Subject: Urban Women's Permaculture Course,

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 20:02:23 +1000

/* Written  7:44 PM  Dec  5, 1995 by adamt in peg:reg.cuba */
/* ---------- "Urban Women's Permaculture Course, " ---------- */
FMC URBAN WOMEN'S PERMACULTURE COURSE, OCT-NOV 1995, HAVANA, CUBA

A compilation of anecdotes from Sarah Wright and Toni Phillips

Hola companeros,                                             24 nov.1995

We are two Australian women, two of the current members of the Green Team
working in Havana and we are planning to run the first Permaculture Design
Certificate Course in Cuba.

We have run a number of week-long introduction and train-the-trainer style
urban permaculture courses and now find there is the need to hold a design 
certificate. In particular, we want to pass on this knowledge to our Cuban 
co-workers and former students. These students now form a network of 
community trainers who are developing a web of demonstration gardens.

Over the last year we have been working on an Australian-funded
development project entitled The Urban Food Gardener Education Project,
which is a community based education campaign centered on increasing
urban food production in Havana, with broader objectives of increasing
ecologically sustainable self-reliance in the city.

We work with a Cuban organisation 'El Grupo para la Orientacion 
a la Familia sobre Permacultura' (GOFP) who produce a magazine, 'Se Puede'
("It is possible") funded by the project, and who are our partners in the
implementation of the project. The GOFP has also just published a 
handbook on growing and using medicinal plants.

We intend to invite urban extension workers from the Ministry of
Agriculture, students from the train-the-trainer courses, which includes
representatives from the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), and our Cuban
co-workers in GOFP.  We would have help from John McKenzie, Michel
and Jude Fanton, and Greg Smith to make up part of the teaching team.  

... some text cut out here ...

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Date: Fri, 13 Oct 95 20:09, Arrived Aust: Sat, 14 Oct 1995 16:51

Hola adam, como estas, que pasa chico? 

Just wanted to let you know that we had the first day of the FMC women's
course yesterday and it was fantastic.
The students were so enthusiastic, they just loved it.
One of them summed it up so beautifully at the end of the day 
"This is a day that i will remember for the rest of my life, it is so 
important and is for the future as well as the present, something to teach
my children and grandchildren". There were other mushy statements, about
how great it is, but that one is our favourite.

Olguita was great at teaching and introducing the course, and generally
co-ordinating the course. Unfortunately Carmen was sick and couldn't come, 
that was awful because she spent a lot of time and energy in preparing and
was really excited, but i hope she will be ok next week. 
Anayansi translated for me, soils and container mixes, 
a lot of these people don't have space for gardens in the ground. 
Ana was great to work with and is happy to be back with the Green Team.

The course is 1 day a week for 6 weeks. 
There wasn't nearly as many people as we were all expecting, which meant 
there was plenty of coffee, 
but everyone said it is so the ones that did come can check it out first. 
This is what happened at the last course.

We had a visit to the roof garden of one of our students from the other 
course, it was great, his name is Paco, but we all call him Santana. 
He raved about how all his garden is from what other people don't want and 
throw away.
His plants are all in tyres, he explained about growing potatoes in double
layered tyres, he composts on the roof, he mulches now, and that has saved 
him heaps of water, and he intercrops and that has cut out phytophera. 
What a success story!

I (both of us) had been feeling a bit depressed lately, with all the 
bureaucracy, meetings, meetings getting cancelled, just being mucked
around, and the dramas with andres. 
I was beginning to think what is the point of being here, 
but yesterday has restored my faith, it was the best.
...

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Date: Thu, 19 Oct 95 13:20, Arrived Aust: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 16:52

hi Adam, thanx for your email #80. We had the second day of the course 
yesterday, again it was fantastic. Carmita was there and is also a 
fantastic teacher. We worked either sarah or i with either Olguita or 
Carmita to prepare the class and then they would mainly present it. 
Sarah's Spanish is great, mine isn't, so Anayansi helps me. 
Our students are fantastic, most had started their compost piles, 
even those with only a balcony. 
...
Thanx for everything, love sara y toni

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Date: Sat, 28 Oct 95 19:49, Received: Sun, 29 Oct 1995 16:23

Hola adam,
Como andas? muchisimo gracias campanero, tu eres fantastico, el mejor
escritoro en todo el mundo, gracias, gracias, gracias para contestando
nuestra preguntas.  
(Toni wrote that and even though it sounds sucky it is true.
Thanks for all the communication over the past week or so and thanks 
especially for going over our questions and answering them.)

Today we had day 3 of the FMC course, and as usual it was absolutely 
fantastic. The students are great, a lot of them work in the FMC houses
("La Casa de la Mujer") in each municipality.
They are going to do workshops in these houses. A few 
have started already, one woman held a workshop on how to make compost
after the first day. They are legends. 

Today we went to visit one of the students from the past course, 
He has does so much since we were there last: put in a pipe directing
all the washing water (of people and clothes) to the garden.
He has bad soil drainage in one spot, so put in a fairly big dam, 
got lots of fish in it. He was great telling our new students how he
learnt this or that in the course.

...

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Date: Sat, 11 Nov 95 09:19:30, Received: Sun, 12 Nov 1995 20:46:30

Hola adam, Que tal? lo siento no hemos escrito pero hemos estado muy
ocupadas. We got masses of things to tell you again. 

The Women's Course
-------------------
Yesterday was day 5 of the FMC course, as we should have expected it was 
fantastic.  We had a prac. of making a garden at the circulo infantil 
(child care centre) across the road.  
The women just loved it and begged that we have an 
extra class to get into it more, so of course we will, next tuesday. 

