Practical Action

Practical Action’s founder was economist and philosopher E.F. Schumacher, a visionary who challenged the aid policies of the day.
Schumacher and some of his associates decided to create an ‘advisory centre’ to promote the use of efficient labour-intensive techniques and in 1966 the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) – now known as Practical Action – was born. The launch of a technical consulting service in 1969 and an independent publishing arm in 1973 added to the capabilities of the group.

Mission

Practical Action is an international development group with a vision for a world that works better for everyone. Practical Action helps people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality.

Geographic Focus

South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, India), Latin America (Peru, Bolivia) and Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Malawi).

Programme Areas

– Regnerative Agriculture: help people build farming systems
– Energy: work with rural communities, displaced people, energy providers and decision makers to harness energy
– Water, Waste and Sanitation: work with communities, municipalities and utility companies in developing countries to deliver sustainable water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and waste management services.
– Resilience that protects: work with people to predict and prepare for natural and climate-related hazards, to build resilience and minimise the impact on their lives and livelihoods