Participation need not always be about Northern NGOs 'finding partners to work with'. There are southern communities and networks doing their own advocacy work who are looking for partners based in the north to assist them in changing policies and raising awareness. Equal partnerships are best built by using systems of mutual accountability, where both partners are open and honest with each other about what they are gaining from the partnership and how they are using resources provided by the other. Unstated agendas destroy trust. Making the most of available skills and resources The whole is more than the sum of its parts, if managed competently.
Partners have different skills and can achieve things in different ways.
Different groups have access to different policy makers. Working together with like-minded institutions and individuals allows the comparative advantages of each member to be identified and exploited, and duplications avoided. Participation allows different groups of people to define their own roles, to tell you what they want to do, what they can do, and what they think you could do. Participants should not be exploited as a resource, either for their 'legitimacy' or for their labour. Northern NGOs learn from experienced and skilled advocates in the south.