From an urban social programme in Ziguinchor to an organisation that turns experience into method.
An urban social development programme carried out in Ziguinchor by the French NGO Sauvegarde du Nord, whose expertise had been mobilised by AFVP (today France Volontaires), with the support of the Caisse Française de Développement (now AFD).
The programme was carried out in four neighbourhoods, then progressively extended. It made it possible to test new approaches to community participation, community development and local governance — approaches that would lead to the Neighbourhood Councils.
Once the programme ended and Sauvegarde du Nord withdrew, former staff and partners created PACTE to preserve and carry forward what had been achieved.
Support to eight pilot neighbourhoods, structuring and strengthening the Neighbourhood Councils, facilitating dialogue with the municipality, supporting the identification of priorities and local planning.
Evaluation and capitalisation of the experience, formalisation of a methodological guide, validation with municipal authorities, then generalisation and dissemination of the approach.
PACTE's action progressively expanded to the five areas that now structure its work: territorial governance, economic development, environment and sanitation, community health, peace and social cohesion.
This reference — the structuring of the Neighbourhood Councils of Ziguinchor — illustrates PACTE's ability to turn a local experiment into a capitalised, shared method:
