4th permaculture design course lesvos, greece: a transi ......4th 1 permaculture design course...
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4th PermacultureDesignCourse1
Lesvos,Greece:ATransi<onalcampforRefugees
March28th-April16th2019Funding:$11,111.00AUDGenerouslydonatedbyVRMPeaceandSocialJus:ceCommi=ee,Quakers,AustraliaLocalsponsor:LowTechLabSite:OneHappyFamily,LesvosCoursedelivery:BlueMountainsPermacultureIns:tuteandP4RTeachers:RosemaryMorrow,FrancescaSimoneI,Fo:niGeorgousiFrenchsupport:Bernade=eDufour
� Thegradua*onclass
BackgroundRefugeeshavecrossedtoandfromTurkeyGreeceviaLesvosforcenturies.Thelatestwaveofmassmigra:onwascausedbytwodevasta:ngwars;
a. Decliningcondi:onsandextremedangerinwar-tornAfghanistanb. TheviciouswarinSyriac. AndnowtherearetheYemeni
Allhavekilledandmaimedtensofthousandsofcivilians.Thelatestwaveofasylumseekersbeganin2015.
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� Pleaseread:1stPermacultureforRefugeesDesignCourseforHostcommunity.1
Lesvos,beingontherefugeeroute,hasalwaysacceptedrefugees,findingfoodandhousingandatleasttemporaryrespiteandsafety.Atthemomentabout9,000refugeeslivethere.Mosthopetomoveontoadreamofprosperityandsafetyinthemorenortherncoun:esofEurope.TherearefourcampsandsomerefugeesliveinthecapitaltownofMy:lene.Onecampisprotectedforwomenandchildren.Anotherisaninformalencampment,oneisself-managing.
Thebiggest,Moria,ismanagedbytheGreekArmy.Herethereisconsiderablefear,drugsandviolenceasinmanyofthelargercampsanywhereintheworld.But,Moriahasaspecialreputa:on.The150Europermonthcashpaymentonlypar:allycoversfoodandotheressen:als.InMoriapeoplefightover,andsteal,food.Ourstudentsreportedhavingtobeconstantlyvigilant,andwerealsofearfullivinginMoriaandthelevelofviolenceagainstwomenandchildrenispar:cularlyhigh.
Becomingarefugeecanleadtotheroadofcriminality.And,whenlife’sneedsarenotmet,peoplestealor,requireprotec:onor,accepttodoac:vi:eswhichareillegal.Somearerecruitedbypeoplesmugglers.DrugsarerifeonMoria,andseveral:mes,IsawpeopleexchangingdrugsattheDayCentre.
Itisamul:pletragedytoforciblyleaveyourcountry,passthroughdangersonthejourney,seekasylum,andthenliveinfearandneed,ortobecomecriminal:anotherexampleofthedestruc:veimpactsofpoorlyruncampsandtheconflictswhichcausedthemtoexist.
TwoyoungYemenimenspokewithlovefortheirvillageandcountryandweres:llinadisbeliefthatreturnmaybeimpossible.Theyweretradesmenathome,livingengagedandproduc:velivesandnowreducedtovic:msofapuni:vesystem.AndsomeoftheincidentsinMoriacampwereasbadasanyontheirjourneytotrytofindasylumandsafety.
GreekGovernmentResponsetoRefugeesTheGreekGovernment,likeothergovernments,wishestodeflectfuturerefugeesanddiscouragepresentonesthroughgivingminimalandpoorcondi:ons.However,whenthechoiceisbetweendeathandlifei.e.betweenwarandarefugeecamp,peoplechoosethecamp.Campsrepresentanappallinglossofhumanpoten:al.Inthis‘wai:ng’periodwhichcanbeupto12yearspeopleareocenreducedtopassivityanddiscouragedfromcrea:vityandenterprise.Thisbackwardpolicydoesn’tworkasdeterrenceandeverystudentstudyingwithushasbeenhighlymo:vatedtolearnandwouldhaveabsorbedmuchmoreinforma:on.
