Half a century with development projects;
May we finally learn from our mistakes?

The conflict in Western Sahara is a conflict we rarely hear about, and few people know it even exists. The Saharawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, have existed for 40 years, after the Moroccan occupation of the territories in 1975. The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), proclaimed by Frente Polisario after the Spanish exit in 1975, is today recognized by a number of countries, and is a fully accepted member of the African Union. The latest developments have been interesting, where the EU Court of Justice in Brussels has ruled a trade agreement with Morocco and the EU invalid as it includes goods from Western Sahara. Also, the King of Spain, during the UN 71st General Assembly expressed concerns about the situation and stated his support to the UN and their continuous work for a referendum and the right of the Saharawi people self determination.

The many years in exile has led to a whole generation growing up without knowing their own country, and with few hopes for the future. The conflict is by the UN and NRC said to be one of the world’s ten forgotten crisis. The communities in the five refugee camps are completely reliant on international aid, in the form of money, food and medicine. In the last few years aid has been cut dramatically, which makes a challenging life even more challenging for the population. Especially the youth are frustrated. They want a dignified life, they want their land back, and with access to the internet they see what their peers in other countries have access to, and of course they are inspired by the Arabic Spring.

According to the UN, less than 1 per cent of youth in refugee camps around the world have access to education. The camps in Tindouf stands out in this case however. They are well organized, there are schools up to middle school level, there are some health clinics and all resources from aid are being distributed evenly to the population. Polisario, originally the Saharawi liberation movement, today the administrative and military power/leadership of the camps and the Liberated Territories, has also created well established exchange agreements with a number of countries, and thus a large number of youth attend high school in Algeria, Italy, Spain, Cuba and other countries in Europe. The people speak both Spanish, Arabic and the local dialect of Hassaniya, in addition to the languages they acquire while studying abroad; English, Italian, French and so on. They have a great willpower; they are extremely resilient and educated. Yet, although many people are highly educated and have lived in Western developed countries for many years, there is absolutely nothing for them to do the day they return to the camps. A great number of people return home after ended school, but despite their education and skills they don’t start or produce anything new. This might seem very contradictory for an outsider. This practice stems however from the Polisario and the community’s patriotism and strong belief that they one day will return home to their country, and they don’t want to ‘settle’ or construct an infrastructure in the camps in Algeria.

This past summer I implemented a feasibility study and pilot project in two of the camps, Laayoune and Smara, together with the organization the World Education Foundation (WE Foundation). Over the course of two days, in each of the camps, we implemented a workshop for youth in one of the wilayas; neighborhoods. About 20 youth joined, both girls and boys, between the age of 15–30 years old. The first day was challenging; it was extremely hot, no air condition, and it was their summer break. But more than anything, it was challenging just for the fact that they were young girls and boys, and as youth everywhere they were shy, giggly, no one wanted to be the first to speak, and they were all in holiday mode. Our guide, Salamu Hamad, born and raised in the Smara camp, graduated from high school in Italy and undergrad in the US, now working for international NGOs in the camps in Tindouf, was sure the project would never be successful. According to him, the youth in these camps are lazy and not interested in working or developing anything new. He could not have been more wrong.

The project, WE:SOLVE Labs, aims to train the youth to believe in themselves, and make them believe they inhabit the knowledge and skills to change their situation. In groups, the youth are handed a theme, such as health and sanitation, education, energy or food security and agriculture. They are then to go out into their own community and conduct needs assessments. By analyzing the collected data they are to come up with ideas for solutions to the problem they have identified as the most crucial one. At the end they are to come up with a prototype of the solution. The youth we worked with this summer came back after the needs assessment as new people. Their heads were full of new ideas and visions, and new perspectives and knowledge about what challenges their teachers, doctors and parents face on a daily basis. We were there to test the methodology and to see if this kind of project would actually be needed and wanted in the community. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. The youth themselves were grateful for someone coming and actually asking them what they want and need, and they reported the same positive sentiments from their interviewees in the community. They all greatly appreciated being included and asked. They are not used to being involved like this, even when projects are aimed at them. Also, they are not used to be asked or think that they actually inhabit knowledge, skills and ideas that can change their lives. The society lacks resources, and the international community has for 40 years turned its attention elsewhere.

Development projects are often accused of spending enormous amounts of money on short-term projects that are implemented with no thorough research or feasibility studies. Our visit and interviews in the refugee camps confirmed the basis for these accusations and critique. The feedback mostly pointed to the fact that the community was grateful for being included and asked. The initial planning process is just as important as the actual implementation of a project. Substantial research and planning is essential for the success of any kind of project, and the participation of the local community, and essentially the participants of the project, is crucial.

We can today register a slow but steady change in the work process in a number of development projects. With the number of years, the enormous sums and the apparent lack of real change in the world’s reduction in poverty in mind, it is about time. Development projects and organizations should also be conscious about their role and the opportunities they possess as being a source of support for peace building and non-violent, sustainable solutions in the communities they work. Empathy, knowledge, freedom of thought and cooperation is closely linked, however, these factors are rarely present in classrooms in developing countries. The target groups of development projects are often people experiencing and living in conflict or in deprivation and suppressed situations. Organizations should have a greater focus bringing elements mentioned above into projects, to generate a shift in the mindset and the consciousness of the participants to create peaceful and better, more sustainable solutions.

Projects like the WE:SOLVE Labs can be a great asset in the work toward such change. To work together with the local community from the beginning, and to not be afraid of the profit aspect of development projects (which may actually go back to further developing the projects), are factors, which are lacking in a majority of developing projects today. The goal of development projects must be what the word implies; creating development. The projects should be self-sufficient after the donor money or the time frame ends. In addition to this, a change of mindset and attitude is needed when it comes to the faith in and inclusion of today’s youth — the leaders of tomorrow. Without this, we will never see real change in the challenging situation we see in the world today. We must help create platforms where youth can learn, utilize their skills and knowledge and work together towards the future they wish for themselves, their community and their world.

The article was written and translated by Kaja Wold, and is published with the author’s consent.