You are invited to attend a discussion on:

Civil Society, Local Government & Poverty Relief Programmes: Comparing India and South Africa

Discussant: Søren Jeppesen (Copenhagen Business School) Facilitator: Vijay Makanjee

Place: Ruliv, 48 St James Rd, Southernwood, East London

Time: Friday, 26 August, 2.30 – 4.00pm

This discussion will explore attempts by civil society organisations in both India (with an emphasis on West Bengal) and South Africa (with an emphasis on the Eastern Cape) to address issues of poverty – in particular relating to access to water, energy and food – and to see what lessons can be learned from poverty relief and local development interventions. It will also focus on how these efforts are embedded in existing social institutions, in particular local governance mechanisms. Søren, an associate professor at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and currently a visiting scholar at the University of Fort Hare, has for over 30 years been involved in poverty relief programmes in India as part of a partnership between Danish and Indian NGOs.