Cuculmeca – Nicaragua
Reflect is often found where we don’t even think or talk about it. In Cuculmeca, an organisation in Nicaragua which has been using Reflect for some time, the principles and methods of Reflect-Action have been turned in on the organisation itself.
What do we mean by Reflect in an office? First it has a lot to do with how we use our space. Our office is open. The administrator sits next to the illustrator, the agro-ecologist is next to the person responsible for the radio programme. We don’t have our own personal computers, there aren’t enough resources for that, but also it encourages movement around the office for work. Also, a lot of people come into the office for information, whether they are students, people from other organisations or people on a tourist development trip. Even the Jinotega Tourist Board asks us for help.
In terms of hierarchy, it is not necessary to knock on the door to see anybody, nor to make an appointment. Everyone is responsible for cleaning the office. In the mornings, the administrator talks to the driver or the person in charge of the programmes, while everyone prepares coffee, cleans the floor or takes out the rubbish. Is this a waste of time? Some people say that it is, because there are more important things to do. But we believe that it is wrong to think like that. In these moments we share an experience and we update each other on the daily and weekly work plan. Besides this, it also encourages sustainable development. Would it not be contradictory to our values if we let one person (usually a women) do the cleaning? So, on a normal day at the office, you might see the driver writing a story on the computer, or the illustrator doing a pre-school budget.
Let’s talk about funding organisations: Normally they arrive, do their analysis, see if they can take advantage of our work and if it is a good opportunity for them, then they support us. The normal position when faced with funders is submission. You have to do what they want, when they want it, because if you don’t there isn’t any money. You have to write reports until three in the morning because they need them for the following day. This is normal. But we have changed this dynamic a little bit. When they ask us questions we do the same back. In the beginning they were frightened, but afterwards they had to play the game, because if they didn’t it would show that they don’t practice what they preach.
So one day we were talking with a woman from UNICEF about our pre-school programme. UNICEF wanted to support us in our emergency programme. In these programmes UNICEF doesn’t pay the salary, only for materials. The woman asked us: “Why don’t you give financial assistance to the pre-school educators with whom you work?” We replied: “Where are we going to find that from if you don’t even pay a salary to the person who is going to work with you full time on this?” She was silent.
The other day the person whose turn it was to clean the patio was doing their rounds, delivering some materials. By chance a snazzy jeep with yellow licence plates saying ‘International Mission’ arrived. The passengers got out (speaking about gender, they were only men) and approached the person responsible for tidying the patio. One of them said: “Could you give me one of those posters?” By the patio were some colourful posters about environmental work. The patio person got out a delivery list and asked him to sign. The patio person ignored the fact that the man was the representative for UNICEF for Nicaragua. The man, of course, knew who he was and was surprised that he had to sign.
Maybe that is what Reflect is – treating everybody equally. Thus Reflect is a way of thinking and acting that we use everywhere to try to change the balance of power. Because power is never given, only taken.