The Knowledge Initiative

Its mission is to help ActionAid realize its potential as a generator of knowledge for change, as well as support poor and marginalized people to use their own knowledge as a source of power. KI also aims to democratize knowledge, making it more available and useful to a wider range of people.

KI's overall aim is to deepen existing organisational knowledge and package it into an accessible format for the organisation and beyond and to challenge ActionAid to work better within its rights approach and to ensure it keeps at the cutting edge of development: an organization known for thinking, doing and providing solutions and alternatives to dominant development models.

How does KI work?

Recognizing that knowledge is generated through people's struggles and not just in research centres, KI invites poor people, social movements, activists and ActionAiders to reflect on their practice. It thus both builds on existing knowledge and learning and brings in new ideas, concepts, approaches and methodologies. KI uses a variety of mechanisms and tools including: sabbaticals, fellowships, internal and external consultancy, action-research, courses (either distant learning or face to face), immersions and discussion forums to ensure that these new methodologies and ideas are developed to form the basis for new practice.

The process involves:

capturing external knowledge;
capturing internal knowledge;
processing and packaging existing information, activities and experience;
contributing to knowledge creation and the use of knowledge for practice;
delivering internal and external knowledge products and services;
influencing others through the diffusion of knowledge;
innovating partnerships;
challenging the organisation by pushing existing boundaries;
contributing to the next ActionAid strategy.

KI is particularly interested in creating the opportunity for new knowledge development through synergies between local and outside knowledge.

What are KI principles?

People Centred - involving communities in anaylsis

Progressive & Critical thinking – promoting capacity for critical thinking.

Solutions & Alternatives focused – challenging dominant structures of decision and policy making; imaging and developing alternatives.

Connecting – linking the best thinkers in and outside the organisation

Challenging - provoking and promoting curiosity for change

Gaps oriented - focusing on gaps and unexploited opportunities

Rigorous in research - ensuring high quality in all work