Arefugeecampisanoutstandingopportunitytodevelophumanpoten:alineveryfield.Withsmallexpenditure,learningcentrescouldbeopenedandwouldbewelcomedtooffereverytopicfromtradestoprofessions.Somepeoplearrivedskilledandeducatedandwillinglyoffertheirownspecialfieldstoother.Itisa
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pauseinlifeinwhichtobuildeconomies,lives,goodwill,futureengagementandmentalhealth.
OriginsoftheLesvoscourseAyoungAustralianpermaculturist,BonnieClaire,introducedustoImeceinTurkeyand,theLow-TechLab(LTL)inLesvos.Bothorganisa:onsexpressedinterestedinhos:ngpermaculturecourseswithitsmessagesofpeace,earthrestora:onandthevalueofrefugees.
Fromthebeginning,theLowTechLab(LTL)atthedayrefugeesrecrea:onsitewasenthusias:ctohostthecourse.TheypreparedtheirbudgetlastNovember,2018andcarefullychoseapplicantsfromthecoursefromarangeofapplica:ons.Pre-selec:onofapplicantsisrareandprovedtobeverygoodforclassoutcomes.
Ini:ally,however,theLTLsaidthatnoonewoulda=endbecausetheywereonlyinterestedinincome.Bythe:mewearrivedtheclasswasfullandtherewasawai:nglistforasecondcourse.Moreputtheirnamesdownastalkaboutthecoursespreadamongthecamps.
ManyofthefirstapplicantswereNGOworkerswhohadheardofpermaculture.Theirenthusiasmconsolidatedourbeliefthatdevelopmentworkerswouldbevaluablyskilledupifequippedwithpermaculturetraining.Ourcoursealwaysincludesstaff/volunteersfromNGOsbuttheyhaven’tbeenatargetgroup.
ThePermacultureCourseSite:TheDayCentre,OneHappyFamily(OHF)OHFissituatedoutofsightofMy:leneonahillamidstdegradedindustrialbuildings.Therewasevidentlackofrespectforrefugeesinchoosingthissite,andalso,inomiIngrefugeesfromalldecisionsconcerningthem.
� OneHappyFamilyisaconcreted,formerindustrialsitewithonelargebuildingandseveralsubsidiaryones.TheseareusedasaPeaceSchoolforchildren,yoga,medita:on,GreekandEnglishlanguagelessons.Theconcretedgroundisusedbychildrenandgenerallyyoungmen,toplay,football,basketball,handballandthereis
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alsoawomen’splace,agreenhouse,and‘hangout’areasmadefrompallets.Thediningroomhasacoffeeshopwithcoffeefreetothose‘helperrefugees’whoassistwiththesitemaintenance.Theyhavelocalcurrencyasseenbelow.
� Italsosuppliesfree,verybasicfoodfrombreakfastat11.30amandlunchanddinner.Weweresuppliedbythemandpaidthekitchentoprepareforus.Upto1500peoplecancrowdthesmallsiteeachweekday.Itprovidesanescapefromthecampswherepsychologicaldistressiscausedby:
• Forcedinac:vity• Uncertaintyoflegalstatus,visasandotherlegali:es• Vulnerabilitytoofficialsfromvarioussources• Senseofimprisonment• Memories
PeoplecometotheOFHfromallthecamps.ItwasusualtoseesomeoneheadinhandssiIngalldayandbarelymoving.Otherspaceconstantlyandothers,intwos,talkingintensely.
And,mostalarmingly,justdownthehill,wasanArmyammuni:onandarmsprac:cesite.Here,soldiersprac:cedtwoorthree:mesaweek,andthesoundofmachineguns,handgunsandgrenadeswasextremelydisturbing.
ItwasherewehadthePDC.
ThePermacultureCourseHosts,TheLowTechLab(LTL)TheLowTechLab,aninterna:onalorganiza:onorigina:nginFrance,hasastaffofseven,allyoungvolunteerswithskills.Theypaytheiraccommoda:onandfoodand
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usuallyridebicycles.Itprac:cesitsprinciplesoflowresourceuse,recyclingandupcycling.Theyhavesimplebasicroomheavilystockedwithmanyrecyclablematerials.Theirpremisesconsistofawoodenshed,shelvesandtools.CalledtheMakerspace,peoplebringbicyclesandlearnhowtomendthem.Theyalsomakesolarba=eriesforphones,solarovens,rocketstovesandteachpeopletocreateappropriatelowtechsolu:onstotheenormousenergyconsump:onpresentlycausingglobalwarming.Peoplecanbringtheirownmaterialstorepairorberepaired.
