Cuba

DVV International’s cooperation in Cuba began in 2002 with the Asociación de Pedagogos de Cuba, APC (Cuban Association of Educators). From mid-2006 there has been a collaboration with the Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación de Cuba – MINED). The focus of cooperation was to raise awareness and implement education measures to improve disaster prevention in the province of Pinar del Río. After a disruption which was politically induced, work could be resumed in 2011 with APC and two new organisations, CIERIC (Centro de Intercambio y referencia-Iniciativas Comunitarios) and the Centro Felix Varela (CFV). Cooperation with Cuba is directed from the regional office in Mexico.

The processes of change initiated in Cuba by the VI Party Congress (April 2011) present Cuban society as a whole with great challenges. To cope with them requires new knowledge and skills. Particularly important is the strengthening of civic engagement in order to facilitate and support a democratic organisation in the context of sustainable development of the announced social and economic reforms.

Main focus of work

The main aim of DVV International in Cuba is to prepare relevant actors through appropriate measures, especially at the local as well as the regional level, for the upcoming changes in society. That means, to empower individuals and social groups or organisations to participate actively in local development reforms by representing their own interests, to develop concrete proposals to solve social and economic problems and to actively influence decision-relevant institutions and organisations in their villages, municipalities or neighbourhoods.

In this context, focal points of the work are:

• education and further training in the areas of environmental education and environmental protection based on the Mapa Verde method which helps to reveal the locations of natural, cultural, and sustainable resources in a community;
• cultural, social and political education and training of local actors to promote a democratic and sustainable development in various communities of Cuba;
• creating awareness for and implementation of the content and methods of Educación Popular from other Latin American countries and further training of adult educators in corresponding concepts.

Partners

The three Cuban partner organisations of DVV International use their experience from Educación Popular in Latin America in order to gather educational innovations from other countries of the continent and redistribute them for the Cuban context. They are also part of the Cuban national platform of the CEAAL network. The three partners are: Asociación de Pedagogos de Cuba (APC), Centro de Intercambio y Referencia-Iniciativas Comunitarios (CIERIC), Centro Felix Varela (CFV). They are headquartered in Havana, but work through their regional and local structures on the island.