Browsing by Author "Leslie, Helen Margaret"
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- ItemBanking on foodbanks for poverty alleviation? : a critical appraisal of Palmerston North foodbanks' development practices : a thesis presented in (partial) fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University(Massey University, 1996) Leslie, Helen MargaretFoodbanks entered New Zealand's voluntary welfare sector in the early 1980s when structural adjustment programmes, introduced by the fourth Labour Government, resulted in an increase in poverty amongst certain groups in New Zealand society and concurrently placed greater responsibility on the voluntary sector for the provision of welfare services. While previous foodbank research has focused on examining the issues related to the utilisation, development and growth of this voluntary welfare provider throughout New Zealand, this thesis aims to take such enquiry a step further by analysing the effectiveness of Palmerston North foodbanks' development practice in the alleviation of poverty in New Zealand society. It achieves this task through the application of a theoretical model utilising contemporary development theories and approaches to the data obtained through fieldwork with four Palmerston North Foodbanks. These are: the Salvation Army Foodbank, the Palmerston North Foodbank, the Saint Vincent de Paul Foodbank and the Saint Mary's Foodbank. The conclusions deduced from this process will show firstly, that development theory (traditionally reserved for the analysis of development practice in developing countries) is appropriate to the analysis of Palmerston North foodbanks' development practice and secondly, that although the majority of these foodbanks display some features of the community development mode of development practice referenced in the theoretical model, the mode of development practice most dominantly used is a relief mode. This relief mode of development practice is ineffectual in the long term relief of poverty. The challenge issued is for foodbanks to move towards the articulation of an alternative development mode of development practice which seeks not only to effectively alleviate the very real poverty experienced by foodbank clients, but also to sustain this alleviation.
- ItemGendering trauma and healing in a post-conflict environment : Las Dignas, mental health, and the empowerment of Salvadoran women(Massey University, 1999) Leslie, Helen MargaretThere is no doubt that the experience of war, be it war between nation states or civil war, varies considerably for both male and females. The twelve year civil war in El Salvador was no exception. Salvadoran women who worked in various sectors as combatants, urban collaborators, home-makers, nurses, cooks or radio operators for the guerrilla forces, experienced the war and now experience so-called peace, in ways that relate directly to the construction of the female sex in Salvadoran society. As a result of these gendered experiences many Salvadoran women are suffering trauma despite the cessation of the war in 1992. This trauma acts to disempower these women and to prevent them from actively participating in the important processes of post-conflict reconstruction currently taking place in Salvadoran society This thesis aims to analyse the approach taken by one Salvadoran organisation for feminist political action, Las Dignas, in healing the trauma of Salvadoran women. Reviewing relevant literature on gender and development theory and gender and conflict theory, and drawing on feminist methods in the fieldwork context, it will show how the healing process employed by Las Dignas is empowering Salvadoran women at both personal and socio-political levels. The conclusions derived from this research process are as follows. Firstly, by incorporating mental health into their gender and development programme, Las Dignas has recognised the importance of a gendered approach to healing in the post-conflict context. This form of approach has the potential to empower women to reconstruct their gendered identities so that they are able to actively participate in efforts to eradicate the machismo, inequality and poverty that continues to plague Salvadoran society. Secondly, because it is evident that a gendered approach to healing has been successful in empowering women in post-conflict El Salvador, there is a need to integrate the concept of empowerment into mental health interventions for women in the numerous post-conflict environments that also exist in today's world.