In this IssueLocal directionA. B. C. D. - What is it?Updates from the field Visiting Madang and Kiunga Relationships start with introductions

PALMS POSTVol. 52, No. 2, May 2012

Recent readers of Palms Post or website should have come across at least some of the following:“Since 1961 Palms has met the requests of developing communities seeking to become self-sufficient and resilient by mobilising over 1450 experienced and qualified Australians. Most volunteered for two-year placements to assist develop the economic and technical skills integral to building capacity, enterprise and self-reliance. To date Palms Australia has provided over $200,000,000 in value.”Further evaluation of our 50 years of recruiting, preparing and supporting those who volunteer shows that Palms Australia has:

• provided 120,000 days primary health services mentoring local nurses and administrators

• educated 65,000 students and 1600 teachers• mentored 2000+ local people in trades and

agriculture• trained over 700 staff in administration of local

projects and servicesIt’s not good enough to rest on past performance.Outstanding as these results are they are not enough. Our sustained success across five decades has been a catalyst for increasing requests by communities seeking to reduce poverty. They identify the value of Palms’ approach to preparing Australians who will assist appropriately in their development.March’s Director’s Report explained the focus for Palms this year is to bring this work to the awareness of more Australian individuals and organisations that can assist to build on this success. In particular I would like to meet with business owners, or corporate leaders, willing to discuss a partnership with Palms. Writing to businesses without an introduction is not the best way to get a meeting so I need the help of all Palms

current supporters: I need your help.There’s much more to it than asking for money.

I am not talking about crudely asking your friends for money. Palms desire is for this to be a mutual relationship and it may just as easily involve two-way in-kind assistance. What it can mean is:

1. More communities will have an opportunity to sustainably reduce poverty through skill exchange,

2. A business will build trust in their brand through a philanthropic profile in Australia and overseas,

3. Palms-facilitated development programs for business personnel will build their capacity and motivation to foster successful cross-cultural business relationships.

A connection that begins with a simple meeting might be developed through Palms’ Encounter journey to Timor-Leste. As soon as September 24th, business leaders, or personnel they select, can experience first-hand our international development work and impact. Or you might accompany your business friends to Palms’ Fundraising Dinner on October 31st (see page 6).

Please do think about who you know that could meet me to discuss such possibilities. Now think again. Meeting the request of a community seeking to reduce poverty may depend on your introduction.

After thinking and rethinking please thrill me with a call to chat about even the most improbable prospects. Alternatively send me a note via (roger@palms.org.au) with your number and I will call you. Be assured that your assistance will be managed sensitively and I will only proceed where you are entirely comfortable with the process.

Sincerely, Roger

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Director’s ReportI need your assistance with an introduction

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From the Field

I had a feeling that I had met someone rather special one day when in the staffroom one of the teachers, James Kissima, was talking to me passionately about the responsibility of teachers to do their absolute best given the sacrifice that some families make to send their students to school. Some sell part of their shamba, or family farm, to pay school fees, which unfortunately are unavoidable despite assistance given to the school. He then went on to talk about the place where he grew up and was raised by his grandparents after his parents died. This is a small village called Mrawi near Moshi (the closest town to Mt Kilimanjaro). Near his family home there are many widows who live in the area. They have very little and James does whatever he can to help them. Our conversation led to us going to Mrawi for a visit. We met many of the widows he had told me about. There was one lady who had some beans that she wanted to eat for dinner (a bit like broad beans) but they needed sorting before she could cook them, as they were not all edible. As her eyesight was failing, she was unable to do this for herself. James and I spent some time assisting her – quite a simple task which meant she would have something to eat that night. Some time later James informed me that she asked him if I was angry that we were delayed whilst doing that. I assured him that I definitely was not - quite the contrary.

