Reflect began as a fusion of the theories of Paulo Freire and the methods of Participatory Rural Appraisal and was first applied in three pilot projects in Bangladesh, El Salvador and Uganda. Since those beginnings it has expanded, diversified and adapted to the multitude of contexts in which it finds itself practiced.

Just as communication practices and power relations differ between people and situations, so does the evolution and present-day status of Reflect look very different from different perspectives. You may get a flavour of this difference from the examples supplied in the 'Reflect in Action' section of this site. The river (right) attempts to show the evolution of Reflect from a global, theoretical perspective only.

The river is a visualisation technique used to analyse events and situations with the benefits of a long-term perspective. Participants in Reflect groups might draw rivers showing key events in their lives, or in their communities. Here we have used the technique to represent key moments in the development of thinking, planning and action around Reflect.