still best A recent report confirms that worrying pressures are put on mothers with new babies by companies keen to improve sales of baby milk. The Interagency Group on Breast-feeding Monitoring (IGBM) recently published a report showing that many companies – i... More >>

Church-based community development by Alexis Andino. For a long time development workers have learnt and put into practice the principle that ‘development’ comes from agencies and is aimed at communities. We take for granted that we are the bearers of a wealth of ‘new ideas’ which we... More >>

Drama for communication by B Mounkoro. Drama can be a very valuable tool to encourage participatory learning. When used with a community in Mali, through a development programme, it was found the villagers’ sketches expressed certain problems which stopped people participa... More >>

Editorial I am always very encouraged when Footsteps readers send me articles to include in Footsteps. Sometimes I manage to fit them quickly into issues and sometimes they may not be suitable to publish. However, I always have a number of good articles and no... More >>

Letters Tools for woolcraft In rural development projects in Ethiopia and Kenya, we have often seen people trying to card, spin, felt or weave their wool using unsuitable tools. Sometimes more appropriate solutions may exist just a couple of hundred miles a... More >>

Life on the streets Working with street children - Community values In many cities and towns streets are increasingly becoming homes for countless children. Insecurity, AIDS, poverty and other factors push many African children onto the streets, but the breakdown of t... More >>

Making the most of meetings by Gideon Njini. Group meetings influence the activities and future direction of groups. There are two main kinds of meeting: private and public. Public meetings discuss matters which may be of interest to all local people. Private meetings are open... More >>

Natural Family Spacing Issue 27 on population prompted several responses, especially from people who felt Footsteps had not given enough encouragement to natural family spacing methods. From a medical point of view these methods have a higher risk of pregnancy and involve ... More >>

Passion fruit by Isabel Carter. In recent years passion fruit has become a popular new fruit for many farmers around the world. They grow well and the fruit is tasty and refreshing. Unlike some fruit, passion fruit travel well to market. They can also be processe... More >>

PLA in action Brian Polkinghorne wrote with an interesting response to Issue 29. Here are some of the points he made, together with comments from Simon Batchelor (who wrote the opening article in Issue 29). Brian: Thank you for another stimulating edition of Foot... More >>

Resources Amaranth to Zai Holes: Ideas for growing food under difficult conditions by Laura Meitzner and Martin Price This 400 page book is a compilation of all the information from ECHO Development Notes over 15 years. Material has been re-ordered and expand... More >>

The fire of AIDS An old man was speaking to the village elders about AIDS and told them a story… One day a young mother, Philomena, was talking to other ladies in the village while they weaved baskets. She told them how her new baby was fascinated by the fire that b... More >>

ECHO funding Feedback on tilz