This is a CTP of initiative: ICA/Fucvam (Uruguay)
This CTP addresses the process of internationalization of FUCVAM from its intervention in a Housing Program in Haiti in 2010. In part this process was also discussed as one of the activities of Cooperative of the Americas (Regional Network of ICA), analysed in the 2015 Network Report. In 2010, the International Co-operative Alliance launched a call for projects worldwide to help those affected by the Haiti earthquake. Among the various non-governmental organizations, a large sum of money was raised to finance a project. Cooperativa de las Américas (Cooperative of the Americas), understood the importance of his presence in the territory and, with the support of “We Effect Eng” (formerly Swedish Cooperative Centre) and FUCVAM (Uruguayan Federation of Co-operatives Housing of Mutual Aid), presented a draft of co-housing construction by mutual aid starting with the creation of cooperatives. The Cooperative of the Americas decided at that moment, build housing through the creation of cooperatives of users. The FUCVAM activities in the region have a decade (especially in Paraguay and Central America). However, in general FUCVAM acts as “once and for all” interventions, a demand for a specific actor (one cooperative), and not systematically and/or with the support of international institutions such as ICA. In this sense, the proposed intervention in a country like Haiti implied for FUCVAM the possibility of "export" to another country the model of housing management from mutual aid (an unknown system in general in countries of Americas). For FUCVAM, international interventions have special interest because it represented a great challenge for a National Federation. This is because the cooperative system had not, until then, any experience in Haiti. In this country, until 2010, social activities were channelled generally through NGOs (with local and international financing) and direct State intervention. Both strategies accounted for the cooperative movement as linear, patronizing, and top-down intervention models.
The internationalization of FUCVAM is a phenomenon driven, in principle, from outside of the Federation. At this level of analysis, internationalization is a co-produced process between FUCVAM and each of the institutions with which it is linked in the world. The first institutions that sought the help of FUCVAM to boost the promotion of his activities were co-housing groups in the field of social habitat (Science and Technology labs, Cooperatives, Social Movements, Housing´s offices and others). FUCVAM was convened by universities and even governments, to advise on the social production of habitat: in Argentina the Movement of Occupants and Tenants (MOI in it spanish initials) and the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urban studies of the University of Buenos Aires); in Brazil (the social movement USINA, the University of Sao Paulo and the Homeless movement); in Chile (the Catholic University). Sometimes, FUCVAM gave seminars and courses in other worked as a consultant. In Latin America, FUCVAM interventions were strategically planned from previous links with co-housing organizations. The major critical point in the internationalization of FUCVAM was the case of the Haiti earthquake. This generated dynamics of socialization and original innovation, especially by the particularities of the case, which produced very specific situations. As a result of the earthquake of January 12, 2010 in Haiti, more than a million and a half people were displaced from Port au Prince to other parts of the country. Today in the town of Lascahobas four IDP camps work; in Juanpa lived 15 families, 69 families in Decoville, in Chambrum 40 families and 19 families families in Platanal. Many others, live in houses of friends or acquaintances.
The main support that FUCVAM had in his intervention in Haiti, were the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) and the Cooperative of the Americas, both leaders of a world and regional cooperative net. Were these institutions that promoted their participation as a specialist in an alternative style of housing production. We Effect, is a Swedish Cooperative Centre, which over 40 years are linked with FUCVAM was another important partner in the region. Co-production was essential in this case because Haiti had absolutely no experience in the cooperative sector. Since his international experience, We Effect contributed with networks and strategies that allowed FUCVAM achieve their objectives in Haiti. The main fact that favoured the process was ongoing international network activity ( ICA) and interest in issues of social transformation. The earthcuake represented an opportunity to concrete a co-housing colaborative project. Thus, the process was performed by the particular interest of several international institutions: International Co-operative Alliance, Cooperative of the Americas, We Effect, FUCVAM and numerous NGOs and, in a minor scale, government of Haiti.
One of the most important events related to the intervention in Haiti was the creation of cooperatives to build housing for mutual aid. "During the first days we visited different places, and began a strategy to form and organize cooperative groups. Workshops were also held with all the GARR group with the goal that everyone should know how the system works, highlighting the great efforts of the whole group for solve any problem and provide necessary logistics for the job." This approach, developed by FUCVAM, created a number of networks and federations founded in different countries. An important factor in the successful transference of model is that it does not advocate replication, i.e. copy a structure created in other realities and conditions. Instead, it involves a transfer of basic principles, which must then be adapted to different contexts and appropriate by partner organizations. In fact, the involvement of organized groups, formed to co-housing is an essential element of the success of the transfer. On the one hand, they are the bridge between urban and rural disadvantaged groups with the general social transformation movements; and on the other, the group that promotes the enhancement of the life quality of its members through the access to an integrated habitat. The FUCVAM intervention in Haiti involved different related-habitat events throughout the region:
• Adaptation in Honduras to rural areas, while the original model is essentially urban, • The creation of cooperatives in Paraguay working on multiple fronts (housing, livelihoods, and environment).
