Participation Of Beneficiaries Research Articles

Effect of Beneficiary Participation on Project Performance: A Case of an HIV Peer Education Project in Gicumbi District, Rwanda

The HIV/AIDS pandemic remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the prevalence rates are among the highest in the world. This study investigated the impact of beneficiary participation on the performance of an HIV peer education program implemented by the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV (RRP+) in Gicumbi District from 2017 to 2020. Researchers examined three specific areas: project planning, implementation, and monitoring. Stakeholder and Engagement Theory alongside Participation Theory were reviewed. The study adopted a descriptive research design with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The total study population for this research was be 3,938 that included Recipients of Care (RoC) and stakeholders directly involved in the HIV peer education project implemented by the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV (RRP+) in Gicumbi District, Rwanda, from 2017 to 2020. A mixed sampling approach was employed to select participants for this research. This approach involves a combination of probability and non-probability sampling methods. Therefore, the sample size calculated using the Yamane formula was 387 Recipients of Care (RoC) and stakeholders. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Findings indicated significant beneficiary involvement in strategic planning and annual plans, with mean scores of 3.78 and 3.50, respectively, on a 1-4 scale. Moderate familiarity with the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (average 3.22) was observed. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant positive impact on Project Performance (p < 0.05). Beneficiaries reported satisfactory healthcare and psychosocial support (mean score 0.99) and moderate satisfaction with supportive supervision (mean score 1.62). Capacity-building (average 1.02) showed room for improvement, yet still had a significant positive influence on Project Performance (p < 0.05). Limited involvement in monitoring (mean score 1.04) was observed, with high satisfaction in feedback meetings (mean score 4.15). Feedback acceptability (average 3.42) indicated moderate acceptability, also positively impacting Project Performance (p < 0.05). The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.398 indicate that increased healthcare and psychosocial support are associated with higher project performance. The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.026 suggest that supportive supervision has a relatively positive relationship with project performance. The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.293 highlight the importance of training beneficiaries during project implementation. The study recommended foster greater beneficiary involvement in project planning by conducting regular consultations, workshops, and feedback sessions. Review and refine the supportive supervision approach to address the varying levels of satisfaction among beneficiaries. Maintain regular and productive feedback meetings to capture beneficiary input and concerns. Enhance feedback collection and analysis processes to ensure feedback is incorporated into project activities effectively. Form a strengthened system of monitoring and evaluation in order to consistently evaluate performance of project as well as adapt to evolving requirements of the beneficiary. Additionally, formulate models of sustainability to ascertain that favorable and positive impacts of the project are preserved after its overall completion.

Action Research in Agricultural Development Projects: Case Study of a Dairy Project in Ethiopia

AbstractFor development projects, an action research approach is often encouraged to enhance participation of end-users or beneficiaries at various stages of the project to realize the desired social transformation in the target communities. The project under consideration in this study adopted action research for some of its activities. A review of the project action research activities was conducted as part of the strategic reflection for lesson learning and to inform modification where necessary. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the relevance of action research approach to implementation of project activities and, (ii) to draw lessons for agricultural development projects applying participatory approaches. Fifty-one participants involved in the project action research activities were interviewed on their understanding of action research, its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and level of participation in action research activities. The perception of the participants interviewed regarding action research approach was that it is relevant and important for the project, and that it has provided a good platform for learning by all participants. Some key lessons from this study for development projects when applying action research approach include the need to focus on a limited number of issues or activities that can produce social transformation in the target communities, and the necessity of adequate planning for monitoring and documentation of learning by participants. From our study, action research is a pertinent approach in community development projects, but it should be well-planned to achieve the desired objective of social transformation in the target communities.

A co-production model for the South African housing sector

Background: The public housing delivery practices in South Africa are fragmented, resulting in various outcomes concerning housing delivery. There is a pressing need to overhaul public housing delivery that puts citizens at the core of the delivery process.Aim: The current state-led model of delivering housing is not effective and by design, the model for housing delivery should include the participation of beneficiaries. The aim was to develop a co-production model for housing delivery.Setting: The article focused on the housing sector in South Africa.Methods: A qualitative research approach and grounded theory as research design was used. Instruments were document analysis and semi-structured interviews with participants who are stakeholders in housing co-production. Data collected was analysed through inductive thematic analysis.Results: The results suggested a self-reliant approach to housing delivery, which is demand driven with the state as a facilitator and not the provider of housing. The model for housing should have a component that does not perpetuate a culture of dependency and entitlement but promotes the concept of co-production.Conclusion: The article explored the possibility of introducing a co-production model for housing delivery model in South Africa. It was established that the role of government must shift to that of an enabler and facilitator instead of a provider of housing.Contribution: This proposed model contributes towards the body of knowledge in terms of promoting public service delivery and performance (in this instance in the housing sector) in South Africa as a country situated in Africa.

