NEISSR holds two-day workshop on Participatory Rural Appraisal

Chümoukedima, October 23 (MExN): The North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research (NEISSR), Chümoukedima, conducted a two-day hands-on workshop on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) on October 22 and 23 to strengthen the practical skills of Master of Social Work (MSW) first-semester and Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) trainees in community assessment and development planning.The workshop covered the concepts and principles of PRA, facilitated by Daisinlung Sebastian Kamsuan, Assistant Professor at NEISSR. Vizosu Kikhi, Assistant Professor at the institute, served as the resource person for the practical sessions on both days.During the workshop, the trainees participated in hands-on exercises using various PRA tools, including social mapping, resource mapping, transect walks, ranking and scoring, pairwise matrix ranking, mobility mapping, seasonal calendars, daily activity clocks, timelines and problem tree analysis.The exercises provided the trainees with practical experience in identifying community needs, mapping local resources, prioritising problems, understanding seasonal variations, analysing daily activity patterns and identifying the root causes of community issues.The workshop was planned by Dr Judith Huidina, Assistant Professor and Skill Coordinator at NEISSR. It emphasised experiential learning and community participation in identifying needs, analysing problems and developing appropriate interventions.The programme aimed to strengthen the competencies of MSW and BSW trainees in community organisation, needs assessment, participatory planning and social work practice, equipping them with practical tools for effective community engagement and development.