Projects | Southern India - MYRADA
Appreciative Inquiry—A Beginning

The IISD/MYRADA video, Appreciative Inquiry—A Beginning, was produced during training and fieldwork conducted in Kamasamudram, India in October 1999. The objective of the video is to provide new practitioners of appreciative inquiry a better understanding of the method's discovery, dream and design phases by hearing from development workers and community members.

• Appreciative Inquiry - A Beginning (29 min 17 sec)
  The takes the viewer through the four stages of appreciative inquiry and provides an overview of the psychological reasons behind its success. The video is available for download or purchase.
  (All videos require RealPlayer)

The following excerpts are also available.

• Why use appreciative inquiry? (1 min 52 sec)
  Aloysius Fernandez, MYRADA's executive director, summarizes the limitations and consequences of using a problem- or needs-oriented approach in community development. He then discusses, as an alternative strategy, the benefits of building on existing strengths in a community.
   
• Discovery Stage (2 min 47 sec)
  Bulakshmi tells a story about a peak moment in her life when with much practice and encouragement she was able to sign her name in the self-help group's account book for the first time, rather than using her thumbprint.
  
  Chowdama recalls how she and others in her self-help group brought an end to covert gambling in the village by monitoring their husbands, finding and raiding their secret gambling den, and shaming the men into reforming their ways.
   
• Dream Stage (1 min 40 sec)

Muniveketama and Nanjapa share their dream of raising silk worms and using the income to help their daughter get married.

A member of Swathi self-help group discusses her group's goal to stop alcoholism and domestic violence in their village.
 
• Design Stage (1 min 4 sec)

A member of Hunkle Durga self-help group explains her group's plan to mobilize resources and build a school in the village.

The men of Vishwashwariah Village Development Council explain their plan for rooting out illiteracy in their village.
 
• How appreciative inquiry helps MYRADA (1 min 9 sec)
  Saleela Patkar, MYRADA's training coordinator, discusses the importance of starting village-level institutions with a strong vision. She explains how appreciative inquiry will help MYRADA accomplish this objective.

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For more information on this project please contact:

Jo-Ellen Parry
Project Manager
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
E-mail: jparry@iisd.ca

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