Social diversity hinges on three universal human realities. First, that each individual is unique. Second, that individuals and their societies are inter-related and inter-dependent. And third, that societies and cultures are dynamic: change, whether rapid or gradual, affects different members of society in ways that reflect differences in power and status. In this collection Naila Kabeer examines the meaning of gender relations in the contexts of development practice and of development institutions: a theme taken up by Lewis B. Dzimbiri in relation to refugee programmes and by Yezichalem Kassa and Feleke Tadele in diagnosing the needs of rural communities. Mark Gorman focuses on the needs of elderly people, while Tom and Francesca Scanlon and Maria Luiza Nobre Lamarao describe the challenges of working with street children and adolescents. Shubi L. Ishemo argues against approaches to development and relief that are not culturally familiar to the people affected.