OursupportmanagerswereMarjolaineBurtandSabinaAssanwhodideverythingpossibletomakethecourserunwell.Theyarrangedallfromaccommoda:ontooverseeingourclassroomchanges.Theydidagreatjobinverydifficultandstressfulcondi:ons.
� FranciandLTLclassroom–everyoneonhardbenches
Thepar<cipantsAdver:singposterswerepastedupinallthecampsandtheOHF.ThelocalNGOswerealsoaskedtoadver:sethecourse.LTLrigorouslyselectedthepar:cipantsontheirabilityto:
• spreadpermacultureacerthecourse• a=endthefullcourse• appreciateandprac:cepermaculture
ManyNGOstaff/volunteerswantedtoa=endthecoursehoweverthemajorityofplaceswasdedicatedtorefugees.Theclasswaswellbalancedandwellchosen.
P4Rtriestoincludelocalpeopleandthosefromthesponsoringorganisa:onsinallthePDCstoassistwithintegra:onwithlocalpeople,andforthecon:nuityoftheproject.FourGreeks:oneapermaculturist,anotherafarmer,ateacherandastudentwereinvitedandwelcomedandhavesincestartedworkingwithrefugees
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integra:ngthemwherepossibleintoGreekSociety.Marjolainealsocompletedthecer:ficate.
Despitealleffortsonlyfour?refugeewomenpar:cipated;twoGreekwomenandonea=endeefromLTL.Bureaucracy,familydemands,illness,childrenandsooncon:nuedtomakedemandsonthem,andmoreforwomenthanmen.Andweknowthattheirlifesitua:onschangefromday-to-day.
Therewerefivelanguagesusedintheclassroom.• ArabicfromYemenandSomalia• Dari/FarsifromAfghanistan• FrenchfromAfricancountriesi.e.Congo,Sudan,Mali• Greekfromthelocals• Englishfromteachers–oneofwhomwasItalianandtheotherGreek.
� Student’snotesinArabic
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� TheAfghancohortintheplas*cclassroom–verymo*vated
Par<cipanthopesandexpecta<onsofthecourseFromthestartthepar:cipantswerealerteveniftheywereunawareoftheexactcontentandprocessesofthelearning.However,asusualtheyexpectedthattheywouldlearnaboutgardeningandevenbeemployedingardening.Theygaveveryreasonablehopesandexpecta:on.Wekepttheseexpecta:onsfortheirlaterevalua:onoftheirlearning.
Theyhadagreatsenseoffunandlovedtodanceandsing .Andtheycouldargue2
longandhard,overthetopofeachotherandthiswasaspecial:mebecausetheyfeltsafetodoitandat:mesnearlylicedourplas:croof.
Theywereenthusias:candresponsivetoallgroupac:vi:es.Eachdayweopenedwithanenergizer/funac:vityandthenagroupreviewofpreviousday,supplementedwithaquiz,beforeembarkingoncontentandprac:calac:vi:esforthatday.Withinadayitwasevidentwehadpeoplewithspecialabili:esandwere
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� Iamstruckbyhowocenpeoplelivethroughwarandyetcaneasilyexpressthroughsonganddance.2
TheVietnamessangthroughthebombingofHaNoi.TheAlbanianssangthroughtheirhard:mes.TheAfricansdance.TheKhmertellcomicstories.TheRohingahadlongballadsongs–someverytragic.
naturalstudents.Theywrotenotesandbyhalfwaythroughthe:mehadfilledaworkbook.Theyrevisedtheirnotesatnight,andaddedtothemanddiscussedthemwithothers.Thiswasclearfromtherevisioncirclewedideachmorning.
Manyappearedtobenaturaldesignersandalthoughhadnotrainingindrawingpresentedverygoodwork.
Wehadtheusualdiscussionsoverclasshours.Ttisamomentwhentheclassisexer:ngitspowerofchoice.Itteststheteacherstoseewhether,whenwesay‘thisisyourcourse’theteachersreallymeanitandwillaccommodatethestudent’sneeds.
