From Paper to Territory – and from Territory to the Screen

Thinking about this challenge from the very beginning, it was an easy thing: to make a documentary about El Yuguelito and the on-the-ground work through the CivActs methodology. Also, one that could expose the structural failures of participation mechanisms in Mexico City and serve as a portrait of urban inequality. And to do it as a civil society organization without any real audiovisual production capacity, while running two other programs at the same time, under budget limitations; oh, and with a four-person team. Did that discourage us? Not at all. But it was clear that every step we took [...]

2026-06-26T11:03:16+00:0026th June 2026|

(Del Papel Al Territorio) Y del Territorio a la Pantalla

Abordar este desafío no fue, desde el comienzo, cosa fácil: realizar un documental sobre El Yuguelito y el trabajo en territorio a través de la metodología CivActs, que permitiera evidenciar las fallas estructurales de los mecanismos de participación en la CDMX y sirviera, también, como un retrato de la desigualdad urbana. Y hacerlo como organización de la sociedad civil; es decir, sin capacidad real de producción audiovisual, implementando otros dos programas de forma simultánea, con restricciones presupuestales; ah, y con un equipo de cuatro personas. ¿Eso nos desincentivó? Para nada. Pero estaba claro que cada paso que diéramos tenía [...]

2026-06-26T11:00:58+00:0026th June 2026|

Who watches the rules of the game? Our experience as citizen observers

Throughout 2025, we accompanied the community of Yuguelito in Iztapalapa as they participated for the first time in Mexico City's Participatory Budgeting (PB). Things did not go as expected, however. The project the community put forward was rejected on vague and contradictory grounds, most notably the settlement's irregular status, which is not an official eligibility criterion. This experience made clear to us the enormous gap between what is designed on paper and what actually happens on the ground. It meant not only pointing out legal loopholes, but also making visible that the conditions for exercising the right to participate [...]

2026-06-08T13:05:43+00:008th June 2026|

Yuguelito and participatory budgeting: When the rules are kept out of sight

Can you imagine having an idea to improve your neighborhood and having public funds available to make it happen? In the Yuguelito community, they didn't just imagine it; they pursued it. After a collective mapping and needs prioritization process facilitated by Accountability Lab, a project was born: Todos juntos por un Yuguelito seguro. It was a Sendero Seguro combining paving, streetlights, security cameras, and neighborhood alarms. This project was a thorough proposal with undeniable community support. While exploring ways to bring it to life, we came across Participatory Budgeting as a potential avenue. This mechanism is meant to give everyone [...]

2026-04-23T15:37:16+00:0023rd April 2026|

Lo que la comunidad pidió, y lo que el sistema (no) respondió

[Lee la primera parte de esta historia: Yuguelito: Vivienda, Autogestión y Rendición de Cuentas] La primera parte de esta historia terminó con una promesa implícita: más de 250 encuestas completadas, un equipo de once Agentes Comunitarios de Campo, con el Yuguelito en el centro de todo, y la certeza de que lo que vendría después tendría que estar a la altura de lo que la comunidad se había tomado el tiempo de decir. Este es el relato de lo que pasó después. Lo que la comunidad dijo 255 voces. Una respuesta al proceso de recolección de datos que representa más [...]

2026-04-16T21:42:03+00:0016th April 2026|

What a community asked for, what the system rejected – and everything in between

[Read the first part of this story: Yuguelito: Housing, Self-Governance & Accountability] The first part of this story ended with an implicit promise: over 250 completed surveys, a team of eleven Community Frontline Agents with Yuguelito at the center, and the certainty that what came next would have to live up to what the community had taken the time to say. This is the story of what happened after. What the community said A total of 255 voices were captured—representing over 12% of the settlement’s population, or, put another way, roughly half of the ~500 families who call Yuguelito home. [...]

2026-04-16T10:59:42+00:0016th April 2026|

L’inclusivité en action : Le rôle du projet USAID Basiki ni Tagne Kunafoni dans la transformation de l’accès à l’information au Mali

Le Mali est plongé dans une grave crise sécuritaire et sociale depuis plus d'une décennie, où la désinformation est devenue un puissant facteur de perturbation, divisant les communautés par la peur et la méfiance. L'information se propageant plus rapidement que jamais, on ne saurait trop insister sur l'importance de garantir l'accès à des informations fiables et vérifiées. C'est dans ce contexte difficile que le projet USAID Basiki ni Tagne Kunafoni a été développé. Soutenu par l'USAID et exécuté par un consortium composé de Pact, Code for Africa et Accountability Lab Mali, le projet a pour objectif  d’apporter l'espoir d'un Mali [...]

2025-02-18T18:09:04+00:0017th December 2024|

Inclusivity in action: transforming information access in Mali

Mali has been entrenched in a severe security and social crisis for over a decade, where misinformation has emerged as a potent disruptor, dividing communities through fear and mistrust. As information spreads more rapidly than ever before, the importance of ensuring access to reliable, verifiable information cannot be overstated. It is within this challenging context that the USAID Basiki ni Tagne Kunafoni (BTK) project was conceived. Supported by USAID Mali and executed by a consortium led by Pact, including Code for Africa and Accountability Lab Mali, the BTK project brings hope for a more informed Mali. The Importance of the BTK Project The BTK [...]

2025-01-13T14:11:21+00:0017th December 2024|

Action for Accountability champions environmental justice

This article, shared by GLOBE POST, highlights the inspiring work being done to promote environmental justice in South Africa through the Action for Accountability (A4A) project. Led by The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Accountability Lab South Africa, and the Public Service Accountability Monitor, the project brings communities together to tackle issues like wetland restoration and improving sanitation. The article shines a light on the important role of Civic Action Teams in driving these efforts, making a real difference in local communities. It also recaps the recent People’s Council event, where leaders came together to share ideas and collaborate on solutions for [...]

2024-09-05T12:36:08+00:005th September 2024|

What’s democracy without citizen participation?

This article presented by Grocott's Mail discusses the ongoing challenges in achieving meaningful citizen participation and accountability within South Africa's local municipalities, focusing on the case study of Makhanda. It highlights initiatives like the Action for Accountability project and the role of organizations like the Public Service Accountability Monitor in promoting civic engagement and addressing governance issues. It has been three decades since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, yet gaps between communities and government remain a talking point. The apartheid administration brought the blatant exclusive participation in governance, forcefully silencing a large portion of the population. However, the [...]

2024-09-05T10:01:58+00:0019th April 2024|
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