This book addresses itself to mobilisation and involvement of rural people in development projects. It describes an imperfect but, nonetheless, exciting and thought-provoking exercise that drew social science researchers and students from four public universities in Kenya into an experiment in participatory research, community education and development in two locations. The experiment was grounded on the assumptions that the people of Kenya are a primary resource and that given proper roles and contribution of planners, researchers and programme implementers, self-sustainable development can become a reality. The contributors of this book have focused on the potential of the university to facilitate participation of the people in development. They have given specific suggestions on how this might be accomplished.

Prevalent poverty and related problems in the East African region call for substantial action from various stakeholders, including social workers. This book, based on comprehensive empirical research, portrays an emerging yet powerful profession that has a significant role to play in the endeavour towards social development, social justice, human rights and gender equality. The book is the first of its kind to provide first-hand theoretical and empirical evidence about social work in East Africa.

This book examines the justification, theorisation, practice and implications of participatory action research approaches and methods in the social and environmental sciences.