Theclassdecidedquicklyandsensiblywithouttoomuchdiscussionbecause they3
wereimmenselyco-opera:veandthehoursworkedwell.
OurnomadicclasswithawalkaboutwhiteboardOurfirstclassroomwasplas:cpolyhouse.WehadthisforthefirstfewdayswhilethefiercecoldwindblewdustinfromAfricaandtheroofgraduallybecameunstuckra=ledwidely,andfinallytoreoffahugesec:on.Itwasnoisyandcoldbutwewereluckytohaveit.Therewasnoroomtodoac:vi:esnoroutsideteachingspaceandalackofgardenspacetoprac:ce.Thelightwasgood.Studentssatofhardbenchessimilartothoseinschoolsinthe18thcentury.Noonecomplained.Ourclassroomwasattheendofthesmallgardenandthevolunteerpermaculturegardener,Nadev,gaveuseverypossibleassistancebutcouldn’tletushavethespaceforthefulltwoweeks.Wewereinterruptedbypeoplethinkingitwasamassagespace,ortowatertheseedlings.
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� Thisfreedomtomakedecisionsisveryimportantingivingrefugeesasenseofcontroloverlearning3
andmakingtheirowndecisions.
� Packedintothecoldgreenhouse
OverthenextweekswehadtheLTLworkshopforsomedays,some:mesonlymornings,anditwasfartoocoldandtheveryloudmusicplayedtocreateafalseatmosphereofhappinessdrownedusoutun:lwehaditturneddown.Peoplecameinandoutsearchingfortoolsandbicycleparts.TheLTLvolunteersgaveusthisspacetousandworkedsomewhereelseforthe:me.
� Agardeningclassatthebackofourclass–somewhatofadistrac*on
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Thenwehadtheyogaroomsomeacernoonsasaclassroom;anothertypeofplas:cpolyhousewhichleakedwhenitrained,wastoohotsomedaysandtoocoldothers.WeoccupiedthedininghalloneSaturdaywhennooneelsewasonthesite.itechoedandthesea:ngwasdifficultandyetwasagooddedicatedspaceandwecouldspreadoutandworkinbreakoutspaces.
Onedaywemovedfour:mes.Allteachersfoundallthechaosandchangesverydifficult.Bytheendofthecoursetheyweremorerelaxedabouteverythingchangingconstantly.Anormalpermacultureclasshasspacetos:ckethicsandprinciplesonthewall–alsopostersofsignificanttopicstohelpstudentretaininforma:on.Inthiscoursewecouldnot.
Teaching<mesWhathadseemedagoodplantoteachfrommiddayto7.00pmturnedouttobeverydifficult.ItwaslatewhenwelectheOHFsiteforhomeanddinner.Wewere:red.Itwashardtotrytodoadailyevalua:onwithcooking,washingetcatthesame:me,anditwasalsoverydifficulttopreparetogetherforthenextday.Wecouldnotrecommendtheseteaching:mesforanothercourse.(AlsoRowewassmi=enbyaverynastybugandforaboutaweekonarrivingatourlodgings,simplywenttobedandcoughedallnight.
CoursefocusWhileteachingthestandardPDCweiden:fiedsomeprimaryneedsandconcentratedonthem:
1. Lackofwastemanagementpoliciesandprac:cesfromseweragetoplas:cofalltypes
2. Greywatersmellysludge,andrawsewageatMoriacamp3. Thebadlydepletedsoilswithandwaterwithhighsalinity4. Heat,glare,dustandwindareseriousproblems.5. Housesuncomfortablyhotinsummer,coldinwinterandlackprivacy6. Aneedforsmallscalegardentechniquesfortheirpresenthomesandlarger
scaletechniquestotakebacktoSyriawhenitissafetodoso.
Daysofprac<calworkWetookthefirstSaturdayasanexcursiontooneGreekstudent’sfarmclosetoMy:line.Hereweofferedarangeofstrategiesandtechniquesandstudentswereabletoprac:ceothertechniques.