Valuation of forest‐management and wildfire disturbance on water and carbon fluxes in mountain headwaters

AbstractRecent drought, wildfires and rising temperatures in the western US highlight the urgency of increasing resiliency in overstocked forests. However, limited valuation information hinders the broader participation of beneficiaries in forest management. We assessed how historical disturbances in California's Central Sierra Nevada affected live biomass, forest water use and carbon uptake and estimated marginal values of these changes. On average, low‐severity wildfire caused greater declines in forest evapotranspiration (ET), gross primary productivity (GPP) and live biomass than did commercial thinning. Low‐severity wildfires represent proxies for prescribed burns and both function as biomass removal to alleviate overstocked conditions. Increases in potential runoff over 15 years post‐disturbance were valued at $108,000/km2 for commercial thinning versus $234,000/km2 for low‐severity wildfire, based on historical water prices. Respective declines in GPP were valued at −$305,000 and −$1,317,000/km2, based on an average social cost of carbon. Considering biomass levels created by commercial thinning and low‐severity fire as more‐sustainable management baselines for overstocked forests, carbon uptake over 15 years post‐disturbance can be viewed as a benefit rather than loss. Realizing this benefit upon management re‐entry may require sequestering thinned material. High‐severity wildfire and clearcutting resulted in greater declines in ET and thus greater potential water benefits but also substantial declines in GPP and live carbon. These lessons from historical disturbances indicate what benefit ranges from fuels treatments can be expected from more‐sustainable management of mixed‐conifer forests and the importance of setting an appropriate baseline.

Social protection for transformative resilience: do programmes really address underlying causes of vulnerability of subsistence farmers to climate change?

ABSTRACT Conventional social protection programmes that fail to intentionally consider climate change effects in their design and delivery are criticised for not addressing the root causes of vulnerability to climate change, particularly for rural livelihoods. Increasingly, we see a shift to adaptive social protection programming to address climate vulnerability, which incorporates transformative objectives. However, there is a dearth of research into the transformative effects of adaptive approaches. Addressing this gap, we employ a “rights-based approach” to assess how adaptive social protection affords greater transformative resilience and wellbeing outcomes over conventional social protection programming. Taking Bangladesh as our case, empirical data show that although social protection programming incorporates some transformative elements, their impacts in terms of subjective resilience and wellbeing outcomes are limited. These limited outcomes result from prevailing clientelism, inadequate benefits paid to participants, lack of beneficiary participation in decision-making, and failure to address unequal gender norms and power relations. These failures are intentionally obscured through the performative practice of corrupted reporting. We conclude by proposing social protection features that are expected to promote more equitable, inclusive and just pathways to sustainably reduce climate induced vulnerability of subsistence farmers.

Beneficiary participation is an imperative, not an option, but does it really work in international development projects?

Beneficiary engagement – external “nonmarket” stakeholder engagement in international development settings – can empower end-users to achieve project success. But we do not know what level of it (involvement/participation) influences short (project management success) and long-term project success (project impact). We examine the influence of beneficiary engagement levels on project success dimensions through stakeholders’ perceptions. Based on a quantitative analysis of 154 projects, we show both beneficiary involvement and beneficiary participation positively influence short and long-term project success. We find project characteristics such as beneficiary inputs do not significantly influence beneficiary engagement, but implementation context including beneficiary trust in project governance does. While some of these findings appear unexpected, they add to external stakeholder engagement literature, especially in low-and middle-income countries. We suggest a “one-size-fits-all” approach prevails in beneficiary engagement practice. Since beneficiary engagement is no longer an option, but an obligation, supervisors and managers should focus on increasing its beneficial impact.

