Children listen to a radio in a small village in the Central African Republic. Panos London has worked with a number of radio listening groups to improve radio coverage in Africa / Giacomo Pirozzi - Panos Pictures
Poor people at the heart of change
Panos’ range of work seeks to listen to the voices of poor people and put their views at the heart of policy making. Decades of research on issues as diverse as HIV and AIDS, climate change and sustainable agriculture show that when people, from all levels, are involved and engaged in discussions about development issues attitudes, behaviour and policies are much more likely to change for the better.
- We illuminate voices
…by listening to what the poorest have to say about their lives and taking it to the world’s leaders for debate - We strengthen freedom
…by supporting a free, pluralistic and engaged media which reflects and responds to the views and needs of everyone in society, not just the wealthy elite. - We create inclusive debate
…by opening up political processes to enable people to shape the agenda and hold their governments to account.
Sustainability
All our projects are designed to achieve real and long-lasting change for our direct beneficiaries. We aim to develop skills and establish systems that will amplify the voices of ordinary people in developing countries to ensure that they know about issues that are important to them and have a say in decisions that affect their lives. This is the only way to create long-term change.
Our work with journalists and the media aims to imbed practices that will contribute to creating a free media that is responsive to the needs and views of poor people. We also work to create a dynamic civil society that stimulates inclusive debate.
The information and knowledge generated from each project, the relationships and networks established between beneficiaries and other stakeholders, and the process of evaluation and sharing lessons all contribute to sustainability and achieving long term change.
Reporting
We report back to donors on the progress of our projects on a regular basis and provide evidence of how our projects have made an impact.
We ensure that the expected outcomes are reached in all our projects through an integrated monitoring and evaluation system which involves developing appropriate indicators with our partners and participants, conducting baseline studies, midway review meetings and questionnaires, as well as systematic audience and participant feedback and evaluation, and a final consultation session with all stakeholders.
Accountability
Panos is subject to an annual external audit carried out by Kingston Smith which clearly shows how we spend the funds we raise. Our annual accounts are available to download at http://www.panos.org.uk/about-us/annual-reviews/
Panos London is also a signatory of the International Non-Governmental Organisations Accountability (INGO) charter, promoting transparency, accountability and good governance.