We also visited a site where a dispensary is being built (it has been in the process of being built for ten years). On my first visit last November, things were at a standstill. It was exciting to see when we

returned last weekend that some progress is being made and there were builders working to hopefully complete it, thanks to a recent donation. James told me that the dispensary will service around 10,000 villagers i.e. four villages, as there is no medical assistance for ten kilometres – a distance that many of the people are unable to travel. The next plan, James tells me, is to build a ward.

Last weekend we also visited an elderly couple who are trying to build a house made of stones to replace the one they have that is made of timber but has gaps that allows the weather through – not great for the cooler or rainy weather. The elderly man has managed to break up the stones but he has arthritis and can do this no more. They now need some sand to put between the stones. James, who has just bought a shamba so that he can feed his family and the many needy people of his village, was calculating how many bags of rice he would have to sell to buy the much-needed sand for this couple. He really believes in doing whatever he can for others with the little that he has and really puts into practice what he believes the gospel is calling him to do. Getting to know him is both a humbling and wonderful experience!

Kathy Brick, a volunteer teacher at Edmund Rice Secondary School in Arusha, Tanzania, understands that it is Tanzanians who drive their own education programs. Her role is simply to assist them achieve their vision. Here she shares the story of James, one of her inspirational colleagues.

A generous spirit

Kathy, with James and his wife, Lilian.

For 50 years, Palms Australia has been building relationships between people of different cultures. Each relationship rewards in countless ways.

This year, we are reaching out to establish new corporate partnerships. Australian businesses can benefit too from engaging cross-culturally through Palms’ programs.

Direct connections can be made to overseas communities through the work of our volunteers.

Palms’ expert training on personal growth and conflict resolution can assist improve effectiveness. This is particularly true for organisations working overseas or cross-culturally as we provide training on working in new environments, understanding different protocols and establishing respectful cross-cultural working relationships.

Palms Encounters can enhance staff relationships, increase creativity and innovation, and promote corporate responsibility.

Our special fundraising dinner to be held the evening of Wednesday October 31st will represent the culmination of our campaign to engage corporate leaders.

Your support can help us to spread the word. Do you know an organisation that could benefit from a partnership with Palms? Let us know by contacting Sarah Torcasio at sarah@palms.org.au or on (02) 9518 9551.

Your support in helping us to develop new partnerships will help to ensure that Palms is able to prepare, send and support volunteers well into the future.

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October 31st save the date

Corporate Partnerships

For me it was jumping on a plane, landing in a strange new country called Timor-Leste. I soon realized that I was totally out of my comfort zone. I could barely speak a word of Tetun and moved straight in with a local family. I soon realised that this was going to be more than just a trip but an experience that I was never going to forget.

This was my initial impression of my volunteering experience with local grassroots NGO Fundação Lafaek Diak (Good Crocodile Foundation). As the time went on I was able to get used to the daily flow of activity and get to know how the organization works. During my time, the team worked on projects such as the Triloka Health Clinic, the University Scholarship Program, the Mechanical and Peace Development Workshop, Water and Sanitation Projects and Health Education Projects.

The conditions were tough at times. I had to get used to bucket showers, a different diet, being away from loved ones and at times being culturally isolated. Many times I questioned my motives for volunteering and whether the hardships were worth it. In the end there was always something to turn me around. Sometimes it was chatting with my Timor family, or witnessing cultural moments that I was lucky enough to glimpse, or touching base with the other great volunteers around me.

As time went on, relationships built and I saw gradual progress in the projects and by the people. There were lots of frustrations, problems, miscommunication and cultural misunderstandings. But there were also lots of laughs, friendships, personal development (on both sides) and progress with the projects. I learnt so much throughout my placement both professionally and personally. I learnt to be patient; most good development takes

time. I learnt to be flexible; sometimes I wasn’t right in what I thought, so it was important for me to listen to find the right path for development. I learnt to be creative; sometimes it wasn’t about the message I was trying to deliver but how I was delivering it, I was able to see how much personality matters in volunteering.

