Development Education in Denmark |
The other large NGO in this category is IBIS, formerly the Danish
chapter of World University Service (founded in 1966). It is one of the
major development project NGOs in Denmark, but also active in DE and it
is characterised by involvement of experienced activists in nearly
all its activities.
Another group of the category are the missions, of which the
first was founded in 1822. Their activities comprise a combination of evangelical
work, development projects and DE all interwoven, but more emphasis has
been given to DE as the `unified man' has increasingly become a key concept
in their approach. More than 1,000 grassroots groups throughout Denmark
are engaged in the work of the missions besides cooperation with congregations,
scouts and youth organisations. In DE, they are concerned with different
themes such as mutual respect in the meeting between religions, human rights,
environmental issues, trade and debt - all being seen in a religious context.
The Labour Movement is engaged in development issues including
information and DE. Landsorganisationen, the National Federation of Trade
Unions, is taking art in international trade union cooperation including
Third World issues, both at national and branch level. The Labour Movement's
Third World Committee (founded in 1981) is a DE institution within the
Labour Movement with specialised staff and branches throughout the country.
Today, it looks as if the nation-building issue is going to be very
much in the forefront in the coming years, but now in the form of how ethnic
groups, tribes and different religious groups can live together, along
with recognition of the rights ot minorities. This is not just a problem
in the South, but in the North as well; eg. USA or the Balkans.
Since 1975, women's issues have gained still more attention.
This has grown into the consideration of gender politics in general. Within
that framework, it plays quite an important role in DE in most NGOs/ NGGs.
Themes relating to international organisations and structures
have always been, and are, an important part within DE. In the 60s and
70s, the theories of dependence were on the agenda together with the trade
issue and international institutions such as transnational bodies, IBRD,
IMF and the UN family, not least UNCTAD.
There is also, however, a conflict between norms, cultures and religions
which leads to discrimination and persecution of minorities, for
example immigrants and refugees or indigenous peoples. This aspect has
been on the agenda for some time as part of the racism and tribalism
issue, but is now being expanded and broadened in its content and is undergoing
new analysis leading to new strategies. Some of the missions are looking
into the issue within themes like mutual respect in the meeting between
religions. The main trends in relation to themes are as follows:
The development and expansion of all types of communication has
had a major impact, leading to the problem of how to compete with the large
professional information flow. While opportunities are greater, the pressure
on grassroots groups to produce a professional product is similarly increased.
In recent decades, the possibilities for international travel have increased
substantially for the general public, which facilitates youth exchanges
and other types of direct personal experience and contacts. Those
personal experiences have facilitated meetings, letter writing and contributions
from persons from the South to Danish DE (see Case Study 1 ).
A few groups are engaged in research on themes, issues and strategies,
although it seems that volunteers are less involved in this type of activity.
Exceptions can be found, for example within women's and trade issues.
Another sort of multi-activity, are the friendship villages.
These include different types of development programmes, including DE,
in a local area or institution. The development educators inform about
the actual situation in the villages in the South and use it as an example
of general issues. Almost all types of activities are used, not least the
personal contacts and experiences.
A problem for DE groups and organisations depending upon short-term
employed people is the constant turn- over nf staff. An advantage has been
a flow of, usually, well motivated staff with new points of view. This
way nf working raises specific demands on management that can he difficult
tn fulfil for smaller organisations and groups.
Then there is a group of medium sized NGOs with less than 5-600
members, up to 100 activists, a few people temporarily employed full time
(often paid for by the state as part of unemployment programmes), perhaps
one or two permanently employed, a small budget and a few decentralised
groups outside headquarters. The main activity of these organisations is
DE and only a few are running development projects.
The last group within the first category is a large number of small
NGOs/NGGs mostly active in DE.
The last two sub-categories are often specialised with respect
tn subjects/ themes, types of activities or geographical areas of interest
but together they cover a whole range within DE. KULU, Women and Development
(founded 1976) focuses on women's issues and is a typical medium sized
NGO, playing an important role in DE. It addresses a broad target group
with DE activities and is engaged in lobbying both other NGOs, public institutions
and politicians. Examples of other issues are: trade, human rights, environment,
cultural activities, etc.
A large number of the medium sized organisations are solidarity
and friendship organisations, all of which are involved in DE. Some
of them are also running projects and youth exchange in relation to `their'
country, district or village. Examples of such organisations are the Nicaragua
Committee (founded in I980) and Danish Community Project, Villages in Ghana
(also founded in 1980).
NGOs working in part on development issues
Most of these are quite large NGOs with contact with several thousands
or hundreds of thousands of members or contributors. The number of activists
differ from very few to several thousands. Not all are involved in DE.
