Cuban partner organisation: 'Proyecto de Permacultura, de la Fundación de la Naturaleza y el Hombre' (PP-FNH) (Permaculture Project, of the Foundation for Nature and Humanity).
Other Cuban partner organisations: Ministry of Agriculture, Federación de Mujeres Cubanas (FMC) (Federation of Cuban Women).

This document is written for Australians preparing to work on the ACF/PGAN/Green Team urban permaculture project in Havana, Cuba. But it also applies well to people from other countries preparing to work on other community-based development projects in other countries.

It is general wisdom that a minimum period of one year's work is needed for the project worker to feel as though they achieved something. (The Overseas Service Bureau requires a two year period). Cultural and language differences are the principle reason for this. It takes a long time for the 'foreigner' to determine how they can assist the community, and for the community to understand what the foreigner has to offer. But if a candidate has specific skills that can be well targeted before-hand, then much shorter visits are feasible, if still somewhat disorienting. If a candidate has very good language skills, or has previous experience living and working in the culture, then this may also reduce the minimum period.

Whilst the project has a distinctly Australian identity, and permaculture is specifically identified as the technology at the core of the project, these are not necessary or exclusive characteristics, but serve to differentiate the project, attract funding, and attract a support community. When appropriate, the project is truthfully characterised in other ways: as a food security project, as an urban agriculture project, as an organic agriculture project, as an environmental awareness project, as an appropriate technology project, as a political solidarity project, as an indigenous community development project, as an participatory international development assistance project, and as a community-based ecologically sustainable development (ESD) project.

Please also refer to other document: "Position Description: Development worker, Permaculture Program, Havana, Cuba" - HAVJDxx.DOC.

Long Term Preparation for working as overseas permaculture project worker

There are many things you will be doing overseas that you will never have done in Australia, and you will have do most of it by yourself, without the support or advice that you have access to in Australia. For example: project management, translating, arranging to have photocopiers fixed, organising and teaching courses, speaking on behalf of the whole of the permaculture movement, authorising thousands of dollars to be spent, dealing with media, bureaucracy, diplomats, local government people. If you can't do these things in Australia, then why should we think that you'd be able to do this kind of work overseas, where everything is much harder, money is scarcer, people are poorer and less motivated, bureaucracies are much worse, telecommunications is much much worse, you are speaking a foreign language. So it is important that you start learning some of these skills in Australia before you leave.

People-centred development

Most good NGO overseas aid projects are essentially community development projects. All the issues in the developing world are linked: poverty, nutrition, environment, education, hygiene, human rights, indigenous rights, poor democracy from the local to the national level. To effectively help people you must know what they want, ask them what they want, know what the day-to-day issues in their lives are, and often it takes many months for you to learn enough about them before you can even begin to start effectively helping them. Then when you leave, for you to have made a difference, people must have the skills, the resources, and the motivation to continue on without you. Because of this, you must learn about participatory techniques and community development principles.

Highest Priorities - as soon as possible

· do practical permaculture - plant a vegie garden.
· learn basic Spanish and practise basic Spanish. Start immediately.
· register with OSB (Overseas Service Bureau) (and then later, if you qualify as an OSB Australian Volunteer Abroad (AVA) you can attend the formal OSB 'briefing' - a multi-day orientation program for AVAs). (keep copies of your filled-in forms for the other organisations: the ACF/PGAN and the Cuban organisations, so you don't have to do them again).
· be actively involved in organising a community development type project: directing people, teaching, explaining the ideas, writing pamphlets, working in teams, enthusing people to be involved, dealing with diversity of people, conflicting priorities, volunteers, varying levels of commitment, disempowered or ignorant people. ie. trying to get people in "the community" to do something.