As a younger person, volunteering was an amazing experience. It has forever changed my perspective on the world. I had previously travelled and seen different cultures but my experiences as a volunteer were something unique. The impact of volunteering has so much weight and longevity on the volunteer. I can only encourage younger people to get involved in Palms’ placements and become engaged with developing communities. It’s a great opportunity to get amazing insights into indigenous cultures, to take on roles of responsibility in development and to become a part of something so important.

Heath

Read more (next page) about how Heath built relationships, by focussing on the community’s

assets rather than its shortcomings.

Heath Thompson recently completed his placement in Timor-Leste and shared this reflection on the experience.

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Returnee’s reflectionWhat is volunteering?

My trip to Timor-Leste last November served the purpose of gathering volunteers to reinforce a planning and evaluation process adopted as part of AusAID’s Pilot Volunteer Fund. Though I was there to lead the exercise, I learned something that has helped me think more about the process. Specifically, two volunteers discussed the process of reflecting on their host communities’ assets.

“Arising out of a critique of needs-based approaches to development, asset-based community development (ABCD) offers a set of principles and practices to mobilize and sustain community economic development.”1 While identifying needs is important, ABCD looks to address these by building on the assets that exist within the local community. When development relies on assets introduced from outside of the community it can create dependencies that may not be sustainable.

At Palms we expect the community requesting a volunteer to first identify its existing knowledge and skill assets. This enables them to discern and outline to Palms in a Position Description those skills local people might now usefully improve to assist further community development. ABCD also has the potential to provide a discerning volunteer with a much clearer idea of the assets that can be utilised in further skill development. It is what needs to be done before considering a work plan.

There is little new in this. Palms Australia (as the Paulian Association) was founded on the methodology of See, Judge and Act in the 1950s, which provides a similar approach. Those of you who have been placed with Palms should be pretty familiar with our suggestion of taking six months to

really see what is going on in the host community before suggesting, or even thinking of a single change that might improve work practices. This approach supports the principle of “do no damage”.

Volunteers should use the first six months to do foundational things that will assist to build relationships, such as language learning and trying to appreciate the patterns of behaviour behind each of new experience. After being so patient one might test a judgment through a tentative suggestion to a trusted community member. Then, we suggest being prepared to wait and carefully assess the response, which may not be apparent even as another month or more elapses. The patience required is enough to burst the mind of a “human doing”.

Assets based development suggests another activity that might help to avoid the restlessness felt by the active Westerner during that first six months of “Seeing”. It involves assessing the human and capital assets and resources already being deployed, or that have the potential to be deployed, to address the development in which one has been invited to participate.

I have found, in both Education and Development, that many dismiss new names for similar approaches to their work. You may hear “What’s old is new again” or “Wait long enough and the cycle will repeat itself” as disparaging comments. I like fresh expressions of a similar approach because they frequently bring greater clarity. And at times the stimulation of valuable new thinking is my reward.

Thank you to Heath and Mim for discussing this approach. It will certainly be useful as we prepare our next volunteers at our 2013 Orientation.

Roger1 “Who is Driving Development? Reflections on the Transformative

Potential of Asset-based Community Development”, 2005, Canadian Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 26, Issue 1

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DevelopmentVolunteer feedback influences approach

A recent trip to Madang and Kiunga provided many insights into the importance of our volunteers and our approach to volunteering.

In Madang, at Divine Word University, Peter and Elaine Smyth are volunteering their skills to improve the quality of tertiary education in PNG. Neither is lecturing, but each is contributing their own expertise to strengthen the systems of the university. Fr Jan Czuba, the principal of DWU, expressed his gratitude for Peter’s legal advice and Elaine’s human resources skills, highlighting that each was essential in overcoming the peculiar challenges which often face organisations in this country.

At the Diocese of Daru-Kiunga, Paul Tan, Esther Sim and John Gartner are sharing their skills in human resources, finance and project management, respectively, to build the programs and the capacity of local staff. The nearby Ok Tedi mine and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) projects assist a small handful of people, while inflating local prices beyond the reach of others, but the programs of the Diocese reach into the community and address the education, health, economic, social and spiritual needs of the people.