Many have a decentralised structure covering most of the country.
One group in this category comprises humanitarian organisations
such as the Danish Red Cross Society (founded in 1876) and Danchurchaid
(founded in 1922).
Danchurchaid is running Denmark's largest programme of development
projects, but also engages in other aspects of development work such as
DE. It is not a membership organisation, but more than 60,000 people contribute
on a regular basis with small and large donations, and a number of volunteers
are involved in fundraising, for example by running second hand shops.
An organisation working along general humanistic lines is The Danish
Peoples Relief Association (formed in 1907), organising about 5,000 individual
members and organisations representing 800,000. The organisation is mainly
running relief and development projects, but also undertakes some DE activities.
A small but increasing number of NGOs/NGGs are those organising immigrants
and refugees. Their DE activities are concerned both with their internal
situation in Denmark and with their countries of origin.
Grassroots DE activities also take place inside a large number of scouts,
students, youth, and similar organisations, as well as in groups connected
with non- formal education.
Networks
Networks to coordinate these geographically and organisationally wide-spread
DE activities have become established. At a national level, there
is no network incorporating all the grassroots organisations. The largest
general network is Fagligt Forum om U- landsoplysning (National Forum on
DE) with 25 of the most important DE organisations involved. Additionally,
there are ad hoc networks related to actual themes, eg. Central America,
the UNCED process etc. Local networks are few but increasing in numbers.
A common type comprises a number of organisations and groups who share
a shop or offices. Another is a network organised to handle certain types
of DE eg. a Development Education Centre.
How are they funded?
Grassroots DE is funded from two main sources: the public sector and private
foundations.
At national level, the main direct source is DANIDA, the Danish
International Development Agency in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It
has a budget for funding NGO/NGG DE of approximately 16.5 million DKr (2.2
million ECU). Some support also comes from the non- formal education programmes,
programmes to support activities for youth, and programmes to combat unemployment.
At local level, the funding possibilities are limited: again,
some unemployment programmes, programmes to support cultural events, free
use of municipal facilities for educational activities etc.
International funding, especially by the EC, is growing, but
because of bureaucratic difficulties this source is not readily available
to smaller NGOs/NGGs.
The private funding comprises: membership fees and contributions,
collections, profit from shops and other activities such as payment from
participants in cultural events, evening classes, study tours etc. A most
important source in grassroots DE is the free labour of the volunteers.
Who is doing the work?
At the moment, the next main resource in DE, the labour force, consists
of three main groups:
The importance of the activists is not just a question of free labour;
but that they are committed and highly motivated to do DE. Many have a
personal contact to a lot of different groups throughout Danish society;
they represent a broad range of knowledge and experience. Through their
engagement and commitment, they contribute the the debate and to the development
of DE.
Key Trends: Past and Present
Themes/issues
The themes and issues covered by DE in Denmark have developed since the
1950s. Some general issues are still on the agenda and others have developed
during the years. The overall trend is the constant widening of the range
of themes and issues. Before the SOs, when the missions were the only NGOs
in DE, the issues on the agenda were health and education. Together
with other basic needs such as water, they have been on the agenda
ever since, hut most intensely so until the 70s. The focus has changed
from issues related to development assistance to meet basic needs, towards
more specialised issues such as the new disease: AIDS.
Decolonisation and nation-building had a high priority until
the middle of the 70s featuring Mozambique and Angola. It has played a
minor role in the 80s, but there are some examples, eg. Eritrea. It is
not always a question of supporting a fight for national independence,
although such fights have often mobilised support in Denmark. It is also
a matter of supporting the building of a new nation which can be seen in
the large number of friendship organisations and groups. The first India-
DK Society was established in 1948, but most were founded from around 1970
and onwards.
Development strategies have been an issue since the independence
of India and the civil war in China. Economically, the questions were the
different systems: a socialist/planning system opposed to an open market
economy or different types of the Third Way. Politically, the questions
related to different types of democracy, one-party states and socialist
one-party states. Part of this issue has also been the fight against dictatorships.
These themes have been discussed along broader lines. in DE. Since
the 80s, the political agenda has changed to include questions such as
people's participation, democracy, human rights and conditionality. Regarding
economic and social development, the main stream since the 80s is the acceptance
of a more or less regulated open market economy, but the issues differ
depending on the situations in the different areas of the South. Africa
is at the centre of Danish DE, and the issues here are macroeconomic, such
as the structural adjustment programmes advocated by IMF/IBRD, and microeconomic,
like management in a market economy.
Support to children has been of concern since the late 40s,
but has increased considerably, mostly in relief aid or development support.
