IPDI Hosts 2010 DKA Asia Consultants Meeting

Optimistic that the late November rainshower is a sign of blessing from above, the Integrated Pastoral Development Initiative enthusiastically played host the 2010 DKA Continental Meeting of Project Consultants in Asia. Dreikönigsaktion Austria (DKA), sponsor of the event, together with its consultants in the Philippines and India gathered from November 4-9, 2010 at the Balay Kalinaw in the University of the Philippines with the purpose of further synergizing and strengthening partnership and accompaniment among its consultants in Asia.

Participants to the said event were IPDI Executive Director Bembet Madrid, IPDI South Team Leader Ervin More and project officer Mark Andrew Foronda; Austria-based DKA project officers Philipp Buck and Clara Handler; India-based DKA project officers Eva Wallensteiner and Andrea Kadensky and their respective Indian consultants Rev. Fr. Jerry Thomas, Raghunathan Elango, and Ashok Kumar Sinha (Karma Consultants).

The meeting highlighted the uniqueness of both single and institutional consultancy. IPDI, as an organization engaged in institutional accompaniment values quality, objectivity, participation and empowerment. It regularly involves its project officers and partners in participatory processes such as joint project discussions and evaluations. Likewise, its accompaniment is also geared towards holistic empowerment of partners.

According to DKA project officers, the partnership with local accompaniment and consultancy institution such as IPDI helps them add value to projects work and let grassroots partners understand that they are being taken take seriously. They also added that effectiveness and efficiency in cooperation can be improved through accompaniment because it facilitates information sharing, networking and advocacy.

IPDI has been providing DKA accompaniment and consultancy services for the past six years and this partnership will remain as both organizations continue to pursue the development of the marginalized.