CIRAC is the International Reflect Circle, a network linking Reflect practitioners from over 70 countries around the world.
Reflect is a participatory approach to adult learning and social change, initially developed by ActionAid in 1993 through pilot programmes in Uganda, Bangladesh and El Salvador. The CIRAC network aims to promote further learning and exchange between people and organisations working with Reflect. This is done through various means including:
The structure of the network aims to reflect Reflect principles through creating a democratic space and using Reflect techniques to analyse our power and its implications. The same structure prevails for the CIRAC meetings where new developments and key issues in Reflect are discussed and analysed.
Pamoja (Africa Reflect Network), who are based in Uganda, are currently playing the CIRAC secretariat role. The secretariat role will rotate every 2 years to different regions. The secretariat receives work-plans/guidelines from the CIRAC Coordination Team (CCT). There is open communication between the secretariat and the CCT. The secretariat reports to the CCT every 2 months. The secretariat can propose new ideas to the CCT, which will be decided on following the agreed decision-making formula. The secretariat is accountable to the CCT for its work/time. Contact the secretariat.
At the CIRAC 4 meeting in Bangladesh in 2004 the power dynamics in the international Reflect network were changed dramatically. For the first time the CIRAC coordination team (CCT) became something more than a team that planned CIRAC meetings. It is now a team responsible, in between CIRAC meetings, for decision making in CIRAC, for following-up the decisions taken at the CIRAC meeting, and for managing the CIRAC secretariat - currently based in Pamoja, the Africa Reflect Network, in Uganda.. The CCT consists of two members from each region. They take decisions affecting the functioning of CIRAC throughout the year, and play a leading role in ensuring CIRAC evolves and strengthens
CCT members are accountable to their regions, if you would like to have more information about what your representative has been up to please contact them! Or if you would like to know more about the secretariat please contact us directly. Please look at the reports from the CIRAC meetings, in 2004 in Bangladesh, 2002 in Brazil, 2001 in South Africa, and in 2000 in UK for more information.
Who are the CCT? Current members 2005
Africa:
Elijah Otiende (Kenya): ambo@email.com
Maria Nandago (Uganda): pamoja@infocom.co.ug
Asia:
Ahman Masoud Tokhi (Afghanistan): masoud@actionaidafg.org
Shafique Isla (Bangladesh): fptglobal@yahoo.com
Europe:
Anne Loontjens (Belgium): anneloontjens@belgacom.net or anne.loontjens@collectif-alpha.be
Nicola Foroni (Basque Country): arantza@euskalnet.net
Latin America:
Gaby Barriga (Bolivia): redrabolivia@extremate.com or g_barriga@unete.com
Central America - To be determined
© ActionAid