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� Makingseedballs
• MarkingcontoursusinganAframeandawaterlevel• Checkingraisedbedsforplan:nginsalinecondi:ons• Visi:ngamaturepermaculture/biodynamicfarm
Manycampshavenoroomtodoprac:calworkandonthiscoursewewereveryfortunatetohaveGreekresidentpar:cipantswhoofferedtheirlandandalsoknewgoodfarmers.
Wehadtodowithsmallspacesandalsototeachsmallspacepermaculture.
Oneofthepar:cipantswasveryupsetwhenhereportedthatthemanagerofhiscampwouldnotallowhimtohangplas:cbo=lesfromtheedgeoftheroofofhiscontainerhomeandgrowingparsleyandtomatoes.Hewaspar:cularlyfrustratedashewasakeenstudentandunofficialtranslatorforus.Thisdegreeofpe=ycontrolisfoundinmanycamps.Itremovesagencyfromtheresidentsandreducescommunitybuilding.
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Asecondprac:calacernoonwasspentin:• SharinglunchatanNFPrestaurantforrefugees
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• Lookingathouseplacementandsolargain• MakinghanginggardensandpoIngup• Makingkeyholegardenandtrellis/fenceplan:ng• Makingsackgardensandplan:ngcitrusintheWomen’sSpace
TranslatorsandsupportteamWehadteacherscomingfromGreek,ItalianandEnglishmothertongueandallteachinginEnglish.Theinterpretersweregiventousbythecampandtheywerealsopresentrightthroughthecourseandwereawardedcer:ficates.Thisworkedwellbecausewehadana=endancepolicy.ThetranslatorsspokeFarsi,Arabic,GreekandFrench.Ocenthelanguagetheywereteachinginwasnottheirmaternallanguage.Theywerecommi=edandacceptedalltheroom,andteacherchanges.Evidentlytherewasmiscommunica:onat:mesbutwithgoodwill,difficul:eswereovercome.TheinterpreterswerenotexpertnorprofessionallytrainedalthoughtheyworkfortheUNHCRorotheragenciesandhadbeengivenguidanceandethics.Theyshowedahighdegreeofcommitmentandeachwasworthyofacer:ficateastheycompletedallthework.Theybehavedprofessionallyatall:mes.
Challenges• Transla:onisalwaysaproblemandstudentssaidthecoursewasocentoo
slowbecauseofit.• Noonespacewasourdedicatedclassroomforthetwoweeksandaswe
leavepostersandworkuponthewallsandtableswithongoingwork,itwasimpossible
• Thefirstdayswereverycold,thewindwaswildandverynoisy• LackofprintedmaterialsinArabicorDari,forwhichwehadtemplatesmade
itmoredifficultforthestudents• Theteachingteamhaditsdifficul:esbalancing:meandcontent.Thisisa
constantchallenge.Teachersalwayswanttodeliverallthecontentandocenthisisdifficultwithtransla:ontakinglongerthanallocated:me.
• Itisalwaysdifficultwhenteachersdonotmonitortheirownteaching:me
Experienceanddisciplinearerequiredbyeachteachertobalance:keepingtheirown:mewithoutbeingrequiredtoberemindedandknowingwhattocutoutwhenrunningoutof:me,wheretoadditlaterandwhenitprovidesdepthorcon:nuity,andkeepingupthepacewiththetranslatorsespeciallywhereonelanguageortranslatortakesmore:methantheothertwoand,monitoringstudentresponsesandfeedback
HomedesignsThehomedesignsfromtherefugeewomenweremarkedbyatendencytodesign
a. Theirformerhomeor,
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b. Theiridealhome.FrenchspeakingAfricansmademodels-seebelow
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GroupdesignsThesitechosenwastheDayCentre.Allgroupsworkedonthemul:tudeofproblemsofthesite,fromwall-to-wallconcrete,lackofspaceforac:vi:es,badlyorganizedandalmosthos:lespacesandsoon.
Thefourgroupsworkedwithenthusiasmonthebrief–totransformittoamoreenvironmentalsite.Allgroupscoveredtheissuesofuncontrolledwateroverconcretewhenitrains,extremeheatinsummerwithalmostnoshade.
