Theory and practice
Is it possible to establish a link between research and implementation in development? Fatemah Farag listened in to possible answers
This week, researchers and activists met at the American University in Cairo to evaluate two and a half years of activity undertaken by the Partnership in Development Research Programme (PDRP). "We are halfway through the programme, which is a good time to step back and check our progress," explained Hoda Rashad, director of the American University in Cairo's Social Research Centre (SRC) and PDRP's secretariat representative.
PDRP was established in Egypt in 1999 as part of an international programme funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the programme mandate, the objective is to "coordinate development policies and strategies between those who conduct research and those who utilise its findings. The aim of the programme is to improve capacity for research as well as the quality, and to ensure that findings are utilised."
So far, the PDRP has been involved in six rounds of research selection (twice a year) and has subsidised 42 research projects, as well as courses of study after which 19 MA and 11 PhD degrees were awarded. Rashad explained that the programme mandate required research projects to be based on demand, and be both local and mutli-disciplinary in scope.
"Two things make this programme special. The first is the sustainability aspect, and the other the focus on the feasibility of implementation. This, in particular, is very important," explained Soheir Mehanna, PDRP's project coordinator. A common complaint in development circles is that a lot of money is ploughed into research, report-writing and launching programmes, but very little of this seems to translate itself into concrete development activity on the ground. "[To bridge this gap] it is important to create a partnership between non-governmental organisations, who know what is happening on the ground, and skilled researchers. We assess the implementation feasibility by approaching the stakeholders, asking them their opinion regarding the benefits of the research and assessing how they view the researchers who undertake a project," added Mehanna.
For example, researchers involved in a study entitled "Trachoma rapid assessment and planning for control interventions in the Fayoum Governorate" were initially feared by inhabitants of the area. The researchers finally gained acceptance after convincing the local people that the research work would actually improve their lives. Research projects presented at this week's evaluation session included a vast array of topics, such as the problems faced by NGOs in dealing with street children; developing the skills of fish farmers in Edko; and a study on the use of palm branches to manufacture furniture in a village in Gharbiya.
And there have been, it seems, achievements. In a presentation by Sawsan El- Sherif, researcher on the NGO and street children project and a member of the Hope Village Society, research supported by PDRP not only helped to clarify the basic challenges faced by both non- governmental and governmental organisations involved with street children, but also resulted in the formation of a grass- roots network of organisations which themselves acted as a catalyst for the launching of a government campaign -- inaugurated last month by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak -- to improve the lot of street children in Egypt.
"We are all very pleased to see that, not only is the research going well, but that there have been tangible results. Programmes launched as a result of a bottom- up approach are sure to have better results than the more traditional top-down approach," stressed Mehanna.