Examine How Stakeholders’ Participation in Project Identification Influence Project Performance, Case Study: Musanze District

The role of stakeholders in project work cannot be ignored. A review of the scientific literature reveals a strong relationship between the two. This study aims to reveal how stakeholder participation affects the performance of public services. Community participation is handled in three stages within the context of the project cycle; Analysis, planning and execution. This study is guided by the following research objectives; To examine how stakeholder participation in project analysis affects performance in Musanze District, to evaluate how stakeholder participation in project planning affects the work in Musanze District, and to find out which stakeholders are involved in the Project > Business-related studies in Musanze District. Researchers studied the Rwanda WASH project at MINIFRA. The project is a collaboration between the Government of Rwanda, the Government of the Netherlands and UNICEF Rwanda, but implemented in the Musanze region by MNIFRA. Interviewees included program representatives from the three donors, representatives of worker organizations, PICs, and beneficiary representatives. The first three categories of respondents were selected and convenience sampling was used to select the last category (beneficiaries). Surveys were used to collect data from the first three groups of participants. The total sample size used in the study was 43 people. The data was analyzed using a descriptive model using SPSS. While the majority of participants (80.5%) responded positively to the participation of beneficiaries in the WASH program, only 19.5 gave negative and negative comments. The majority of respondents think planning has an impact on productivity (31.7%), 19.5% think it has a very high impact, 9.8% think it has a moderate impact, 17.1% think it has a very low impact, and 22.0% think it has a very low impact. I think. little. Most participants responded that the impact of project success was very good (31.7%), 29.3% responded that it was high, 9.8% responded that it was average, 12.2% responded that it was very low, and 14.6% responded that it was very high. Low Researchers concluded that collaboration with stakeholders impacts projects at three stages of the business cycle. This study recommends that WASH develop procedures to ensure maximum participant participation in most roles during the task, especially thinking and planning, task management and performance. Future research should examine participant engagement on outcome measures other than those examined in the current study.

A study to compare the performance of anganwadi workers in owned and rented anganwadi centers in a district of the western part of India

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is one of the flagship programs, and under this, various activities like non-formal education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality on the other hand are carried out by anganwadi worker (AWW). The aim of this study is to assess the AWWs performance and beneficiary participation in respect to the ICDS scheme. Methodology: This is a community-based, cross-sectional study done in two stages using a simple random sampling technique. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) area is divided into 10 parts called ghatak, and out of these 10 ghataks, 6 were chosen in the first stage, and in the second stage, 12 anganwadi centers were selected from these 6 selected ghataks using simple random sampling. Result: In this study, 58.3% of anganwadi workers were graduates. While talking about work related to “Home Visit” and “Immunization Sessions,” there was no statistically significant difference between owned and rented anganwadi center noted. While in “Nutrition & health education”-related work, there was a statistically significant difference between owned and rented anganwadi centers observed. Accuracy of weighing, plotting, and interpretation skill was more than 90% found in both the rented and owned anganwadi center. An almost similar level of nutritional status was observed in both owned and rented centers. Conclusion: In terms of performance and participation, there was not much difference between corporation own and rented anganwadi centers, although there were shared concerns related to frequent changes of place of rented anganwadi centers affecting the participation of beneficiaries.

Managing Housing and Infrastructure Needs for a Fully-fledged Involuntary Resettlement: The Case of Central Expressway in Sri Lanka

Housing with infrastructure needs are basics in resettlement projects having a public stake. As part of a study exploring how these needs can be effectively addressed, this paper identifies the gaps in managing these infrastructure needs in one of the highway construction projects in Sri Lanka namely Central Expressway, Phase 1. This case study provides a perspective in exploring the issues encountered by the affected people using grounded theory. The paper presents the recommendations to minimize such gaps. Data was collected through unstructured interviews comprising both the beneficiaries and the government officials, reducing opinion bias. Gaps identified were ad-hoc erection of houses, lack of infrastructure facilities, security, safety and health issues, delay and insufficiency of compensation and inefficiency in administrative functions and information asymmetry. Some kind of interventionist approach is inevitable to enhance beneficiary participation and knowledge sharing in order to minimise these gaps, the majority of which has been outweighed by the perceived land value. The findings of this research will help detect the existing gaps in involuntary resettlement and institutional inefficiencies that hamper the progress of resettlement.

Downward Accountability of NGOs in Bangladesh: Theoretical Issues and Empirical Investigation

This article analyses overall NGO accountability and accountability to beneficiaries in particular. It is based on the collection of qualitative data from four NGOs in Bangladesh. The participation of beneficiaries has been disaggregated into three phases for more analytical discussion: decision-making, implementation, and evaluation. The study results reveal that the participation of beneficiaries is much higher in the project/program implementation phase. The condition is alarming for the decision-making and evaluation phase, where participation is more rhetoric and sham rituals than the actual exercise. The study also identified some formal and informal mechanisms of participation.