Inretrospectitwouldhavebeenbe=ertofindasitewhichenabledallthezonesofpermaculturetobedesignedhoweverthissitehadthealarmingandunsavouryfeaturesofarun-downcityblock.Theseproblemsprovokedimagina:onanduseoftheirknowledge.
Onthewholeallgroupsdidwell.Butmostdemonstratedalackofco-ordina:onofdetailwhichwouldhavestrengthenedthedesigns.
Nextpage:SitedesignAfghanigroup
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Midcourseandfinalevalua<onsDuetothechallengesoftransla:ngfourlanguagesacerthestudentshadlec,weresortedtoafairlysimplyevalua:onwhichallowsstudentstoexpresshowtheyfeelvisually.Everystudentmarkedeachsec:onwiththehighest/bestatthecentre,anddislikedattheperiphery.Teacherslectheroomincaseofinfluencingoutcomes.Weusedthistwiceandtheresultscanbeseenbelow:
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Wherewe,theteachersstruggledwiththevenue,thestudentsdidnot.Thepar:cipantswerehighlymo:vated,verygratefulforthecourse,andverysmartinthinkingandapplyingpermaculture.Theystartedtoarriveon:mewhichisdifficultforrefugees,andhaveconversa:onsoutofclass.
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TheLTLmanagerstoldusthat:
“suchreten+onratesinacoursewereunknownand,socompletelyunan+cipatedbyanyone,andthatstudententhusiasm,andinter-culturalmingling werealso4
outstanding”Theywereextremelypleasedwiththecourse.And,attheendofthecoursetherewasawai:nglistforasecondcourse.
Thejoys• Allthepar:cipants,par:cularlytherefugeeswhosaiditseveral:mes,
appreciatedandvaluedthecoursecontentandallteachershavingcomeasvolunteers.
• Manystudentsarehighlymo:vatedtotakeknowledgeandskillsbacktotheircountrieswhen/ifpeaceisrestored.Wetendedtofocusonwhatwouldbeusefulfortheminpost-disasterrecovery.
• Allpar:cipatedinarangeofac:vi:es• Despiteseveralseveresitechallenges,themanagersworkedextremelyhard
tomakethecourseasuccess• ThehighdegreeofsupportandcommitmentbytheLowTechLab• Thepostcourseplanningisgood• A:ghtbudgetwaswelladministered• Someac:vi:eshadalreadystartedbytwoweeksacerthecourse• Thelocalcaféclosetowherewestayed,PalaisAgorawasanextensionof
homewhenwififailedasitocendid.• Marjolainereportedthatstudentsenjoyedthedifferentteachingstyles.• ItwasvaluablehavingtheexcellentvisualmaterialsfromthecourseinTurkey
whereMargueritecontributedconsiderablywithherprofessionalartwork.• Francirelievedthealwayspresentdangerandtempta:onof“chalkandtalk”
withinnova:veroleplaystovaryteachingmethods.
OutcomesBriefly,thisisanextractfromanemailbySabinareceivedMay29th,2019twoweeksacerthecourse.Sabinealsosentanexcellentprogramfortheuseofthefollow-upfunds.“I am writing a report on what the permaculture students are doing after the course. Please
send me some photos. For now I think there are six projects and a group providing advice to
OHF to develop a more sustainable and kinder environment.
• Diepe farm with Kostas and Hamid),
• Mandala at The Olive Grove with Cedric, Liam and Abdulfetta
• Odd with Melina, Sam, Aswan, Abdulfett,
• OHF with Reiza, Rahib, Sam and Beni
• OHF woman's space with Zahra
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� GangsruleInMoriacampandatleastonepersonaweekisstabbed.Violenceagainstwomenisvery4
high.Manypeoplelivethereinfear.
• A private garden with Fisher 🌱 ”
RisksThiscoursealwaysappearedvulnerablebecause:
• Ourcontactpersonhadlec• Communica:onwasdifficult• MarjolainehadtoleaveforFrance• Dateswerechanged• Sabinahadonlystartedworkingintheprojectonemonthbeforeandwasn’t
familiarwithit• Therewasamul:tudeofinterrup:onsanddistrac:onsbeforethecourseand
duringit.
