Commemorative volume brought out on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Xavier Institute of Social Service; contributed articles.

This unique text emphasizes the many different techniques needed for successful social work practice. Parts I and II provide knowlege, values, and competencies for effective social work practice, while Parts III through V contain 144 clear and readable descriptions of practice techniques, presented in a handbook format for convenient accessibility of information.

Economic development in the poorest countries often makes better progress when women become involved in, and take a lead in, development projects. Encouraging women’s involvement, however, is often a major difficulty in societies where traditionally women’s status has been inferior and where women are expected to be domestic and passive. This book, based on extensive original research, considers major projects undertaken by non-governmental organisations in Bangladesh to encourage women’s participation. The book identifies the factors which motivated women to be active, discusses how women achieved the level of capacity and knowledge to enable them to serve their communities appropriately, assesses the major difficulties and recommends how empowerment projects can be improved in future. The book concludes that established institutions and traditional customs are often the greatest barrier to women’s participation.

Mahila Samakhya is as much a story of a government programme for women's education and empowerment as it is of the celebration of the struggles of poor women for gender just rights. Spread across eight states and more than 150 districts in India, the Mahila Samakhya programme grew out of a unique partnership between the women's movement and the government. In this collection of essays, concerned scholars from different parts of India chart Mahila Samakhya's fascinating journey of setting up poor women's collectives and women's agency in establishing an equal space and voice in the public domain - a radical departure from the more common approaches of organising women around economic concerns. The writers explore broad gender issues grounded within the field experience of Mahila Samakhya, providing insights into the workings of the programme at different levels, its conceptual challenges, strategic choices, the opportunities and pitfalls of partnership with government and above all the willingness of poor women to come together voluntarily to address and overcome gender barriers.

This book focuses on the understanding of factors and mechanisms involved in the development of agency mainly in three related contexts --- participatory development, extension work, and service transactions. The research has its starting point in the recognition of the critical role played by “agency” (commonly understood as want/will for and practice of self-determination and self-management) on the part of intended beneficiaries of services and projects for effective implementation and sustainability. It is designed to address this subject matter with its principal focus on inner capacities and orientations of human beings, posing questions as to how such capacities and orientations could be enhanced and activated in practice by external actors in the field of public policies for socioeconomic and international development. The project is organized transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries --- combining anthropological, psychological, and economic approaches and perspectives.

Empowerment of those living in poverty is both a critical driver and an important measure of poverty reduction. This report aims to build donor understanding of empowerment and how best to support it.

This pivot examines non-governmental organization (NGO) interventions in two community development initiatives, namely social capital and community empowerment, and their role in funding and formulating development frameworks in developing countries like Bangladesh. It considers the key development discourse issues of collective action, social trust and access to knowledge, to political processes and to financial, social and natural resources. Given the large proportion of foreign funding, NGOs and donors also increasingly face the twin challenges of demonstrating both efficient and effective delivery of services and accountability in their relationships with various stakeholders. Reflecting on the relevance of NGOs for community development, and the merits, challenges and limitations of NGO activities, this book provides a comprehensive study of NGO participation in community development in Bangladesh and Third World countries more widely to highlight a global concern with international implications.

"Stephens' important and timely book provides an urgently needed and insightful synthesis of the previously fragmented field of community health psychology. A wide range of case material from both rich and poor countries is framed within a skilfully articulated set of debates around core issues of theory, practice, research and ethics. This text should be compulsory reading for all practitioners and students of health promotion." Professor Catherine Campbell, Health, Community and Development Group, London School of Economics Can the health of individuals be improved through community health programmes? How can community health promotion programmes be more effective? How is health awareness measured and evaluated? In recent years, health promoters have focused their attention not just on individual lifestyle change, but on daily social and physical conditions that surround the individual. They are now looking towards lifestyle change based on community or socially-based interventions. This book argues for the importance of theoretical explanations that inform investigations of the social context of daily life, the social relations that affect opportunities for healthy lives, and the needs of communities. Examining theories from a critical and values oriented perspective, it looks at current theories of health and health promotion, and discusses why health inequalities exist. The book includes a practical grounding, using examples of community health promotion practice, such as community arts and local community models, based on material and research from Britain, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and South America. The media's role in health promotion is also investigated, drawing on current media theory and examining media representation and the public's interpretative response. Issues surrounding the evaluation of health promotion programmes are also discussed. Health Promotion: A Psychosocial Approach provides a critical and theoretical basis for practice in social and community approaches to health promotion. It is key reading for postgraduate students of health psychology or community psychology, as well as qualified practitioners in public health areas who are developing theory based community programmes.

Career development interventions can serve as one means to constructively address the problems of inequitable access to educational and occupational options and achievement that promote health and well-being across the lifespan. Career Development Interventions for Social Justice: Addressing Needs across the Lifespan in Educational, Community, and Employment Contexts offers practical examples of career development interventions that may be adapted to constructively address social justice needs at various points across the lifespan (ranging from elementary school ages to older adults) in educational, community, and employment contexts. Tailored to the needs and context of a specific underserved group of individuals, each intervention integrates relevant career development theory, research, ethical considerations, elements of sound program design and evaluation, and professional competencies for best practices in multicultural career counseling and social justice advocacy. Unique to this book are the contributions of authors, including practicing professional counselors and psychologists, who share their personal reflections of self-awareness from privileged and marginalized identities regarding potential biases and resources of relevance to their chapter’s intervention. In the process of designing and providing career development services for individuals from marginalized groups, it is imperative for counselors to continually reflect on and consult about their own biases and resources for empathic understanding and effectiveness with those whom we serve.

One of the major tools of attaining proper development all around the world is creating wealth and economic inclusion, such that all classes of people can secure their lifestyles through access to financial services from formal sectors. Expanding access to resources and increasing self-employment opportunities help reduce poverty and improve social development. Wealth Creation and Poverty Reduction: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice examines trends, challenges, issues, and strategies related to the creation of livelihood options through the redistribution of resources, foreign aid, private sector activities, and other methods. Highlighting a range of topics such as microfinance, poverty alleviation, and socio-economic development, this publication is an ideal reference source for government officials, policymakers, executives, economists, analysts, researchers, academicians, professionals, and students interested in wealth creation in areas of extreme poverty.