Abstract
While the developed world continues to advance, it is still the case that the place where a person is born affects their future. Yet, poor communities have learnt to be resourceful, and it is in this context that the Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) seeks to build on traditional knowledge by releasing the potential for community-led development. GULL is a non-profit network movement that works with other organizations to facilitate self-help in communities. The chapter opens with an overview of GULL’s work and its approach to facilitating and certifying low-cost community-led development through action learning. To illustrate how international aid could be better deployed in action learning and action research projects, an example of a collaborative effort with communities in rural Burundi follows. Despite remarkable outcomes, this project stalled before it could be fully embedded in its host communities and this is therefore a reoccurring scenario. The chapter explores why this happened and what could be done differently. It concludes with a review of the main obstacles to community-led development and a call for a shift in emphasis from short-term training-led solutions to much longer-term community-led action learning initiatives.KeywordsCommunity-led developmentInternational aidLifelong action learningTraditional knowledgeSelf-directed developmentSelf-help
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