Example:ThedayFranci,Fo:niandIarrivedat6.30thelandlady,withwhomwehadbeenbookedoramonthtostaywith,phonedandsaiditwasnotpossible.Sabinahad12hourstofindusaccommoda:oninatownshedidn’tknowandwhereaccommoda:onisatapremiumbecauseofthedemandbyNGOworkers.Shefoundaplaceonehourbeforewearrivedbuthadtopaymoreforit.
ThefutureofthisprojectwiththemonitoringandmanagementareextremelyhighwiththecommitmentoftheLTLandtheinvolvementofthethreekeyGreekstudents.Bytheendofthecoursetheywereorganizingsessions,on-going‘permablitzes’andvisitstofarms.Thisisadoubleconsolida:onofthecourseasotherfollow-upisbeingdonebytheLTL.
ManagementandFinancialmanagementFinancialmanagementwasexactandresponsible.AnychangesinbudgetwerediscussedwithRoweMorrow.Someco-teacherswerenotawareoftheprotocolsandboundariesaboutlocalbudgetmanagement.
ThebudgethasbeenfinalizedonlywhenbackinAustraliahoweverthecostsandtheprojec:onscamecloselytothebudgetedamounts.Fullaccountswillbea=achedtothisdocumentJuly2019whenfullaccountswillbesuppliedtoQuakerPeaceandSocialJus:ceCommi=eeinAustralia.
Someissuesneedtobenotedandrecommenda:onswillbemadeinthefinalsummarydocumentforthiswholeseriesofcourses.
• TheAustraliandollardroppedandwasworthverymuchlessthanithadwhenwebankedthemoney.Thismeantthatwereliedonanotherfundertocoverthegaptoensuretheprojectcouldbefullyimplemented.
• Bankchargesforbothsendingandreceivingmoneywereseriouslyques:onablebutwehadnochoiceexcepttoacceptthem.
• Asfoundinallthecoursesnoorganisa:onexceptBASDknewaboutconven:onalbookkeeping.Itwasnecessarytoexplain:
InvoicesReceiptsBalancingthebudgetMatchingbudgettoac:vi:esandobjec:ves
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• Itwasgoodpolicytosendthemoneyintwotranchestoenablediscussionofthesecondfollow-upphaseandredesignappropriateac:vi:esandbudget.
Despitethis,thereisnoevidenceofanymisuseofmoney.Infact,therewasverygoodfinancialmanagementandthepoorertheNGOthemorecrea:vetheywereaboutextendingthefunds.MoniesunspentwereallocatedtootherusesandallconsultedwithTheBigFixbeforehand.
EuniceNeves,ofGuilda,andLisBas<anofTheBigFixinAustraliarigorouslymonitoredfinances,despatchedthemon:me,andprovidedvaluableinputtotheNGOs.Weareverygratefultothembecausethetaskisonerousandconfusingwithdifferentcurrencies,rates,changesandcharges.
Financialrecommenda<ons• EnsurethelocalhostNGOcandoconven:onalbookkeepingandunderstands
budgetreconcilia:onandtheaccoun:ngasrequiredbythefunders.• Clarifythatthebudgettheywroteiss:llvalidandtheyarefamiliarwithit• GivebasictrainingtoP4Rmembersindevelopingandreadingabudgetand
whattheirresponsibili:esarearoundfinancialmanagement
SummaryThiswasoneofthebe=erPDCsinthisseries,despitethedesignworknotbeingverystrongandsomeoftheobstaclesseemedinsurrmountable.Somereasonsforitssuccesscanbea=ributedto:
• Par:cipantswereselected• Thetranslatorswereverycommi=ed• LocalGreekci:zensa=endedtosupportthecourseandpar:cipantsduringit
andacerwards• BothOHFandLTLwereextremelycommi=edtothecourseanditsoutcomes
Thiscoursewillbeassessedasoneinaseriesofsixaltogetherheldincampsandse=lementsandevaluatedagainstcriteria.Thiswillbeaseparatedocument.
Rowe Morrow www.bmpi.com.au Input from, Francesca Simonetti. Fotini Georgousi Photos: Fotini Georgeousi, Bernadette Dufour Permaculture for Refugees(P4R) Greece 18th April, 2019
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