ABSTRACT
The international development community as a whole should be deeply troubled by Charles Elliott's well-documented pessimism about the overall development prospect. The ambiguities of social change run so deep that it is small wonder that many in the development debate reach for simplistic answers. All development agencies, governmental and private alike, need a clear philosophy of development. Private voluntary Organizations (PVOs) development support activities need to fit within a clear understanding of the dynamics of social transformation. Whether the reference point is India or another country, it is imperative for PVOs to give careful thought to the activities through which they can make a distinctive contribution. A national ecumenical development commission in Cameroon has successfully worked with small maize-growing farmers in the organization of production, marketing, and storage cooperatives. The new-found prominence PVOs enjoy carries with it several challenges. The World Bank itself, in a report on its poverty-related development activities, takes a similarly instrumental approach.
