Visiting card

Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Angepae Technologie und Entwicklungspolitische Zusammenarbeit, AGATE e.V.

AGATEe. V.
Achterstrasse 4
5100 Aachen, FF!G
Tel.: 0241/30335

The Working Group for Appropriate Technology and Cooperation in Development Policy (AGATE e. V.) is a recognized non-profit-making association whose members include university lecturers, ecclesiastical-ecumenical staff, students from the Third World, people responsible for applying development policy in practice, as well as craftsmen and master craftsmen. AGATE e. V. is a member of the Diakonisches Werk (charitable foundation) of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland.

Because the structure and content of syllabuses at German universities are almost exclusively based on the socio-cultural conditions and requirements in highly industrialized countries like the Federal Republic, this organization offers students from developing countries an opportunity to get to grips with the problems of both large-scale and appropriate technology. The underlying aim is to develop alternatives for the Third World. The >>Vacation Academy<< provides corresponding opportunities.

A look at the articles of association of AGATE provides an insight into the aims it has set itself.

"1. The purpose of the association is to develop, with members from developing countries and on a practice-related and interdisciplinary basis, approaches to ideas and action relevant to developing countries, in particular in the sphere of contextually suitable and appropriate technologies, within the framework of measures accompanying courses of study at universities in the State of North-Rhine Westphalia.

This is intended to familiarize students with the complex socioeconomic relationships between the economy, the state of resources, cultural behaviour and politics affecting the various technologies, and examine the ability of the latter to bring about social innovation.

This additional educational opportunity is aimed at facilitating students' personal and professional reintegration in their countries of origin, taking the concept of mutually conditional development as a basis.

The educational aim is intended to help combat mass poverty and discrimination, especially of women, and to help eliminate their causes.

2. The purpose of the association is to be achieved in particular by:

· setting up and running a practice-oriented vacation academy with relevance for developing countries, enabling participants to relate their course of study in

the industrialized country to its occupational and social applicability in their countries of origin;

· carrying out practical accompanying projects, which enable studens to experience the practical and theoretical relationships between large-scale industrial methods and subsistence production;

· Organizing scientific events (workshops, lectures, exhibitions, excursions), producing publications and making cultural contributions;

· collaborating with development aid and scientific institutions and persons both in Germany and abroad which or who are pursuing similar aims;

· sponsoring trips home by students for the purpose of occupationally relevant and development-related practical work;

· cultivation of post-university contacts and exchange of experience with foreign university graduates who have returned home."

Appropriate technology lives from the ideas of many. AGATE ist therefore keen to establish contact with other firms, groups and individuals working in this field.

CUSO ASIA

Address:
CUSO ASM
P.O. Box487
10760 Penang
Malaysia
Cable: CUSASIA Penang
Telex: MA 40164 APIOCU
Phone: 04-369495

CUSO is an independent Canadian development organization which responds to the needs of developing countries by providing skilled Canadian workers, funding projects which promote self-reliance, and educating Canadians to the causes of under-development.

Since 1961 when the organization was founded, more than 9000 cooperants (volunteers) have worked on two-year contracts with CUSO in the South Pacific, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Another important but more recent part of CUSO's work is funding programmes and projects by the local development organizations in the Third World. Over the years CUSO has supported hundreds of projects big and small. Some are sectoral (in agriculture, health, education, community development, or appropriate technology, for example) and some adopt an integrated approach addressing a wide range of issues at the same time.

CUSO's history in Asia

CUSO began in Asia in 1962 when 12 Canadian volunteers went to India and Sri Lanka. In its early days it was almost completely a volunteer programme. By the time the volunteer programme reached its peak in 1972 (with over 100 volunteers a year in India alone), CUSO had placed over 1300 volunteers in Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and Thailand - with the largest number in the last 3 countries.

Later CUSO also placed volunteers in Nepal, Bangladesh and Laos, but generally the volunteers programme has been scaled down to its present total of about 40 in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The two longest running programmes have been in Thailand with over 900 in total (1962-1985) and Malaysia with over 700 (1966-1985).

CUSO's initial approach to combating poverty was to provide educated and committed Canadians to fill a lack of skilled manpower in middle level positions of Asian countries. This was at the request of Asian Governments. As the 1960s turned into the 1970s however, Asia trained its own people to fill such positions. The manpower needs that remained were, firstly, much smaller and, secondly, for much more specialized skills.

At the same time CUSO Asia recognized the growing number of competent and committed Asian organizations that could do much more to help the Asian poor than volunteers could ever do. By the late 1970s CUSO was more involved funding projects managed by Asian NGOs than it was with volunteers. It believed in Asia for the Asians and increasingly supported indigenous Asian organizations who wanted to overcome the forces keeping the poor poor.

CUSO has also played a role in the last few years in pioneering new support possibilities for Canadian bilateral assistance. CUSO has helped build up local organizations (like PROSHIKA in Bangladesh and NET in Thailand) and has introduced them to CIDA (the Canadian International Development Agency) and shown that they can manage large and longterm bilateral assistance.

CUSO Asia's programmes

1. Supporting participatory integrated rural development programmes with NGOs.

2. Strengthening local Asian NGOs to become more effective development agencies.

3. Limiting the damaging effects of modernization and the casualties of development.

4. Building up and building on indigenous knowledge and skills.

5. Developing water resources.

6. Supply English language Resource people.

7. Miscellaneaous (surveys, research, university teaching, PHC, Village credit).