The interesting thing about this prac was conseguiring all the things 
that we needed, tools, plants etc. Gabrera who is the Min of Ag. 
extencionista of small farmers of Playa, was going to help us there
we had it organized for a few weeks before hand, 
we even gave him some money,
and that is the last that we have heard of him... 

We don't know if it is from general dodgeyness or loss of face. You know 
that thing where people can't say "no, can't do that", or "i tried 
but it didn't work out", instead, we just never see them again. 

This is the guy that Guillermo hangs out with. (by the way Willy did 
a move without telling us also, and there was a phone call for him 
from his good friend in Italy asking for Julio, so now Bob is convinced 
that he is not Guillermo at all, it might explain all the far out 
stories he tells, he might be a compilation person). 

Anyway back to the obtaining of stuff for the course, well we did it, 
Major accomplishment, yeh Sarah y Toni! Aren't we unreal, (Sarah told 
me to put that in)

All at the last minute of course, with the tools arriving at 10.30am 
instead of 9am but we got them, only for a loan mind you but we got them. 

The posturas we got from the organiponico near Olgui's house, Sarah 
strung her a rave about how fantastic the group is etc. and we got 
them for FREE. 

The students loved it, and please thank Marta Callone very much, 
because we had kept those little hand tools that she got 
and gave them to the students that stayed late to help, 
there wasn't enough to give to everyone, but they were rapt. 

We'd kept them all this time, because every one else is after big 
tools and it seemed a bit like an insult to them give them tiny ones. 
Also thought that they would be of best use for people with only 
balconies etc.  

...

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Date: Sun, 19 Nov 95 12:05, Received: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 18:10

Hola Adam 
Como estas chico?  Estamos muy bien aqui.  El curso con la FMC ya ha  
terminado.  Las chicas son awesome y estaban muy agradecedas sobre el
curso y nosostras y el equipo alla en australia. 
Estaban muy contentas cuando les dijimos a ellas que ellas son muy 
famosas en Australia por el correo. 

...

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Date: Sun, 19 Nov 95 12:05:49, Received: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 18:11

Dear Adam
What can I say? The course was great!  Wednesday was the last 
day and we received all the warm fuzzies you could ever wish 
for.  We got a letter telling us how we single handedly have 
kept the revolution going for another year and how we are 
now next in line for the throne.

In all seriousness, it was fantastic and we are really hopeful 
about our students - the work they are going to do and so on.  
As they are mostly professional workers of the FMC they 
will have time to dedicate to permaculture.  A number of 
them have already started to give courses and talks about what 
they are doing.  We also got them to bring in a sample of their 
compost and they had some BEAUTIFUL compost which they 
have been working on from the first week when we gave the 
class.  We also got them all to bring in samples of vegetarian 
cooking and had a party.  We will work on a report next week.  

...

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Date: Tue, 28 Nov 95 09:03, Received: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 18:40:08

Hola adam,

Here's some you some incredibly great news.

Yesterday while we were going crazy after 2 days of trying to locate
Mario to sign the letter for the funding submission to the Australian
Ambassador in Mexico, we actually bumped into him at the Min of Ag.
(Mario Garcia heads the Ministry of Agriculture urban extension program).
Incredible luck! Anyway, after he signed it and we got to chatting,
he said:
"The other day while I was talking with the Minister (of Agriculture),
I told him how amazing it is that those girls teaching permaculture
can change people's way of thinking so fast, and it is just like _our_ 
courses have disappeared into thin air".

He has held 3 workshops and it is like they never happened, but with ours,
everywhere he goes he keeps hearing about permaculture. He wants us to do 
lots more courses, like the ones we have done, in each municipality.
We just wish that we could, but there just isn't the time anymore.

It is going to be really hard leaving in March, after a year here.
It is like everything is set to really go now, 
and then we have to hand it over to someone else, I know that is how
this kind of work is, but i wish i had enough money so I didn't have to
worry about when the plane ticket runs out, etc. 

Mario has also been visiting our old students and asking them lots of
questions, he can't believe that these campesinos understand so much to
think about the soil and how to improve it and really understand it.
He also understands that the actual work they do in their gardens is 
a bit by bit.

...

Sarah Wright and Toni Phillips

--- end of compilation of anecdotes from Toni and Sarah ---
-----------------------------------------------------------

The Food Gardener Education Project in Urban Havana is a
project implemented by The Green Team in Cuba and Australia,
in partnership with the Australian Conservation Foundation
(ACF) and the Permaculture Global Assistance Network (PGAN),
the overseas aid group of Permaculture International Ltd (PIL).

The project receives funding from AusAID, the Australian
Government Agency for International Development, and from
donations from the public.  Donations to "ACF Cuba Appeal"
are tax deductible in Australia, and are matched two-for-one
by AusAid. The project needs to raise A$25,000 each year,
and still has not raised sufficient to cover 1995 yet.

For more information contact:

Melbourne, Australia:
Adam Tiller of The Green Team and PGAN, 
12 Derby St, Kew VIC 3101
tel: (03) 9419 1542, fax: +61 3 9853 6828
email: [email-masked]
or
Jason Alexandra or Terry White at the ACF
Australian Conservation Foundation, 340 Gore St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
tel +61 3 9416 1166, fax +61 3 9416 0767
email: [email-masked]

Cuba:
El Grupo de Orientacion a la Familia sobre Permacultura (GOFP)
and
The Green Team, Cuba
Calle 158 #107, altos, esq. primera A
Reparto Nautico, Playa,
Havana, Cuba
tel +53 7 33 60 90
 
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