Published to report on proceedings of the SINA (Settlement Information Network Africa) workshop on Community Participation. Through the analysis of various case studies, a number of issues surrounding community participation in different regions are discussed. These include community mobilization around concerns such as health, sanitation, education, employment and construction. The components of what constitute effective action in terms of organizational structure, inputs, funds, donor control, skills and training are considered. Each individual case study reviews the history of participation, projects, problems experienced, solutions and future directions.