issue 012 13/7/06 16:47 Page 1 interact The magazine of The future in our hands Universities by the people, for the people Also in this issue: Capacity building in Yemen Food sovereignty in Nicaragua Water management in Peru ISSN 1816-045X Summer 2006 issue 012 13/7/06 16:47 Page 2 interact summer 2006 Contents /Progressio Nick Sireau editorial 6 3 first person: Tsitsi Choruma The future in our 4 voices: struggles and victories hands 6 news: churches oppose Terminator Educationalists would no doubt protest that times insight: the future in our hands have changed. But my own experience of education was of being told what I needed to know, and of being taught to think what the 8 Learning wisdom people in charge wanted me to think. An indigenous university in Ecuador 10 Imagine how much worse this is when what you 10 From guns to pens are told, and how you are told to think, does not Somaliland’s first ever university conform to your own reality. I believe that challenging the given way of viewpoint thinking can enable people to better understand 12 their own reality – and perhaps, to see more clearly their own future. 12 The chance of a lifetime Capacity building in Yemen This edition of Interact examines how people are thinking outside the boxes provided for them. The insight section tells the stories of two pioneering analysis universities: one that seeks to build on the wisdom of the indigenous peoples of Ecuador; another that seeks to build a future for a country, 13 Why we are hungry Somaliland, being built by its people. Food sovereignty in Nicaragua and beyond Other articles give a fresh perspective on doing reportage things differently: from alternative forms of 16 organisation and civil participation in Latin America (voices), to why we as consumers are 16 The flowering of the future contributing to a model of agriculture that leads Water management in Peru to social exclusion (analysis). These articles show that development is about reflection learning, and that the best teachers are the people who seek to learn. 18 Giving thanks Learning from Sudanese refugees perspective 19 Cover picture: Pilatuña Lincanyo Ñaupa Karapunyo, a member of the team at 19 The struggle continues Amawtay Wasi university in Quito, Ecuador Educating East Timorese students (see page 8). Photo: Graham Freer/Progressio Published July 2006 by Progressio Progressio Ireland Editor Alastair Whitson Unit 3, Canonbury Yard c/o CORI, Bloomfield Avenue Director of Communications Nick Sireau 190a New North Road, Off Morehampton Road Acting Executive Director David Bedford London N1 7BJ Donnybrook, Dublin 4, Ireland Design Twenty-Five Educational tel +44 (0)20 7354 0883 tel +353 (0)1 6144966 Printing APG (ISO 14001 accreditation for fax +44 (0)20 7359 0017 e-mail [email protected] international environmental standards). e-mail [email protected] Charity reg. in Ireland no. CHY 14451 Printed on REVIVE 100% chlorine free website www.progressio.org.uk Company reg. no. 385465 recycled paper. Recycle this magazine! Progressio is the working name of the Catholic Institute for International Relations Charity reg. in the UK no. 294329 Company reg. no. 2002500 issue 012 13/7/06 16:48 Page 3 first person Nick Sireau /Progressio Nick Sireau Identifying with the cause s I was bidding farewell to Although I enjoyed good working When you work with the friends I made at The relationships with the staff at The organisations like The Centre and the ACentre and the Network for Centre and Network, I always felt I Network for Positive Women, it is Positive Women in Zimbabwe, after was distinguished from them as HIV easy to see that the main priority for two years there as a Progressio negative and somehow was not fully them is the cause, that is, the development worker, one of my a part of their community. But these survival of people living with HIV colleagues said something that made words made me believe that in the and AIDS. How then do we as me reflect on my work there. work that we do what is in the end development workers achieve the The colleague started by saying: most important is the person that we inclusion of our agenda on the main ‘When you came we thought, here are, and how we use that to menu? In my experience the strategy comes another doctor who will try transform and enrich other people’s has been to identify with the cause, to experiment with what she has experiences. to show how development work learnt over the years. Boy was I We may have all the skills needed impacts on the cause, and ensure wrong. As time went on I realised in this world but if we are unable to that development initiatives are this was another breed of doctor. apply these to the situation that we implemented in tandem with ‘What I learnt from you is that the are presented with, it is unlikely that initiatives directly related to the most complex issues can be we will succeed in our endeavours. cause. That symbiotic relationship deconstructed to simple things that The work that we do as must be maintained through and any lay person can understand and development workers requires much through. fully make use of. Whatever you more than technical skills. It is taught us, you reduced it to our level important that we possess adaptive and that made a big difference. You skills that enable us to see the world have taught me to be humble and or the work we do through multiple Tsitsi Choruma was a Progressio accepting of the situation I am in, you lenses. In being adaptive we are able development worker with The Centre have taught me to be committed and to be flexible in our approach while and the Network for Positive Women disciplined, and you have taught me working towards achieving our in Zimbabwe. She is now Progressio to be patient and not judgemental.’ goals. country representative in Zimbabwe. Summer 2006 interact 3 issue 012 13/7/06 16:48 Page 4 voices Introduction Change is in the air in Latin America and Small struggles the Caribbean. In the face of the relentless advance of globalisation and neoliberalism, alternative forms of and daily victories organisation and civil participation are being tried out across the region. These alternatives are found at base level six Latin governments are raising the in municipalities, departments, provinces, banners, and these examples will be and even at national level. In different reinforced in the medium term. The countries there is a resurgence of the seeds of hope are being sown and we organisation of indigenous peoples and will soon have harvests, since sowing Graham Freer/Progressio ethnic minorities in the defence of their the seeds will produce more strength lands, their rights and their cultures. An every time in favour of a juster society. increase in the political participation of I hope that our people will unite to women and young people can be seen. face a common problem; that our Julio Olivera is a Progressio children become aware of the Several countries now have governments development worker with problems; and that on the basis of the which represent interests different from Amawtay Wasi in Ecuador. advances obtained by our those which have traditionally held Julio is from Peru. organisations, they will back the power – and which generate equal search for good living. We must love amounts of controversy and hope. Hugo I believe the shoots that are more what is our own, and defend it Chávez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in coming up in favour of the most through the strengthening of our Bolivia represent governments deeply dispossessed societies will go on social and indigenous organisations; opposed to George Bush’s and the USA’s strengthening. The important thing is through educational alternatives policies, while Nestor Kirchner in that our peoples are waking up and which value the knowledge and Argentina, Tavaré Vasquez in Uruguay, becoming conscious of the riches they culture of our peoples; through Michelle Bachelet in Chile and Lula da possess. productive approaches which value Silva in Brazil represent a left which is Our peoples have great strength to our natural resources and their less breakaway and radical, but which face up to the system. At the moment biodiversity. also promotes the interests of the poorest sectors of their countries. Yet these new expressions vie with possibility of great changes in this traditional ones which continue to country in the short term. implement neoliberal policies. Migration Here we try to give meaning to the continues to be the main option for a small changes we achieve, but the better life for millions, and inequalities much bigger changes like the free and social problems continue to blight trade agreement are disappointing, the lives of the region’s people. because they certainly worsened the situation of the majority of the So what does the future hold for Latin Salvadorean people. Here in El America and the Caribbean? Are the Sanne te Pas is a Progressio Salvador, I fear the consequences of signs of change a false dawn? We asked development worker with Las the inequalities – which already are some of Progressio’s development Dignas in El Salvador. Sanne is pretty strong – are becoming more workers for their thoughts. from Holland. acute. Life is going to be even harder. I hope that this movement of the Personally these changes in the left will be strengthened, consolidated countries of South America give me and extended, and that there will be a a lot of hope, and I feel that in the real chance to show that there are organisation where I work, these alternatives to the very exclusive changes in some way lift up the development models like the one in El spirits.