Participatory Rapid Appraisal: Tools and International and US examples

Eat and learn with Carter at this brown bag presentation at Taylor. Bring your lunch!

One of the biggest challenges of any development agency, health system or company is to understand the needs from the viewpoint of their clients, customers or patients. There are 18 simple, practical qualitative tools to help discover from the poor themselves what types of services, products or financial offerings they need and for which they would be willing to pay. The Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) tools allow a small group to quickly collect and analyze what they need and want. As both NGOs and corporations seek to serve some of the three billion potential clients, it is important to have quick, structured ways to dialog with the poor. Through triangulation of tools and methods like PRA, a researcher can find out what the poor feel that they need to solve their problems and improve their lives. Social entrepreneurs, who seek to reach those at the bottom of the economic pyramid globally, first need to have practical tools to research if there is effective demand for their new product or service. Examples from international and US field work will be shared.

The event is free. Please RSVP via Eventbrite here.