Most of these pics make it look like I wasn't working very hard - but that's not true - it was a very busy tiring trip. 2 evaluations and a workshop. 3 full-on weeks!!
As this was my first work trip and my first evaluations (the first one my very experienced collegue was with me, the second one not!!) I was slightly nervous about how I would go, but it was great and I learnt a lot.
**** WARNING! BINDY RANT AHEAD!!! ****
I spent a week in an urban project, and a rural one. Both were interesting, but I found the urban one fascinating - for people who are so poor life in a city is far more difficult than in the country - they can't grow their own food, often have no access to land to build a house on and don't have skills to get employment. In this particular project most of the people are squatters or illegal settlers - which is differnt to what we picture as squatters in a Aus, (moving into an empty building with a sleeping bag) but they find unused land (usually government land) and build a (basic) house there. This isn't a choice - there is often simply no other option. The problem then is that as illegal settlers they have no rights over the land, and can be (and are) evicted any time. The project we were visiting is facing the relocation of 6000 families out of the city so that the governemnt can widen the river and build a park. The irony is, it is called THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS MEMORIAL PARK!!!!! For those who don't know what that means - in 2000 the UN and world governments pledged to halve world poverty by 2015 by meeting certain goals - these are the Millenium development goals. The area the people are being relocated from is currently subject to some flooding, but under the government's scheme it will be regualrly flooded - they built the flood walls AROUND the community. In fairness, the government is helping to relocate the people - but they are being relocated far from the city so have no way to make a living (generally they make money by selling things along the streets, or other small type jobs only available in a city) there are no schools ot infrastructure, and its is land established from dredging the river (really safe!!). So to celebrate the effort to reduce poverty 6000 odd families will be placed in a situation that further empoverishes them, and gives their children no chance of education. Additionally the relocation plan will take until 2010 to be completed - unfortunately the river scheme will be completed at the end of this year - so for the next 3 years most families homes will be generally under water!!!! We had a few meeting with a number of government deperatments who were so proudly telling us about this scheme - it was HORRIFYING!!!! The consultant we had with us asked me a few times if I had any questions for the people we were meeting - but it was so awful there was nothing to say.
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| this is the community that has the flood walls built around it | 4000 odd families will be relocated from this side of the river | this side is where the park will go - in front of the wall. The homes behind the wall will be safe, but 2000 families still need to be relocated from this side |
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