2. The human factor is at the heart of development. One aspect of this is the often considerable determination, will and motivation of people suffering from deprivation. Their skill, self-reliance, ingenuity and effort, upon which their daily struggle for survival depends, can make them competent agents for a change in their circumstances, or reliable partners in implementing development programmes. Self-help projects must respond to the actual needs, material and other, of the local community and should seek to involve community members in design as well as execution. Equitable distribution of the fruits of economic growth will then further empower people rather than increasing their marginalization.