745-P: The Impact of COVID-19 and the Public Health Emergency on the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program

Background: The MDPP has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Prior to the PHE, the MDPP was designed as an in-person program delivered to participants in community settings. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) moved quickly in March 2020 to waive the in-person requirement for MDPP sessions and allow classes to continue on a virtual basis. CMS also permitted beneficiaries to temporarily pause participation. Purpose: To examine the impact of the COVID-19 PHE on MDPP suppliers and on beneficiary participation, attendance, and weight loss. Methods: We analyzed data collected as part of the MDPP evaluation and Medicare claims from April 2018 to December 2021. Results: In the 6 months following the start of the PHE, new enrollment fell to 11 beneficiaries per month, a decrease of 236% from the same period in 2019. In addition, 32% of suppliers had more than half of the MDPP beneficiaries drop out, and 22% of suppliers had more than half of their MDPP beneficiaries pause for at least 30 days. In comparison, in 2019, only 2% of suppliers had more than half of their MDPP beneficiaries drop out, and 8% of suppliers had more than half of their beneficiaries pause. For participants who continued or returned after a pause, the share of virtual sessions increased from <1% prior to March 2020 to 92% in April 2020. Thereafter, the percentage of virtual sessions declined, but the overall percentage still exceeded 50% through December 2021. Among beneficiaries who started in January or February and continued in the program without dropping out or pausing, weight loss is very similar between those that participated in 2019 (6.4%; n=245) compared to those in 2020 (6.5%; n=188). Conclusions: Although the PHE altered the way MDPP sessions were delivered and substantially reduced new enrollment in the program, changes in session delivery mode (e.g., in-person to virtual) did not appear to impact overall weight loss among continuing beneficiaries. Disclosure S.Jacobs: None. T.J.Hoerger: Research Support; Gilead Sciences, Inc. B.T.Allaire: None. P.Amico: None. P.Markovich: None. M.Romaire: None. Funding Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (HHSM-500-2014-0037I/75FCMC18F0003)

Beneficiary Participation in Post-Implementation Stages in Slum Upgrading in Secondary Cities of Nakuru and Kitale, Kenya

Beneficiary Participation in Post-Implementation Stages in Slum Upgrading in Secondary Cities of Nakuru and Kitale, Kenya

Beneficiaries’ Engagement and Project Sustainability in Rwanda: A Case of Huguka Dukore Akazi Kanoze (Hdak)

The study generally aimed at assessing the role of beneficiaries' engagement in sustaining the project in Rwanda, with the following specific objectives: To determine beneficiaries' engagement in planning and design for the sustainability of the project; to assess beneficiaries' engagement in the implementation for the sustainability of the project; and to identify beneficiaries' engagement in monitoring and evaluation for the sustainability of the project. This research focused on 114 Huguka Dukore Akazi Kanoze youth leaders. It is used to probability-stratify, random, and purposeful sampling methods. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data, and a documentary review was used to collect secondary data. SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the data. The findings provided a strong mean of 4.38 and a standard deviation of 0.66 regarding beneficiary's participation in meetings for planning youth group activities. The findings generated by multiple regression analysis showed that beneficiaries' engagement in planning and design contributed to the sustainability of the Huguka Dukore Akazi Kanoze project by 99.9% (R2 = 0.999). On the beneficiaries' engagement in implementation and the project's sustainability, the findings showed that beneficiaries participated in making decisions about the project at a mean of 4.37 and a standard deviation of 0.72. The regression line showed that beneficiaries' engagement in implementation influences the Huguka Dukore Akazi Kanoze Project's sustainability at a positive, positive correlation of 94.7% (R2 = 0.947). The responses indicated that beneficiaries assess project performance, with a mean of 4.38 and a standard deviation of 0.71. The multiple linear regression indicated that the beneficiary's engagement in monitoring and evaluation contributes to the sustainability of the Huguka Dukore Akazi Kanoze project at a correlation coefficient of 99.4%, which is a very strong positive correlation. The study concluded that beneficiary engagement influences the sustainability of the Huguka Dukore Akazi Kanoze project at a strongly positive correlation of 97.6%. (R2=0.976), Following the Huguka Dukore Akazi Kanoze approach, the study recommends that project implementers and donors learn from the results on how to engage beneficiaries early in the project. Keywords: Beneficiaries,’ Engagement, Project, Sustainability Rwanda &nbsp