It is a theme strongly present in DE.
In relation to technology, grassroots DE mostly concentrates
on appropriate technology; one of the smaller issues, but permanently present.
In the 80s, debt had a large role on the agenda. The UN family
of specialised agencies faded compared to the IMF and IBRD. After the fall
of most of the communist systems, while the trend is not clear, the UN
institutions and local and regional institutions of the South seem to be
returning onto today's agenda.
Trade issues are permanently present, but on a small scale.
Different kinds of alternative trade are growing slowly. In relation to
international trade and industrial restructuring, the Labour Movement is
running DE programmes focusing on international contacts between workers
in the North and South in industries such as Garments and Textiles.
Themes which have come to play an important role within DE especially,
at the grassroots level, are environment and culture. The cultural
theme includes several aspects; looking at cultural interfaces from a positive
point ofview: entertainment, broadening views and knowledge of life, and
new ways of expression.
Types of activities
A whole range of activities are used in grassroots DE.
The traditional types ofgrassroots DE like speeches, meetings
and seminars seem to play a smaller role than before. Other traditional
types of DE, like books and other written material, grew considerably
from the SOs to 80s, but seem to have decreased in the 90s, while journals
and internal NGO Newsletters are still are widely used.
Street activities and demonstrations were widely used
from the late 60s to the 80s, but have decreased in importance over recent
years.
The use of cultural activities, such as theatre, music, food
etc. , has increased considerably in the last 10 -15 years. Sometimes the
Danes are only audiences, sometimes they are taking part in the performances
or learning. Within the churches a new trend is to present elements of
liturgy from churches in Latin America and Southern Africa into Danish
church services.
There has also been an increase in the number of shops - run
by grassroots groups or on a commercial basis- selling books, music, crafts,
staple foods and second hand clothes. Some of these activities have a DE
aspect and the shop volunteers and customers are motivated to obtain more
information.
During the last 5 -10 years, larger multi-activities or events have
become more common. One example of this is countrywide campaigns,
eg. `The Columbus' presented as a Case Study 3. Such combined events can
comprise the whole of the country as, for example, in the Churches' `Third
World Week', or it can be local within a town.
In Denmark, the main emphasis for DE is on the informal education sector
and the general public, although there are NGOs/NGGs that focus on the
formal sector and on political decision-makers.
To summarise, the main trends in activities are that:
Personnel resources
As mentioned previously, there are three groups of personnel working within
grassroots DE: unpaid volunteers, short-term employed and long-term (or
permanently) employed.
The number of long-term employed in N G Os working with DE has
been increasing over the years, and that seems also to be the case with
the part of the work that covers the grassroots activities.
These employed on short-term contracts (7-9 months) over the
last 8- l 0 years have been mostly on state supported unemployment programmes.
The trend, therefore, depends on unemployment policy. This policy will
be changed from 1/1/94, but an element might be that unemployed people
can work within humanitarian organizations for a longer period.
Volunteers working partly because of their beliefs, with or
without pay, have existed for years. The exact number of volunteers is
hard to estimate, but it is assumed to have increased in the late 60s and
to have remained quite high since then. They are of all ages, represent
all strata nf society and may be divided into a number of categories:
The message from nearly all types of NGOs/NGGs is the need for all-round
organisers. The large and expensive activities and events put more demands
on volunteers and activists to fultil their obligations n time and in a
proper way. The consequence is a change in required management styles within
grassroots groups and NGOs. Within some organisatinns, it is a challenge
to get the long-term employed and volunteers to cooperator in a way that
brings good results and keeps the volunteers involved.Funding
Over the years, the Danish Government funds for DE have increased
and, in the late 80s, it was decided that the amount for DE should be a
fixed percentage of the total funds for allocated for overseas development
aid. The problem for the smaller groups is the lack of administrative abilities
required to provide satisfactory monitoring. This is a problem in relation
to DANIDA, and an even larger problem regarding the EC.
Organisational structures and management
The trends are :
The trend in management is not so clear, but issues considered in `Personnel
resources', above, have led to a move away from the typical flat, grassroots
style of management to a style with more specific duties, responsibilities,
timetables and monitoring.
For volunteers, there has been the introduction of `work contracts'
to help ensure some continuity and to solve the problem of a lack of organisers.
Not all organisations are following this trend, however. The Nicaragua
Committee in Árhus still runs some activities along a flat grassroots management
model with success. The trend is also to adjust the management style to
the activity and the personnel so that certain types of activities and
personnel `demand' a certain type of management and organisational structure.
NGDO-EC Liaison Committee: Development Education Group