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Central America - Our Projects (Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras)
Our Regional Office in Mexico (responsible for Central America)
Head of Office: Hans Pollinger
Adress: Oficina Regional Centro América y el Caribe
Gómez Farias No. 75
Col. del Carmen
Coyoacán, México 04100, D.F.
Tel.: 0052-55-4444 0880 and 0052-55-4444 0881
E-mail: pollinger@dvv-international.mx
Contact person at dvv international in Bonn:
Beate Schmidt-Behlau
E-Mail: schmidt-behlau@dvv-international.de
dvv international in Central America assists and supports non-governmental organizations in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras in delivering model projects to strengthen the socio-economic and cultural development potential of the Indian population through education and training.
Since the work with the Indian population in Central American takes place against a background of poverty, an important aspect of the programme is the improvement of living conditions through the formation of self-management groups. The cultivation of organic products such as organic coffee and honey requires the acquisition of certificates that can be used to secure national and international markets (through Fair Trade).
In the projects to improve the supply of basic foodstuffs, the emphasis is placed on environmentally friendly use of the land, both the preservation of traditional maize growing and vegetable cultivation, and on hygienic animal husbandry in the gardens belonging to Indian families.
These activities to improve Indian living standards and build up self-management organizations lead to a rise in family incomes and eventually to the organization of savings funds and even savings cooperatives. The majority of savers are women.
Courses for Indian women are held in parallel, through which they can develop self-confidence and organizational ability. The increasing involvement of men in the question of gender is an important element of the project work as a whole, and helps men to overcome their fear that women will become culturally alienated by education.
Another target group for Central American project work is young people. Until now, their social potential has not been appreciated, either in their cultural context or among the public in Central American societies, but they have been seen instead as a social problem group.
Together with a consortium, project initiatives are being launched for young people, in which they can learn and practise how to accept responsibility. National and regional seminars give the youth project the broader, intercultural character that it needs if it is to act as a workshop for the future, promoting pluralistic, democratic societies in Central America.
A consortium on interculturalism with five other governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions is developing intercultural teaching methods for adult educators and teachers, in order to strengthen their intercultural skills.
Cooperation with partners in Honduras is in its early stages. There are already extensive contacts with German and other agencies working in the field of intercultural education.