Cuba

The DVV International project in Cuba is being implemented in four municipalities of Havana (Centro Habana, Habana Vieja, Habana del Este and Arroyo Naranjo). They are located in Havana Bay and are particularly vulnerable to climate change because of their high population density and ageing population. However, there is no risk perception among the population and little knowledge about the adaptation measures recommended in the National State Plan to Combat Climate Change (Tarea Vida, “Task Life”).

This is why environmental education is so important. It informs people about the vulnerability of each area and the risks for families and for the economic and social development of these communities. This is essential in order to bring citizens together for action to limit the damage caused by climate change.

The blockade by the US has led to a difficult economic situation, which has been exacerbated in recent years by the Covid19 pandemic. Cuba has indicators that are above those of other countries in the Americas, such as a high education development index. However, there are major challenges to overcome that require a fundamental reform of education. Thus, the quality of educational processes must be improved: It has not yet been possible to break away from traditional pedagogical paradigms. Lifelong learning is an aspect that should be strengthened. The aim is to close gaps, for example in digital education, to improve relations between people and nature as well as the behavioural patterns in interpersonal relations that exclude people. In short, the goal is to humanise education.

Priorities

- Participatory, supportive citizen education committed to the land and nature.

- Strengthening and improving the capacities of governmental and non-governmental partners in youth and adult education.

- Proposals and/or initiatives on climate change adaptation for the municipal agendas of the Bahia Habana area and their piloting in the municipalities of Habana Vieja, Habana Este, Habana Centro and Arroyo Naranjo.

- Increased environmental awareness among EPJA (Educación para Jóvenes y Adultos) representatives at municipal and departmental level, as well as among community representatives.

- Educational opportunities on the topic of the environment in the four local pilot centres, which also function as spaces for social participation

Partners

DVV International’s Cuban partner organisations use the experience of popular education in Latin America to take up and disseminate education-related innovations in the Cuban context from other countries on the continent. They also form the Cuban national platform of the CEAAL network. The four partners Asociación de Pedagogos de Cuba (APC), Centro de Intercambio y Referencia-Iniciativas Comunitarias (CIERIC), Centro Félix Varela (CFV) and Grupo de Trabajo Estatal Bahía de la Habana (GTE-BH) are based in Havana, but work throughout the island through their regional and local structures.