Br Mark, Emmaus Farm’s manager, with John Gartner, with their Eaglewood saplings. These saplings are part of an income generating project which will both help sustain Emmaus Farm and teach students about agriculture and small business.

Field TripPapua New Guinea

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Volunteers who engage in the community fully are more able to build relationships which both make them more effective in their work and increase their safety in their new environment.

Our partner organisations, who bring years of experience on the ground, are very capable of caring for volunteers and driving their own development.

By the end of the first year, the volunteer is ready to be truly useful to their host community.

As we have long said, relationships are central to our approach to volunteering - not just for their own sake, though they are intrinsically valuable, but also because they enable all other aspects of our mission (see page 22).

In both Madang and Kiunga, some key principles of Palms Australia’s approach were re-inforced:

Ongoing partnerships between Palms Australia and our partners allow volunteers to build on the work of each other.

Clustering volunteers, particularly where their skills complement each other, can increase their effectiveness, not just their security.

Volunteers must bring useful professional skills, requested by the host community, but also a willingness to be flexible, open to their own learning and cooperative.

Clockwise from top: Peter and Elaine Smyth at DWU; Esther Sim with Johannes Wungan; Paul Tan, Johannes and Charles Dabuna contemplate a new water pumpField Trip

The children have been working pretty hard during our homework sessions and following the poor results at the end of last year I have been focusing on the basics in Maths (simple operations), and English (sounds, spelling and grammar) for all primary grades. Maybe that concentration on basic skills and understanding them is paying off because the upper primary children are currently doing end of term tests and seem to be passing – even some kids that haven’t passed many tests before. It is a rewarding feeling, especially when they come home and run to tell us that they have passed, and they are smiling and feeling proud of themselves.

One night I was woken in the very early hours of the morning by someone calling out my name. I went outside, where two of the local women, Margaret

and Tuille, told me to come quickly as Lilly was ill; she had chest pain and breathing difficulties. Carmel had also heard the calling, so we went to Lilly’s room. Carmel did some obs, and decided to take her to hospital. She had a chest infection, was in hospital for three or four days, then off work for nearly four weeks. It’s great that the women feel they can rely on us at any time to help or provide support when they need it.

On Valentine’s Day, a big celebration here, Florah from the kitchen gave me some flowers, and just said “thank you”. I was really touched. She doesn’t speak much English, so I wrote a simple thank you note (only three sentences) for her in Sepedi. I went into the kitchen, and read the note out loud to her, then gave it to her. The kitchen staff were amazed and delighted, and clapped as though I’d just performed something wonderful. Florah, who is a very big woman, picked me up and hugged me so hard she nearly crushed me! For the next few days I had the local women coming to me to say they heard I can write in Sepedi, congratulating me and asking how I learnt it. I had to tell them no, I can’t actually write it myself and I got the words out of the Sepedi dictionary. That didn’t matter though, no white person had written to them in their own language before, and they appreciated the effort to communicate with them in their native tongue.

Write to Fran or donate to her placement at www.palms.org.au/volunteers/fran-hewitt/Fran , pictured here with a 2.37m

long Black Mamba, caught by students, just near her house.

Fran Hewitt departed Tasmania to volunteer with Holy Family Care Centre in Ofcolaco as a teacher. Pictured above is Gregory (right) with a number of his students. Fran and Gregory work closely together building each others’ understandings of what will work best for their students.

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From the FieldAcceptance,

understanding and care

Generations of Palms’ volunteers have heard the advice “don’t do anything for six months.” While this may seem impractical to someone leaving our sometimes-hectic culture, or wasteful to donors wanting immediate results (however unsustainable), it remains as true as ever that taking time to establish relationships is an essential part of the volunteering process.

John Chang, from Chatswood, has just completed his first six months and offers the following observations of his new workplace and home in Dili, Timor-Leste.

