Established in 1982, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) is a global centre for participatory research and training.
Simply put, we believe that true democracy, especially in a country like India, can only be achieved when every last citizen is empowered with knowledge, when development is inclusive and access to resources is equitable. Our work supports the realisation of such possibilities for all Indians, especially the poor and marginalised
For over four decades, our efforts have been focused towards empowering citizens through information and mobilisation, and at the same time, sensitising government agencies towards citizen needs. We work towards creating the bridge between the two to ensure that the right kind of governmental efforts reach the right people, at the right time. In addition, with the increasing participation of private sector institutions in supplying basic services, we work on sensitising them to the voice and needs of marginalised communities.
PRIA’s interventions are designed and constructed around 4 pillars, which are based and built on three key aspects of our mission:
Information sharing and awareness generation
Building human and institutional capacities
Advocacy with officials at multiple levels
Co-creation and dissemination of knowledge
In the last 40 years, PRIA has built human and institutional capacities of NGOs and community-based organisations, citizen leaders, elected representatives and government officials in India and internationally. All this has been achieved through the championing of participatory research in bringing about social change in India. At the heart of this initiative is the understanding that citizens’ knowledge holds a massive potential in changing how those in power engage with the marginalised. Given this perspective, our knowledge production activities are carried with a focus on engagement and participation.