I am 266 days late with this text, so says my calendar reminder.
I am not one of those people who would praise those they depend upon, without a feeling of unease, so it does plague me now. At one hand pressed with unease and at the other hand having a will to publicly express gratitude and furthermore to extract lessons learned about advantages of the specific support that we are receiving, I was stranded in between and hesitated to write.
I intend to write about the meaning of support for our work which we received and still receive. It is exactly due to the circumstances of such support that some of our work was able to develop and that might have not been thinkable otherwise. It is 10 years that we receive support for peacebuilding work from the German government through the Federal ministry for economic development and cooperation. Third corner of this cooperation triangle is made of our sister organisation, Center for Networking and Education in Nonviolent Action, widely known as KURVE Wustrow.
What is it that we get
All these years, at no occassion and by no one, has there been any pressure or influence attempt regarding our work strategy and contents of our work. One may say that it is just common sense that decisions of strategy and operational ones remain with those are most closely involved in peacework. However, as know from other organisations and other donors it can by no means be taken for granted. It means that we enjoy full trust and freedom to adjust our programmes according to changing circumstances.
We are not confronted with demands to plan in detail years ahead, specific activities, providing lists and naming places where it is due to happen. When receiving EU funds, one is forced to plan it exactly that way, years ahead, number of participants, place where it happens etc. If in three years time, what you have planned becomes obsolete due to changing social and political circumstances, one has no other possibility but to implement the plan, whether it makes sense or not.
Conditions of BMZ support remain full freedom to decide freely, within the predefined goals and fields, about what and when shall be done. This is of enormous value in particular for those actions which bear a great risk of cancellations, changes, dropouts, threats, etc. Instead of pure quantity based control, the quality of work is assessed through quality based scientific evaluation.
We work a lot with ex-combatants and exactly in this field, cancellations and dropouts happen often due to pressures from the surrounding, steps backwards follow steps forward and a dynamic, non-linear process typical for peacebuilding goes on. Within this process, incidents, political or politicized events quickly turn into obstacles for peacebuilding activities. It is difficult to explain and justify why does it make sense to conduct eight visits and negotiations to a mistrustful hardcore Association of ex-combatants from Hercegovina, to have it all after 6 months of efforts and agreements, blown off with a one day notice. So we tried and almost succeeded but ultimately failed this one time. But it was not for nothing because we crumbled some ice and know that it will be easier next time.
If it wasn’t for BMZ support, it is apparent that we could not have conducted our work with ex-combatants with such persistence in a flexible, adaptable, patient manner. Reacting quickly and looking into far future.
An example: It happened that planned event with 20 participants, gets cancelled one day before, due to received threats by the partnering veterans association, directed towards visitors. We reacted to this by organising an alternative meeting in the city at the border area, in order to discuss the situation, encourage participants and make further plans. Without the ability to plan as flexibly, such reaction would have been unthinkable.
The support we receive was reconsidered in three-years cycles, which gave us certainty of ongoing support, space to think few years ahead, our core costs were covered to a great extent just as some of the activities. Hence we were relieved of the ongoing pressure and survival concern, so instead of using our energy to fundraise we could focus on programme implementation.
We have full liberty to steer our programmes, we receive trust and respect for our work, relative material stability and certainty is provided. We made effort to respond to this by committed hard work, top make pioneer steps and beat ways through the bushes of hatred and fear.
And it cannot be a coincidence, that specifically that area of our work, war-veterans crossborder cooperation, reconciliation and remembrance culture, attracts so much attention and meets many praises. We believe to be doing and important and big work, that we are often at least one step ahead of what our societies expect, hold viable and are capable of understanding and accepting. Developing such work was only possible under circumstances that this article describes.
If it is somewhat expected and self-explanatory that we continously receive great support from KURVE Wustrow and Berghof Center Conflict Research, who are our partners for 15 years, the cases where we were provided with more than “just” money for our programmes, were rather scarce. When those cases occurs, it meant a lot to us, because it created a link beyond the joint interest, a value-based link.
Visits
In the past two years we had two rather high ranking visits from the BMZ. During a state visit of the BMZ toSerbia, we have met with Mrs Mikota who among other fields of development work covers also the section for civil peace service. We experienced her visit as an encouragement and we believe that she has managed to recognize the energy we put into our work as she expressed her personal content with what she has heard from us.
In October 2011 I took part as member of the five people delegation to a regional visit lead by Mr Volkmann who is directly managing the support programme of civil peace service. We were meant within 5 days, to visit Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. I was not too keen on joining the travel, as I expected Mr Volkmann to be a somewhat stiff bureaucrat, who might do his job properly, but who will not really be moved by what we go through over here. I had not expected him to sympathise or understand the challenges of peacebuilding in the Balkan. And then I faced my own prejudice.
Born African, fromNamibiaa former German colony, few years younger than me, Mr Volkmann was all but not a stiff bureaucrat. After starting reserves and series of meetings, talks, encounters we faced at our trip, I understood that there was a wavelength we could meet and that his understanding for peacebuilding was much more profound than I could have ever guessed. As the days went by and our talks became more open and sincere, I realised that having such person on such position meant a small wonder, being of great support for me and my colleagues. Imagine, there inBerlinat that position sits someone who cares to channel peace support in the best possible way, someone who sympathises with it and personally reflects his own life experience into understanding of reconciliation processes!
Mr Volkmann is apparently from another continent, but not from another planet. Sharing the sense of belonging to the same planet and determination to make it a better place is the link.
And that is possible inGermany!? Marvellous.
Professional state clerk fully motivated with heart and mind to do his job!? Encouraging us “down at the frontline” and expressing appreciation for our work!?
It seems that there is hope left, yet.
11.5.2012 inBelgrade
Nenad V.