Timorese are very friendly people, sociable and generally polite. They tend to greet you at any time and any where. Also, they love doing any kind of celebration in a big way that includes baptism, funerals or weddings. Their public holidays celebrate Santo Day, Soul Day, Santa Cruz Day – which commemorates the massacre, the worst outrages of the Indonesian soldiers which killed more than 100 civilians. There are two kinds of Independence Day, one is on 20th May and the other is on 28th November and there is also Indonesia Invasion Day. The Timorese earn little but they do know how to spend big on any celebration and take days preparing for it.

My work place is at Katolika Diocese de Dili, next to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which was opened by President Soeharto in 1988 and blessed by Pope John Paul II the following year. The location is about 30 minutes walking from my casa but no thanks; it is far too hot for walking. We are situated in a white painted Portuguese designed building which we share with a few NGOs and priests from different parishes. My role is Business/Youth Work Coordinator, looking after the Departementu Juventude also known as DEJUKDDIL or Youth Centre.

Beside spiritual sessions (which are not conducted by me) the Diocese Youth Centre organises sports, art and music and also provides vocational training such as English, IT and Computer courses. Most of these activities were created after the upheaval in 2006/7 where unemployed youth of different gangs were involved in fights and minor riots during which cars and properties were stoned and torched.

The centre is dedicated to build capacity and develop leadership skills for the poor; to increase the independence of the vulnerable and young unemployed men and women. And so far it is showing a positive channel with a good result in keeping the youth off the streets in the Diocese.

The Training Centre is operated by a dozen 22 to 27 year old teachers/trainers who possess no formal teaching qualification. Most of them are handpicked by the Pedro and perform their duties teaching, marketing the centre, maintaining, cleaning, guarding plus multi-tasking in organising music, sports and other activities of the centre.

It’s a hell of job to be in for a monthly wage of a mere one hundred bucks and sometimes with late payment of wages over two and a half months. Fortunately, they are happy to do the chores and there are no grudges. This is the good side of the Timorese culture. As well they have high respect for their Amo/Pedro, Irmas/Sisters and Brothers or elders. After all this is an exceptionally strong Catholic country.

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From the Field6 months in...

John Chang with Edith Cheung (placed in Uganda) participate in a development simulation at Palms Australia’s Orientation Course, July 2011.

In the wake of a security incident in PNG in November 2010 (not connected to Palms or AusAID’s Pilot Volunteer Fund or PVF), AusAID understandably conducted a significant review of volunteer safety and security protocols. This review was still taking place in April 2011 at the time Palms Australia’s application for funding was approved under the PVF.Twenty Palms volunteers were ready to depart, on schedule, in July 2011, however security consultants who AusAID had engaged to investigate safety and security of our originally approved placements were still visiting communities to assess their safety. We were unable to place any volunteers with AusAID funds until after November 2011. This long delay threw up enormous challenges for Palms, the volunteers, and requesting communities who had been unable to proceed with program plans dependant on the promised volunteers.Devising and executing solutions consumed staff more than planned, with AusAID consultants and staff, volunteers and in some cases their Australian employers, and host communities all requiring additional communication. Other activities were put on hold, but the creativity and diligence of Palms’ staff and Palms’ outstanding relationships with overseas partners gave us the flexibility required to adjust. As I write now we are starting to collate mid-term evaluations from host communities and volunteers. Some are still in the process of building the necessary cross-cultural relationships to establish understanding, acceptance and trust. In spite of program disruptions some organisations, which otherwise would not have been able to engage volunteers, were already highlighting the growing confidence and independence of counterparts working together trialing new ideas and newly acquired skills.