Next Highest Priorities

Permaculture:
· do a Permaculture Design Certificate course (PDC)

Your project overseas:
· Know the projects that are make up the program you are going to work on: read the project documents, ask about what you don't understand, notice the project document format, read the project reports, read the correspondence.
· Be part of the support work for the projects you will be working on: collecting materials, seeds, books, researching international contacts, talking on the telephone, attempting to send materials to Cuba, write letters, giving talks/slides/videos to local permaculture/environment/activist groups, help with selection and orientation of other project workers going to work on the project.
· briefly write to the partner organisation to introduce yourself (handwritten in Spanish).
· visit Melbourne to meet "Green Team" people (most of whom are in Melbourne).

Skills:
· learn word processing, email, and how to use a modem.
· learn the language and the culture to as much depth and breadth that you can: be involved in the Latin American communities, go to community fiestas and dances on national days, do language exchange or English teaching, help old people, work in political solidarity campaigns with latinos (Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Cuba).

Aid Sector & NGOs & projects:
· be involved in supporting other overseas permaculture-type development projects:
Many overseas aid agencies have permaculture-type projects. They need help with research in Australia (eg. what tree species are appropriate for this village in Bangladesh?), admin, article writing, hosting visits from overseas partners, publicity, fundraising, funding submissions, etc. Here are just a small number of suggestions of the many possibilities:

Sydney:
· APACE - Russ Greyson, supporting Tony Jansen in Solomon Islands
· APHEDA - supporting Australians on projects in Palestine
· QSA, Ro Morrow, Vietnam and Cambodia. (Rob Alsop is in Australia for a few weeks - illustrated Ro's book. ring him at Ro's house: 047 823 011)

Melbourne:
· PGAN: Auroville, India - Anita Trucanis and Joss Brooks
· IWDA (International Women's Development Agency - Di Kilsby may offer advice.
· others: IWDA, CAA, PLAN etc.

Other Priorities

Permaculture:
· teach permaculture: help at an "intro to permaculture" or "permaculture design certificate" course,
· be part of the permaculture movement, meet the personalities, understand the debates
· work in at your local permaculture office to understand how it works, see what people do, and to meet people.
· read PIJ (Permaculture International Journal).
· visit the best permaculture and related places in Australia - formal visits, meet people, make contacts, networking, explain what you will be doing overseas: Lismore City Farm, PIJ in Lismore, Jarlanbah - Nimbin, Permaculture Institute- Tyalgum, Seed Savers - Byron Bay, Crystal Waters QLD, etc, etc.
· attend permaculture conferences and specialist workshops.
· learn participatory techniques, teaching, people-centred processes, do a train-the-trainer course

Your project overseas:
· gain a detailed knowledge of the project: watch Greg Smith's videos, look at photos, spend significant time with Adam, John, Toni and Sarah. Meet some of the previous project workers: Jim, Meri, Scarlett, Eric. Meet some of the other people who have worked on the project in Cuba: Wayne, Joan, Michael Bull, Vannessa, Marta Callone, Greg Smith.
· type an informal submission to "the Green Team" about yourself and why you want to go, what you have to offer, and what you will gain, why you think it is a good project, why is permaculture a good idea for urban Cuba (you'll be asked this question 1000 times in Cuba).(the "Green Team" is the name given to the ACF/PGAN group that administer the Cuba project)
· submit a brief CV and photos of yourself to ACF/PGAN and to the OSB, & to go to PP-FNH.
· attend formal orientation process with the OSB and PGAN/ACF. (This is a legal requirement)
· determine job descriptions, including expectations, financial responsibilities, insurance.

Aid Sector & NGOs & projects:
· learn about the aid sector and ACFOA.
· Be familiar with the acronyms and terms: eg. AusAID, ANCP, "capacity building"
· attend ACFOA workshops with the specific purpose of learning about the NGO aid sector
· be familiar with who are WVA, QSA, SCFA, CAA.
· read about some development projects, overseas and in aboriginal and migrant communities.
· learn abut project design and management:
· research some project, see the process, the phases of identification, research, design, implementation, reporting, evaluation.
· be part of the "project" process - help write a report, or plan a project, or assess a project that has been submitted by an overseas organisation requesting assistance.