Revamping Local and Regional Development through local regional management practices

through local regional management practices. Local and regional development is facilitated often upon the implementation of local and regional management practices by the government and civil authorities in a specific geographic area. Another unique and exciting way to reevaluate international development programs is via local and regional management techniques. They are inspiring locals to think strategically rather than waiting for solutions. Thus, they may have a big impact, but their effectiveness might be limited by local capacity issues, coordination issues, and a lack of robust local institutions. Capacity development programs must be suitably matched to local realities to promote beneficiary participation. Building capacity may be done on various scales, with various short- and long-term goals, and using various techniques. Beneficiaries need more intensive focused assistance, at least in the near future, to complete the particular research needed to put a request for review and funding into action. The proliferation of jobs, a rise in the standard of living, better income, and better opportunities are all important dimensions of regional and local development.
 Keywords: local development, region development, management practices

Beneficiary Participation and Sustainability of Farm Ponds in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra

Beneficiary Participation and Sustainability of Farm Ponds in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra

Situation and solutions to implement social security policies in Nga Son district, Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam

Analyze the current situation and propose solutions in the implementation of social security policies in Nga Son district, Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam. 155 family support representatives who are enjoying social security policies in 3 sample units: Nga Thuy, Nga Thang and Nga Son town, the sample is taken based on general consultation and guidance of functional departments related to social security policy implementation in Nga Son district , Thanh Hoa province. Statistics and description of the actual situation of implementing social welfare policy in Nga Son district, Thanh Hoa province in terms of: job creation policy, income; social insurance policies, preferential policies and social allowances, basic social service policies. From there, propose solutions to improve the efficiency of organization and implementation of social security policies in Nga Son district, Thanh Hoa province. Conclusion: The study has successfully analyzed the actual situation of implementing social security policies in Nga Son district, Thanh Hoa province in the period of 2020-2022, specifically in the following contents: Employment, income, employment policy, social insurance, social incentives and allowances, basic social services. The policy implementation process still has a number of limitations, such as: The planning policies to organize the implementation still do not have the participation of the people in the implementation process, mainly from the top down. , there has not been much participation of policy beneficiaries. From those limitations, study the orientation of implementing social security policies in Nga Son district and propose 4 groups of possible solutions.

Contribution of Compassion International to the Livelihood of Smallholder Farmers in Bushenyi District

The study was to assess the contributions of Compassion International to the livelihood of smallholder farmers in the Bushenyi district of western Uganda. The specific objectives were to; (i) assess the household livelihood changes resulting from smallholder participation in Compassion International programs; (ii) assess the level of beneficiary participation in Compassion programs, (iii) analyse the contribution of Compassion International to food production and security, and (iv) examine the challenges being faced by Compassion International that hinder their operations in rural settings of Uganda. The study adopted a descriptive survey design that applied both quantitative and qualitative approaches for data collection. Data was captured from 206 respondents using both a questionnaire and an interview schedule. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16 to generate both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that smallholder participation in Compassion International programs has resulted in livelihood changes such as; enhanced child education, household economic and spiritual empowerment, increased access to agricultural inputs, income-generating projects, and enhanced household capacities. The study also found that beneficiaries participated in compassion programs by attending organisation outreaches, seminars, and annual meetings, mobilising local resources towards the cause, participating in project activities, paying annual membership fees, and giving feedback on project activities and operations. Compassion International has contributed towards household food production and security of the household across the district by setting up agricultural support projects, mobilising farmers, providing agro-inputs, and facilitating extension service delivery. The study further established that; poor funding, corruption and misuse of funds, competition and poor power relations with the local government are the key challenges hindering Compassion International’s operations in the Bushenyi district. The study concluded that though smallholder farmer participation in compassion programs has resulted in improved livelihood changes for member households, there remains a huge socio-economic gap in the Bushenyi district. The organisations’ operations are still hampered by a number of challenges. The NGO needs to tackle poverty reduction dynamically, strategically, and comprehensively. This is because poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon that needs a multidimensional approach. There is a need to look at other categories of needy people in society such as the elderly, widows, and disabled persons, rather than placing emphasis on a category.

Disability insurance and the effects of return-to-work policies

I provide a quantitative assessment of the labor market and welfare effects of return-to-work policies targeted at disability insurance (DI) recipients. I do so by estimating a life-cycle model in which individuals with different health evolving over time choose consumption, labor supply, and DI application. I find that a wage subsidy incentivizing return to work is welfare improving, and the willingness to pay for such reform is increasing in sickness and decreasing in wealth. This policy increases labor force participation of DI beneficiaries by 4.6 percentage points, and decreases the DI rate by 5.7 percentage points. A policy mandating a 10% yearly eligibility reassessment would decrease the welfare of individuals in bad health and poor economic condition, and force about 30% of the beneficiaries to exit the program, 54% of whom would return to work.

