4th permaculture design course lesvos, greece: a transi ......4th 1 permaculture design course...

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.

� 1Transi:onalrefugeecamponLesvosP4RandBMPIreportRoweMorrowApril2019

� 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


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


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


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


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


� 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


� 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.


� Thisfreedomtomakedecisionsisveryimportantingivingrefugeesasenseofcontroloverlearning3

andmakingtheirowndecisions.

� Packedintothecoldgreenhouse

OverthenextweekswehadtheLTLworkshopforsomedays,some:mesonlymornings,anditwasfartoocoldandtheveryloudmusicplayedtocreateafalseatmosphereofhappinessdrownedusoutun:lwehaditturneddown.Peoplecameinandoutsearchingfortoolsandbicycleparts.TheLTLvolunteersgaveusthisspacetousandworkedsomewhereelseforthe:me.

� Agardeningclassatthebackofourclass–somewhatofadistrac*on


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.


� Makingseedballs

• MarkingcontoursusinganAframeandawaterlevel• Checkingraisedbedsforplan:nginsalinecondi:ons• Visi:ngamaturepermaculture/biodynamicfarm

Manycampshavenoroomtodoprac:calworkandonthiscoursewewereveryfortunatetohaveGreekresidentpar:cipantswhoofferedtheirlandandalsoknewgoodfarmers.

Wehadtodowithsmallspacesandalsototeachsmallspacepermaculture.

Oneofthepar:cipantswasveryupsetwhenhereportedthatthemanagerofhiscampwouldnotallowhimtohangplas:cbo=lesfromtheedgeoftheroofofhiscontainerhomeandgrowingparsleyandtomatoes.Hewaspar:cularlyfrustratedashewasakeenstudentandunofficialtranslatorforus.Thisdegreeofpe=ycontrolisfoundinmanycamps.Itremovesagencyfromtheresidentsandreducescommunitybuilding.


�

Asecondprac:calacernoonwasspentin:• SharinglunchatanNFPrestaurantforrefugees


• 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,


b. Theiridealhome.FrenchspeakingAfricansmademodels-seebelow

�

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


�

Midcourseandfinalevalua<onsDuetothechallengesoftransla:ngfourlanguagesacerthestudentshadlec,weresortedtoafairlysimplyevalua:onwhichallowsstudentstoexpresshowtheyfeelvisually.Everystudentmarkedeachsec:onwiththehighest/bestatthecentre,anddislikedattheperiphery.Teacherslectheroomincaseofinfluencingoutcomes.Weusedthistwiceandtheresultscanbeseenbelow:

�

Wherewe,theteachersstruggledwiththevenue,thestudentsdidnot.Thepar:cipantswerehighlymo:vated,verygratefulforthecourse,andverysmartinthinkingandapplyingpermaculture.Theystartedtoarriveon:mewhichisdifficultforrefugees,andhaveconversa:onsoutofclass.


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


� 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


• 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


4th permaculture design course lesvos, greece: a transi ......4th 1 permaculture design course...

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