Cuba:
· read and talk about Cuban history, politics, art, culture, music, dance. Get tapes of Cuban music (Salsa, Son: NG La Banda, Los Van Van, Nueva Trova: Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanés), read books on the revolution, Cuban literature (Amado Blanco, Miguel Barnet good modern authors, fax UNIAC for list of translated books, Dreaming in Cuban - "any rubbish written on Cuba in the USA is published"says Cesar), films (must see Fresa y Chocolate, Agusto Sanabria has many taped videos).
· participate in some solidarity activities: LAIC, DSP/CISLAC, ACFS, Latinos, meet some of the most active people, understand the priorities of political solidarity activists. join the ACFS, go to some meetings and events.
· meet David Deutchmann and Deb Schnookal of Ocean Press in Melbourne.
· meet Cubans in Australia: Marcelino Farjardo, Cuban Consul, Cesar and Cachi in Melbourne, ? in Sydney

Month(s) before you leave

· plan to visit other projects and people in Latin America: perhaps Keith Burnett and los Caballeros in Mexico, CESTA in El Salvador, Choluteca in Honduras, permaculture projects in Ecuador.
· perhaps visit permaculture sites and projects in New Mexico.
· write to the organisations you plan to visit.

Shortly before you go

· radio interviews, local newspapers, write media releases on yourselves. Learn some basic media skills, as you will be doing this in Cuba.
· get fit, ride a bicycle a lot, Havana is a big city and you will be getting around mostly on bicycle
· ...we'll think of other stuff...

Things to take

· ...see previous lists (file name???)
· ...new lists to be compiled by talking with Tim and Toni and emailing to Mike Weaver.(pic@gn.apc.org)...

Also see letter from Toni and Sarah (GTC59.TXT, 2 Mar 96) for more notes on what to take...
Subject: #59 de GTC
To: adamt@peg.apc.org
Date: Sat, 02 Mar 96 11:39, Received: Tue, 5 Mar 1996 20:09

Other things to think about:

Cultural differences

In most ways, Cuban culture and society is similar to the culture of other Latin American countries. Latin American society is much more social and communicative and less alienated that Northern European/Australian society; extended families and neighbourhoods are much stronger and are vitally important to people's daily life. Catholicism is the dominant religion, but less so in Cuba. On of the most negative aspects of Latin American society is machismo - pervasive arrogant sexist male-dominance. But in many other ways, Latin American society is familiar to someone from any other culture with substantial European origins: language, dress, food, drink, religion. And the influence of the United States has been very great this century.

Mike Weaver, who worked on the program in Cuba in the first half of 1996 writes of some important points to note on cultural differences:

Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 22:55:55 +0100
From: <pic@gn.apc.org> (Mike Weaver, People in Common Housing Cooperative)
To: adamt@peg.apc.org, pgan@peg.apc.org
Subject: Re roberto to Aus

Hi Adam,

...

Re the orientation notes. An item which needs addressing is
cleanliness. I gained kudos with Olga and Mirta because I'm
domestically pretty tidy. I was regaled with tales of Australian
slobbishness, scraping the floors after someone, T&Ss' disorganisation.
Russell tells me that I blew it on the clothes front- there I'm a slob,
never able to keep leisure and work clothes separate...
He said that Olga and Uffo were horrified by what I wore to airport
when I left. A Cuban would have worn their best clothes for such an
occasion.

There is a need to address those cross-cultural aspects
which determine how seriously you are taken. I.e the
problems for women in such a machista society; the need to
understand cuban dress codes; cleanliness... Russell Gasser's
newsletters contain a lot of useful points and if you
haven't received them I'd suggest that you ask him to send
you relevant aspects or to ask him write something on the
issue if you think its worth it (Email: russell@gn.apc.org).

(Letter is extract from c:\user\adamt\cuba\correspo.den\mike_wea.ver\mw960708.txt

Filename: ORIENT09.DOC (ORIENTxx.DOC) Date Printed: 22 August, 1996
This page is http://www.peg.apc.org/~adamt/cuba/orient.htm
Email Adam Tiller at adamt@peg.apc.org for most recent Microsoft Word version of this document.