Strategi Penyaluran Dana Zakat Produktif Melalui Program Pemberdayaan Ekonomi

Poverty is a serious problem, not only in big cities but also in all corners of the country. LAZIS Central Java Solo Branch is here to help the community distribute their zakat to mustaḥiq and also help small entrepreneurs to develop their businesses from the zakat funds that have been collected. This study aims to explain the strategy for channeling productive zakat funds through an economic empowerment program and to mention the supporting and inhibiting factors in distributing productive zakat funds at LAZIS Central Java, Solo Branch. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach with a type of fieldresearch. The data sources used are primary and secondary data sources. Primary data sources were obtained from observations and interviews conducted with Central Java LAZIS management and mustaḥiq, and secondary data sources were obtained from important supporting documents. The results of this study indicate that the strategy applied in channeling productive zakat funds for the LAZIS Central Java Economic Empowerment Program, Solo Branch, uses the stages of survey, submission of files, verification, rolling out and mentoring. Factors supporting the distribution of productive zakat funds consist of four factors, namely the existence of a clear program design, the availability of zakat funds, the presence of volunteers who participate and the level of participation of beneficiaries. While the inhibiting factors consist of two factors, namely the lack of quality human resources and the lack of maximum performance in the process of monitoring or program monitoring.

Gestalt Grounded My Activism: Supporting Social Change in South Africa

I grew up knowing how to live on a boundary. In 1970s' white South Africa, my grandfather counteracted apartheid government propaganda: “Don’t believe what they tell you about Mr. Mandela; he’s not a terrorist, I know, I’ve met him.” No one at school or in my social circles uttered dissent in this way. I kept quiet, observing. Political consciousness led to student activism, and activism in my career, as a facilitator of community development in African townships. I joined the nonracial liberation movement. And I carried angst about acceptance, and belonging.I encountered the Gestalt approach in the mid-1990s, as part of a group of development facilitators searching for a method to help with the dynamics accompanying donor funding of development interventions in Africa and Asia. (As a group we attended the Second International Organization and Systems Development Program in 1995–1996, offered by the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland [see Lohmeier and Wyley 2012].) We sought a framework for the participation of beneficiaries, how to facilitate people’s ownership of change, and sustainable change. Now, I work in organizational development and leadership development, mainly in the public sector in South Africa. Africa’s governments, decades after liberation, continue to fight colonial or apartheid systemic drivers and for the liberation of economies and cultures. This is the field and intention of my work.Through the Gestalt approach, I found value in my vantage point, on the boundary. I let go of wanting to belong to one side, around which I was carrying introjects and sensory discomfort. I could work constructively, releasing paternalistic responsibility and intervening without investment in the outcome. I became aware of my inner “rescuer,” how a strength in empathy and compassion could entrench oppression. A stance of creative indifference, the Zen of nonattachment, lessened my anxiety and encouraged creativity and investment in presence and intention. I could allow a client’s needs to be figural and lived the respect emanating from “change is the choice of the client.” This perspective was profound in the context of white paternalism in South Africa. The Gestalt approach guided me away from a trap, which reinforces stereotypes around race and power.Gestalt theory’s focus on the use of self and intervener presence helped me process guilt around whiteness. My younger self was suboptimized; now, I could use myself in service of clients. I could work with confidence, authenticity, intent, and with clear boundaries that gave space to the client. A typical theme in client systems was shifting responsibility/blaming. My stance of responsibility-giving supported action and performance (underdeveloped in the client system). Showing vulnerability and not-knowing discouraged stereotypical projections (e.g., around race) and invited government officials’ expertise, confidence, and agency.South Africa loves hope and optimism. We are the “rainbow nation”; we strive for unity and prosperity. Often, however, we do not know how to realize dreams, to fulfill hopes, and to take steps to get there. The Gestalt approach invites us to be in the present (honoring what is held from the past). I hold myself and my clients in the present, resisting drifting into a vague “rainbow” future. Gestalt thinking has equipped me to use the phenomena of the moment. As a result, the client’s sense of self and experience is affirmed, encouraged, supported, and the opportunity is created to access choice and agency. This is something that South Africa’s history denied many. What the Gestalt perspective offers has personal and political significance and supports change/transformation at many levels. My clients include leaders, teams, organizations, and large systems, in government, the nonprofit sector, and community organizations, as well as in socially responsible companies. Gestalt methods have grounded my activism and given me a legitimate and effective boundary at which to contribute to South Africa’s democracy.