• The natural incorporation of collective property in Andean and Mesoamerican areas with strong indigenous roots and a tradition in these mechanisms
• The construction of multifamily buildings and large scale in Brazil
• Re-use of vacant houses in Argentina and Chile.
This CTP has an important contribution at level of the different views of FUCVAM as an institution with nearly 50 years of experience. One of the main areas of discussion related to the internationalization of FUCVAM is the importance of this in relation to historical work in Uruguay. In other words, that is your chance to influence, or not, in the daily work of the Federation and its relationship with cooperatives. The topic of discussion is what place to assign FUCVAM to international activities.
All the cooperative movement approves the dissemination of the experiences of the Federation, but this generation faces financial and human resources that not abound in FUCVAM. Have disponibility of board members or specialists of the Federation, only to meet external demand does not directly affect the daily reality of partners. It raises many questions and leads to a permanent construction of consensus. At that level, the discussion is not substance but of degree. "That's one of our main internal discussions. What place should have in training courses and our communication, our internationalization process?" “Every year, they come between 10 and 20 groups of visitors from universities, cooperatives, federations, NGOs and others. Only to serve them when they arrive, providing a space, meet several times, etc., have for FUCVAM a cost. Some think we should pay that cost and promote it. Others do not want to push it" At present, and as a derivative of internationalization, FUCVAM is in a process of formalizing experiences, to share with the cooperative movement. This process is aimed at training of activists and promoters of cooperatives and organizations bring all the scope and variety of FUCVAM experience. This is not only an intellectual exercise. The proposal is to communicate inward, like diffuses outward. "Today we have the need to transfer these experiences to the cooperative movement" "the co-operatives value what we do, but symbolically, how deeply do not know." "The strongest argument about the formalizing process is what our international policy would be. That means: destine money. And that's not easy, to ask to members of cooperatives to liberate incomes for pay the internationalization campaigns ".
We cannot say that FUCVAM specifically anticipated the process, but since 1980s their principal members of board began to research and write about the the importance of bringing their initiatives around the world. FUCVAM started his internationalization in the 1990s, after strengthen the Federation. In fact, the intervention in Haiti was an unfortunate consequence of the earthquake. However, there were numerous actions of FUCVAM made in his career that prepared her to take on the challenge.
The federation was prepared for years to confront this process, reflecting on their practices and linking since its inception with international institutions like the We Effect and others. Formerly called Swedish Cooperative Centre, this organization works with FUCVAM since its inception in the 1970s, sometimes contributing its experience in the cooperative movement, in other with financial support, but always supporting activities FUCVAM in Uruguay. The experience with We Effect was important to anticipate the process of internationalization. The Swedish group prepared to FUCVAM, promoting gradually the importance of bringing the experience of the Federation of Latin America.
Therefore, we can said that the process of internationalization of FUCVAM has more than a two decades of work on a small scale in the countries of the region. their beginnings were in Argentina and Paraguay, and then was spreading in the region. The formal internationalization process as a Critical Turning Point is occurring at this time and has characteristics that differentiate it from other CTP. Therefore, and because it is a very gradual process, the anticipation variable is difficult to apply to this CTP.
The internationalization experience of FUCVAM exceeds the intervention in Haiti and has developed a participatory monitoring and evaluation process to evaluate the proposed South-South Cooperation, feeding back existing activities and reporting on the general internationalization process in future direction. Assessments by FUCVAM and We Effect have shown that the results achieved not only justify the continuation of the project but also its consolidation and enhancement of the scope. In addition, FUCVAM transfers her model of co- housing for mutual aid, and bring assistance to a range of grassroots groups, NGOs and government entities throughout Latin America. This same model of South-South transfer is being implemented by partner organizations. Cooperatives and federations have begun to spread the model of co-housing of FUCVAM and their own experiences to other groups throughout the region, using mechanisms of similar transfer. Some examples which exceeding the case of Haiti are FESCOVAM and FUNDASAL in El Salvador. These cases have established similar exchanges with other groups in neighbouring Central American countries, as well as in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Venezuela, where FUCVAM promoted the transfer. This was possible from a group of technicians from Brazil and Paraguay that participated in the Project South-South Cooperation with FUCVAM and now are contributing to the development of experience in Bolivia. The key principles are then transmitted not only by one but by several sources, with an impact that multiplies. Some of the lessons highlighted by FUCVAM are: "The basic principles of the model are universal and can be easily transferred, assuming different forms in different contexts;once the problem of access to land has been solved, half the battle is won, as people cling to it with all his strength;experience and studies have shown that social production organized of co-housing and habitat leads to much better results in terms of quality, adequacy, cost and social satisfaction, compared with the conventional construction of social housing in other countries in Latin America;academic knowledge must be combined with social wisdom, with a practical approach and a commitment to people; solidarity generated from the bottom, and then develops strong roots, produces better results than a top-down approach."
Stay informed. Subscribe for project updates by e-mail.
