poverty is an injustice that must be overcome – Linked on this blog with Poverty Portal, one of our projects.
- Core Beliefs: Poverty is an injustice that should be overcome. Overcoming poverty involves changing policies and practices nationally and internationally, as well as working with people in poverty.
- Mission: To be the leading organisation providing independent analysis of poverty, shaping policy in Sri Lanka and the region.
- Objectives: … (full text Mission and Objectives).
Homepage;
Programmes; Services; Resources; Team; Links;
CEPA is online with more websites: Poverty Portal, CEPA Library, Peace and Conflict Timeline, Poverty Blog;
Address: CEPA, 29, Gregory’s Road, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka;
Contact and map.
About /Introduction: The Centre for Poverty Analysis CEPA was established in May 2001 as an independent organisation providing professional services on poverty related development issues.
CEPA is registered as a non-profit company funded by undertaking assignments for clients and by long-term funding for programme work. Clients are typically donors and international NGOs, with some demand for CEPA services being generated by local NGOs and government.
CEPA believes that poverty is an injustice that should be overcome and that overcoming poverty involves changing policies and practices nationally and internationally, as well as working with people in poverty. CEPA’s mission is to be the leading organisation providing independent analysis of poverty, shaping policy in Sri Lanka and the region. Ultimately, CEPA strives to contribute to influencing poverty related development policy, at the national, regional, sectoral, programme and project levels.
CEPA’s objectives emphasise the provision of independent analysis, capacity building of development actors, and seeking opportunities for policy influence. CEPA is influenced by a strong orientation towards service provision that responds to the needs of the market and is grounded in sound empirical evidence. While maintaining this market orientation through service provision based on client requests, CEPA also pursues parallel independent research though longer term ‘programme’ activities based on assessed priorities.
Key strengths
In research and monitoring and evaluation, CEPA’s experience has straddled several sectors and thematic areas: resettlement, conflict, infrastructure (roads, energy, and water and sanitation), plantations, children’s issues, and youth. Poverty, gender and environmental analyses are mainstreamed into CEPA’s work. CEPA has used its expertise to assist clients to design programmes, to prioritise pro-poor interventions, to construct monitoring systems, carry out inprocess monitoring and independent external evaluations, and to develop organisational capacity in project design, monitoring and evaluation.
Over the years CEPA’s established expertise in qualitative research has been complemented by increased capacity in quantitative analysis, and the ability to carry out relatively large surveys. CEPA’s interest in the Q2 (or Q squared) approach that mixes both qualitative and quantitative methods in a complementary way, puts it at the cutting edge of the use of research methodology. We have also developed a capacity to moderate discussion, to facilitate dialogue among diverse stakeholders and to engage in knowledge management.