The three agencies funded under the PVF recently asked for a meeting

with AusAID to discuss unclear arrangements for evaluation of the program. We all feel that despite the significant initial disruptions much is being achieved and much more could be achieved in an ongoing program that has now bedded down the safety and security arrangements. At the meeting AusAID outlined three options for future funding, but qualified this with a very clear statement that we should not hold out hope for future funding.The message is clear. To get any funding we must once again convince AusAID and our Members of Parliament of the merits of continued support for Palms. In a letter accompanying this Palms Post I outline the arguments that must be put.Palms has demonstrated the flexibility of a smaller agency, but is also able to engage the widespread infrastructure of a very large institution. Palms’ close relationship with the global Catholic Church ensures that volunteers can remain safe, secure and effective in districts otherwise unengaged by the Australian volunteer program, yet often most in need of such partnerships. Our relationship with the Australian church connects us to a massive network in Australia that both supports volunteering and helps to spread the broader messages of the Australian aid and development program.Please read the enclosed letter and complete the short response form to indicate how you might be able to participate in what is an essential campaign. It will cost less than a donation, but will give more to the communities Palms serves and enable volunteers to serve in more communities than hundreds of donations.With thanks, in anticipation of your solidarity,

Roger

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Considering future optionsAusAID Pilot Volunteer Fund

Kathy, Fran, John and Heath’s letters in this issue illustrate how AusAID funds and Palms volunteers contribute to sustainable development.

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As part of our year of Jubilee, we’ve undertaken to revisit our vision and mission to ensure it continues to guide our work.

We understand that it is not enough to rest on our past achievements, or to remain static in a changing world, and it is in this spirit of mindfulness that we review our work, our partnerships and our purpose.

Following a detailed period of reflection and consultation, beginning with our organisational review in November, we’ve come up with what we believe more clearly articulates our vision and mission and

the approach necessary to achieve them.

Please take the time to read the result and offer feedback by emailing palms@palms.org.au.

Our VisionPeople cooperating across cultures in order to achieve a just, sustainable, interdependent and peaceful world free of poverty.

Our MissionRecruit and prepare volunteers that are able to:1. Engage Australian communities with international communities to increase their awareness, enthusiasm and mutual involvement in action that achieves just, sustainable and peaceful development.2. Participate in an exchange of knowledge and skills to meet the requests of communities seeking to reduce poverty by developing the capacity of their people and organisations.

ApproachThe vision and mission will be enabled where all are prepared and inspired to engage mutually enriching and challenging relationships of understanding, acceptance and care, and to share worlds of meaning in the deepest sense, with a people of a culture different from one’s own. This is how we “open our hands to the world” and achieve the solidarity described in Palms’ Values Statement.

John O’Dwyer and two apprentices inspect a vehicle in Aitape, PNG, 1990.

Strategic DirectionThe next 50 years

PALMS POST is printed on 100% recycled paper.PALMS POST is the newsletter published by Palms Australia.Palms Australia material may be freely reproduced with permission from, and acknowledgment to, Palms Australia; permission for use of non-Palms Australia text and images should be obtained from the original source. Palms Australia publishes PALMS POST in accordance with its constitution, but views may be explored where there is a divergence of opinion or understanding.

ISSN: 1447-8641

Palms AustraliaP.O. Box 976

GLEBE NSW 2037Phone 02 9518 9551

Fax 02 9518 9550www.palms.org.au

Palms Australia is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development Code of Conduct. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management.

Front cover: Former volunteer dental hygienest, Donna Furler, on the rounds with a local doctor, stops to get directions and build relationships in Timor-Leste.

Make your end of financial year donation

at www.palms.org.au

Each donation is multiplied in value by

the generosity of our volunteers.

Palms Australia gratefully acknowledges the recent support and cooperation of the following Australian organisations and agencies:

AusAID, Australian Catholic University, Archdioceses of Adelaide and Brisbane, Dioceses of Ballarat, Bathurst, Broken Bay, Rockhampton, Townsville and Wagga Wagga, Catholic Health Australia, Catholic Mission, Christian Brothers Oceania, Divine Word Missionaries, Friends and Partners with East Timor (FPET), Podmore Foundation, Rotary Club of Morialta, Sacred Grounds Organic, Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, St Columban’s Mission Society, St James Parish Forest Lodge, University of Wollongong