Analysis of the Positive Role of Projects

I would like to briefly talk about how useful projects have been, and in what areas have they actually worked well, and areas where projects have not achieved what they set out to do. I will draw on some successful examples from Asia.

A survey of projects would show that one of the main reasons they fail is that a top-
down approach is used which, in sponsored projects, encourages dependency. These projects are not controlled and managed by the women who are involved. The agency sponsoring the project sends experts who not only come from other countries but whose experience is of urban areas. This approach works on the assumption that the knowledge base of the people doing the project is not strong enough for them to independently run it. In reality the people concerned know the needs of the local area and have more knowledge than experts from outside.