In early September Rod Purcell and Dave Beck from CR&DALL visited the University of Jimma in Ethiopia.

The University of Jimma is rated as the No 1 public university in Ethiopia and 39^th in Africa. It has 42,000 students and offers a full spectrum of course provision including Medical and Agricultural Schools. The city of Jimma has a population of around 120,000 and is a major regional centre in the south west of of Ethiopia.

In the UK the agency Locality is hosting a debate on exploring a possible new deal between community and the state. Locality describe this event as: How should we respond to austerity policies? Shout from the sidelines, stand by as services are dismantled or look for more positive and more fundamental alternatives? At this event, we will discuss how we can ‘build possibility’ by changing the relationship between the state, community and individual citizens - by shifting power and mobilizing the many. We'll share learning from recent practice around: community organising