A true partnership for development? : case study of a partnership between NGOs for education from Peru and Norway

Abstract

This case study analyzes the partnership relationship between a Northern and a Southern NGO working for education and development. The literature depicts, in a general sense, partnership as an asymmetric and rhetorical relationship. Thus, the research questions explore how a concrete partnership is constructed and perceived by its actors, helping to determine whether a true partnership is more or less possible. A qualitative approach is used to accomplish the purpose of the research, based on data gathered during 4 weeks of fieldwork conducted in Peru and Norway in September 2005. Opposing the statements in the literature about the common practices, the partners in this case study have a particular relationship: they do recognize the asymmetry of the relationship and set mechanisms in place to balance the inequalities. Assisted by Freire’s liberation theory, the discussion is centred in how elements, emerged from the data, promote or hinder this balance. The case, between a Peruvian and a Norwegian NGO, is portrayed as non-traditional, which can be considered an important factor for this partnership to function the way it does.