Economic DevelopmentBureau 234 Colony Road New Haven, CT 06511 203/776-9084 Director, Idrian Resnick I. This group has already created for itself a well-deserved position of respect among progressive in(ernational groups. Acting as a consultant, E.D.B. conducts a "class analysis" before accepting work in ·any country. This preliminary research, done with and through a network of local contacts that the Bureau has developed, enables the organization to choose work consi.sten.t with its philGsop,hy of aiding those most in need. Its emphasis is on commttnity development through democratic and collective decisionmaking. Its goal is to provide technical infor- , mation combined with social analysis that will enable local people to develop strategies appropriate to their situation, and develop the skills to aid others in turn. ·. 1 Oxfam-America 302 Columbus Ave.· Boston, MA 02116 Project Info: Leslie Tuttle Development Education: Haley Wander While principally a non-governmental aid group, Oxfam-America supports self-help projects in a number of developing countries. Recognizing the limitations of working through a dictatorial government1 the organization has recently adopted a policy of working only in countries.with a commitIT.\ nt to democratic systems. Oxfam-America supports .an organization in Bangladesh called the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), which focuses on organizing and education as a means of empowering Bangladesh's poor. To contact this group, write: BRAC, 3 New Circular Rd., Maghbazar, Bangladesh.(more infon_nation on BRAC. is also avail~ble 1n Aid as Obstacle), Dialogue, published by International · Yoluntary Services, Inc.; distributed free, contribution of $1.55 per c~py requested from those able to pay, from: Inte:,;national Voluntary Services, Inc. • 1717 Mass Ave. N.W., Suite 605 Washington, DC 20036 The Winter/Spring '79/'80 issue on commu- , nity and cooperative development.has 'two articles I find to be of particular merit.•The first describes the h.istory of Bolivia's cooperative movement-its problems and successes. The second discusses an innovative comn.=tun'ity agriculture training center in fromAid as Obstacle Ecuador's Amazon. E.ach article is pr,nted in three languages, French, Spanish-and English, to allow for maximum circulation. This • issue is the fourth t0 date and I'm looking forward to seeing what future issues will look like. . New World Agricultural Group John Vandemere Division of Biological Sciences University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109 . . . NWAG is a technical research group with six centers scattered through the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Though its three year project in • Mexico is winding down, it's·my guess that the group will retain a strong presence in the / field of international development-both iR its research and consultant capacity. NWAG's research presents a valuable 1 counter-perspective to the conventional aid establishment view of deveiopment. Its bibliography includes two studies of AID-type ·development projects in Mexico, and its negative impact on cultural and economic pat- • terns. At present the Ann Arbor group is· devoting most of its attention to the subject of "intercropping,11 particularly as it may apply to the farmworker/cannery/farmer, • disputes currently. being waged in that part of the country.. NWAG expresses an interest and corp.mitment to "the Third World people at home as well as abroad." American Friends Service Committee National Office: 1501 Cherry St. Philadelphia, PA 19102 November 1980 RAIN Page 21 This well-known and broad-based group has been supporting progressive causes, both nationally and internationally, for years. One prQject that AFSC has suppor~ed on the international scene is a Bangladesh organizatign called Gorioshasthaya Kendra .. Supported by a number of other progressive for- .eign groups, Gonoshasthaya Kendra's work has included village-based programs such as ·an agricultural loan.service to.sharecroppers, to enable them to gain more independence from exploitative creditors,.a health insurance system based on village paramedics, and training for women in skills usually reserved for men-carpentry, plumbing and black- . smithing. More information on this group can be found in Aid as Obstacle or from AFSC. Yumi Kirapim, published.jointly by the Dept of the Pri,me Minister, Office of Village Development, and the South , Pacific Appropriate Technology Foundation; inquire for price: - P.O. Box 6937 Boroko, Papua, New Guinea Published in three lariguages-English and - two local dialects.-Yumi Kirapim is a monthly journal on appropriate technology. Written in simple and practical l,anguage, the journal covers such topics a~ transportation, local food processing, .developing small scale industries, and the changing role of women in Papua, New Guinea, society. It's refreshing to see an A.T.journal from a developing country that is written both by the commu- •nity and for the community. ,Thi~ is genuine A.T. at work. •
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