1. PD7-O1
Participatory Rapid
Appraisal Methodologies

2. PD7-O2
Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA)
• Utilizes techniques such as
interviews, discussions (including focus
groups), mapping, ranking, and trend
analysis exercises with local people
• Allows the researcher / practitioner to
examine the complexity of poor
households’ financial, economic and
social environment
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

3. PD7-O3
Some PRA Techniques
• Life cycle profile to trace cash needs over
time
• Venn diagram
• Simple wealth ranking
• Time series of crises
• Seasonality of
income, expenses, savings, and credit
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

4. PD7-O4
Venn Diagram
• Designed to get an understanding of the
organizations with which participants deal
with and to see the relative importance of
these in their lives
• Important in understanding the competitive
environment of the MFI operating in the
area
– Participants prepare circles representing
these organizations
– Circles are sized according to their
importance
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

5. PD7-O5
Sample Venn Diagram
Albay CARD
Relatives
Simbag
KMBI
Producer’s
Bank
GSH
G7 Bank

6. PD7-O6
Simple Wealth Ranking
• Finds out about wealth, poverty and
vulnerability
• Fast way of segregating community
• Useful for targeting certain characteristics
– Names in a basket
– Pick out one by one for identification of
ranking
– Ask for definitions of rich and poor
households
– Compare results
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

7. PD7-O7
Life Cycle Profile
• Seeks to identify the phases of a typical
individual’s life cycles and key milestones
• Examines the implications of these for
household income/expenditure and how
MFI services can respond to these
• Info is useful for designing a financial
product that matches the various needs
expressed at different milestones
• Shows need for lump sum cash
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

8. PD7-O8
Life Cycle Profile
Economic Pressure
Birth ******
Elementary Education ***
High School Education ****
College Education *******
Marriage *****
First Born Child **
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

9. PD7-O9
Time Series of Crises
• Able to learn from the community how it views
change over time in areas related to crises
• Identify crisis events for time series
• Place beans to indicate relative magnitude of crisis
• Do this for current, previous, 5 years before, and
10 years before.
• Facilitator combines the charts and presents to the
community to verify results.
• Able to see trends considered important by the
people in order to identify range of opportunities
for improved financial service delivery
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

10. PD7-O10
Time Series of Crises
This Last 5 years 10 yrs
Year Year before before
Sickness *** ****** ****
Death * *** * **
Loss of Employment *** *****
Loss of Business ***
Theft ** **** ****** *****
Floods ** *****
Drought *******
Typhoon *** ****** *****
Others Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

11. PD7-O11

12. PD7-O12
Time Series: Typhoon
Typhoon
8.00
7.00 7.00
6.00 5.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
1.00
0.50
-
This year Last year 5 years 10 years
SEDPI Research on a WWF area in
Balabac, Palawan, 2007

13. PD7-O13
Seasonality
• Income, Expenses, Credit, and Savings
– Draw chart with the 12 months and then
note income, expenditure, savings, and
credit
– Place beans on each month to indicate
relative magnitude of the four key variable
under consideration for that month
– Obtains info on seasonal flows for the four
key variables and provides insight to the
risks and pressure faced by clients and
how financial services respond to these
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999

14. PD7-O14
Income and Expenses
Income and Expenses
9.00
8.00 7.67
7.00 7.22
6.00 5.67 5.67
5.00 5.114.44 4.44 4.33 4.89 4.44 5.22
4.67 4.00
4.78 4.56 4.78 4.67
4.00 4.33 4.33 3.78 4.22 4.11
3.00
3.00 3.11
2.00
1.00
-
J F M A M J J A S O N D
SEDPI Research on a WWF area in
Balabac, Palawan, 2007

15. PD7-O15
Savings and Credit
Savings and Credit
6.00
5.00 4.78
4.56
4.00
3.56 3.67 3.44
3.22 3.11
3.00 2.78
2.44 2.56 1.89 1.89
2.00 1.56 2.11 2.11 2.00
1.33 1.11 1.22 1.78
0.67
1.00 0.44
0.56 0.67
-
J F M A M J J A S O N D
SEDPI Research on a WWF area in
Balabac, Palawan, 2007

16. PD7-O16
General Tips in Conducting PRA
• Exercises are best done in a closed area
with adequate amount of clean, dry space
• Groups range from 5-10 members with
good working knowledge of community
• Remember what you learn from the
discussion among the participants as they
undergo the exercise is often more
important than the result itself
• Document all output
• Conducted within a FGD
Wright, Graham, Participatory Rapid Appraisal
for Microfinance, 1999