Paradigm shift

Experience with rural development projects and poverty eradication in recent decades has shown that certain paradigm shifts are defining the new strategies and activities of programs, including those of DEXCEL.

With certain simplifications, one can distinguish the following shifts:
1. From project implementation to program assistance,
2. From a leading role of project staff to a leading role of the people,
3. From a top down approach to stimulating people’s initiatives
4. From top-down knowledge transfer to peer learning
5. From an external implementing agent towards implementing agents integrated with and strengthening local governments.
6. From projects investing in hardware to investment capacity building of local actors,
7. From a conglomerate of fragmented approaches towards a holistic management, involving the three major issues of sustainable development and poverty eradication: health, education and economic development.

An important aspect within the new strategies of sustainable rural development and poverty eradication is to break the vicious circle of environmental degradation and rural poverty by introducing sustainable management of natural resources.