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Practical Answers

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Practical Answers PRACTICAL ACTION Practical Action Practical Action is the working name for ITDG —the Practical Actio was fo deal in Intermediate Technology Development Group. The radical econom st Dr. E . cl- uma.. name may have changed, but the organisation and 'Small is Beaut ful', and s the values that we represent remain fundamentally as a respected rganisat o that le the same. on issues of to hnology n p)v:-rt The words Practical Action sum up exactly what we Practical Actio has local tafed (11 do: making a practical difference in the lives of poor scale regional rogramm s in East c people. We recognise the importance of technology Africa, Latin A erica an. and hands-on work; we share knowledge and work programmes in Nepal, B n la iesh I EA..Jar. together with communities; in policy debate, our work focuses on delivering practical changes that impact positively on the lives of the poor. Practical Actio. 's vision i o a world' The aim of the re-branding is not to change our and injustice, i which t c nolcgy 1:) ti- e focus, but rather to help us communicate what we benefit of all'. e belie ocr e do in a simpler way to a new, wider and younger able to access, secure a d0 use tec audience. are vital to thei liveliho Practical Actio aims t elf erail n.c 11 in developing untries y de 'e or: E 11C .15 i,. technologies, nd by demcn ;tn ;1_ sharing knowle ge and i fler:ci n; E Projects Practical Action has a unique approach to Our current range of projects cover conflict development — we don't start with technology, resolution, food security, donkey welfare, livestock but with people. The tools may be simple, but health, dairy marketi ng, m icro-hydropower,train ing to provide long-term, appropriate and practical for entreprise development, indoor smoke answers, they must be firmly in the hands of local reduction, energy-saving stoves, solar lanterns, people: people who shape technology and control environmental sanitation, HIV/AIDS, ecotourism, it for themselves. It's something we've believed market access, business development, bicycles in for years. and fair trade. To achieve tt- is, Practical Action focuses its efforts, skills and resources around four themes. • Reducing vulnerability Sharing the Knowledge To strengten the ability of poor women and men to use technology to cope with threats In addition to our four thematic areas of work, to their livelihoods from natural disasters, Practical Action in Eastern Africa operates a environmental degradation and civil conflict. Technical Enquiry Service to provide access to • Making riarkets work for poor people the wealth of information in our Nairobi Resource To enable poor women and men to use Centre. The Centre contains over 10,000 technologies effectively in systems of catalogued publications covering a wide range of producticn, processing and marketing to build technological and development issues, together secure livelihoods. with a photographic I ibrary with over 10,000 prints • Improving access to infrastructure services and slides, all accessible through a computerised To improve the access of poor women and men information database. The Resource Centre is open to locally managed infrastructure services. to members of the public on a su bscri ption scheme. • Respond rig to new technologies I Subscribing members can borrow publications for a period of two weeks. Corporate membership To enable poor women and men to assess and respond to the challenges of new technologies per year is Ksh.2,000 (four people), Ksh.500 for and to develop and adopt applications that improve their live'ihoods. • students and Ksh.1, 000 an individual. Temporary their lives better and their cc mmunities' stronger. membership is Ksh.50 per day. The organisatior creates nnovative solutions for a sustainable fu u re. Tec[ n )logies developed by Practical Action are easily replicable, affordable For information on how Practical Action's and sustainable . Now, we are taking those Technical Enquiry Service can help you. technologies to he region Email: [email protected] services o i Dem and Going Regional Since 2003, Pr. ctical Ac :ion in Eastern Nairobi office houses branch of Practical Action Practical Action has unveiled a new East African Consulting (PAC the org a nisation's consultancy strategy. We have worked in Kenya since the 1980s wing. The estab ishment of this local branch of from offices in Nairobi, Magadi, Namanga, Isiolo, Practical Actior 's consu tancy division allows Mandera, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kapsabet, Kitale and the organisatior to offer region-based services Lodwar. We are now opening programmes in in capacity de\ elopmeni , market assessment, Southern Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania and baseline survey, yoject de sign and the monitoring Uganda. and evaluation c f develop -nent programmes. This regional expansion accompanies the During 2005, Practice I Action Consulting organisation's name change, but Practical Action - Nairobi provide I consul- a cy services for the this year celebrating its 40th anniversary- remains donor commun ty and nternatiui al NGOs in true to its mission of creating a just world in which Kenya, Souther Sudan n: Somalia. For more technology is used for the benefit of all. information on 'ractical Action Consulting wing and how it can elp your organisation. Practical Action helps people create their own solutions and apply ideas and skills that make Email: consultin @practic a act ion.c r. ke Practical Action in Eastern Africa, AAYMCA Building (2 Floor), Along State H use Cresce Off State House Avenue, P.O.Box 39493-00623 Nairobi, Keny Tel +254 (0) 20 2713540 / 2719313 / 2719413 Fax: +254 (0) 20 2 10083 E-mail [email protected] Website: www practicalaction. rg .
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