One of us – yet somehow not

Stiftung Bühl CD-Richtlinien

South-South assignments as part of the PDC approach

One of us – yet somehow not »

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Josef EstermannGrundlagen & Forschung

Comundoim RomeroHaus

Kreuzbuchstrasse 44CH-6006 Luzern

Tel. +41 58 854 11 [email protected]

www.comundo.org

Cooperating for a fairer world

Stiftung Bühl CD-RichtlinienA stocktaking based on a Comundo pilot project in Peru To date, Personnel Development Cooperation (PDC) in Switzerland has been mainly characterised by assignments of co-workers from the Global North (more specifically from Switzerland, sometimes Germany) at partner organi-sations in the Global South and will certainly remain so for some time to come. These so-called North-South assignments form the backbone of PDC, together with awareness-raising efforts by sending organisations in Swiss civil society. Over time, these assignments have become more diversified; today, in addition to the “classic” long-term assignments (of two or three to nine years or even indefinitely depending on the sending organisation), there are also specific short-time assignments (expert assignments), job internships (between six and twelve months) and awareness-raising internships ( job shadowing; Voyage Partage, etc.). South-North assignments – in which a co-worker from the Global South undertakes an assignment in Switzerland – have also been tested on various occasions and monitored and evaluated in detail as part of innovation projects.

In South-South assignments, however, there is a third form of exchange, which has barely been explored or eva-luated. This is a (long-term) assignment of a co-worker from one country in the Global South to another Global South country, namely a country of assignment managed by the sending organisation, which plans, monitors, and evaluates this assignment. In principle, this type of South-South exchange could be intercontinental in nature, i.e. a co-worker from Africa could be sent to Latin America; from Asia to Africa; from Latin America to Asia, etc. This field report, however, examines the intra-continental assignment of a Latin American co-worker in another coun-try in Latin America. In addition to these international assignments (North-South; South-North; South-South), there have recently been national assignments i.e. of co-workers from the country of the assignment itself (“na-tional co-workers”). In evaluating South-South assignments, it will be important to distinguish them not only from the “classic” North-South assignment, but also from assignments of national co-workers, and to make the neces-sary comparisons between them.

Framework conditions of the Comundo “South-South assignment” pilot project

This report examines Comundo’s experience with the 2018-2021 pilot project “South-South assignment with a Chilean scientist and literary critic in Peru: Capitalising on the experience with a view to future South-South assignments”, which was evaluated as part of the Unité innovation fund. Co-worker Juan Jacobo Tancara Cham-be served for a three-year period from February 2018 to the end of March 2021. To complete outstanding tasks and make the experiences of the partner organisation and employees systematically accessible – which was not possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic – this assignment was extended by two months. In addition to institutional monitoring by the two country directors and the programme manager of the country of assignment (Peru), this pilot project was specifically monitored and evaluated on 13 predetermined criteria. The evaluation was carried out between November 2020 and February 2021 by Paul Mathis (Comundo programme manager for Peru) and the author of this report. In addition to written feedback, it included extensive interviews with the target population (students of the San Pablo Seminar), with the manager of the partner organisation CEDEPAS Centro (Centro Ecu-ménico de Promoción y Acción Social). Comundo co-workers in Peru, the two Comundo country directors in Peru, and the direction of Comundo International Departement were also responsible for giving input. The results are recorded in the final report entitled “‘One of us – yet somehow not’: Evaluation of the pilot project as part of the Unité innovation fund”.

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The purpose of this review is to share the experience of this South-South assignment with Unité member organi-sations, the “Institutional Partnerships” department of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (DEZA or SDC), and other interested parties, and to formulate possible criteria and perspectives for the further de-velopment of this approach in PDC. In addition to the specific experience with Juan Jacobo Tancara, Comundo can also draw on a similar experience that took place around the same time, with the Mexican co-worker Priscila Angélica Barredo Panti at the partner organisation AETE (Asociación Educativa Teológica Evangélica) in Lima (Fe-bruary 2019 to January 2021). However, as this assignment was not a part of the pilot project, it is mentioned only to be able to make comparisons.

Juan Jacobo Tancara is a Chilean theologian and literary critic, who, before his assignment with Comundo, stu-died and worked in various countries in Latin America (Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica). He also completed his doctora-te in Germany (Bielefeld). He is of Aymara origin and thus belongs to an indigenous minority in Chile, which can also be found in parts of Bolivia and Peru ‒ but not in Huancayo, where Juan Jacobo Tancara was on assignment. In spring 2017, the partner organisation CEDEPAS Centro, with which Comundo has enjoyed a close partnership for many years, approached Comundo and proposed Juan Jacobo Tancara to be considered as a co-worker in the area “Research and systematization in reality analysis, theological reflection, spirituality, and interculturality”. The project manager of the partner organisation knew Tancara because he had studied with him and participated in the same workshops at the San Pablo Seminary, although not as a Comundo co-worker.

It is, therefore, clear that Juan Jacobo Tancara’s assignment and evaluation are not readily transferrable to all possible South-South assignments. Although Priscila Barredo’s assignment may have some similarities to Juan Jacobo Tancara’s, there are many differences. Every South-South assignment is unique (as is every North-South assignment), not only in terms of the co-worker, but also the context, the partner organisation, the specific project, the socio-political situation, and more. This must always be considered in future South-South assignments.

Co-worker Juan Jacobo Tancara working as a lecturer

(photo: supplied)

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Stiftung Bühl CD-RichtlinienOne of the fundamental aims of the pilot project was to formulate sufficient criteria to develop a coherent policy for the sending organisation(s) and Unité to apply to South-South assignments. The main issue is the “added va-lue” of such an assignment i.e. the Unique Selling Point (USP) that distinguishes a South-South assignment from other types of PDC assignments: What knowledge, experience and competencies do co-workers from the Global South offer that their Global North and national counterparts do not? This question is extremely important for the advancement of PDC, as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) focuses on the idea that development cooperation affects all countries and societies equally, making the disjunctive between the Glo-bal North and South increasingly obsolete. In addition, most technical skills and competencies (“epistemic as-sets”) exist in the Global South countries just as they do in the Global North so that a transfer of knowledge and experience from North to South comes under pressure of legitimacy i.e. other criteria must be set up to establish a meaningful North-South assignment. In the case of a South-South assignment, such difficulties, and also the systemic problem of the “asymmetric relationship”, seem to play less of a role.

What differentiates a South-South assignment from a “classic” North-South assignment?Apart from South-South assignments with different languages, the co-worker’s language skills in the local lan-guage (in the case of Juan Jacobo Tancara: Spanish) are very high, in contrast to most North-South assignments. While sending organisations assume that outbound co-workers have the required language skills, with few excep-tions, these are not comparable to the skills of native speakers. In addition, there is an understanding of the “cul-tural code” associated with a language and its use; a co-worker with the same cultural and linguistic background is far better able to do this than a co-worker with different cultural and linguistic prerequisites.

El idioma ayuda mucho para lograr mayor integración y establecer un vínculo duradero con el grupo meta. No había malentendidos culturales, porque los contextos sociopolíticos y culturales del Perú y de Chile son muy parecidos. Además, Juan Jacobo Tancara estaba consciente de que el castellano no es igual en toda parte y preguntaba a la gente si así se decía.1

In the case of Juan Jacobo Tancara, his indigenous native language, Aymara, was another key advantage in deve-loping a common understanding (not only linguistic), as it is very close to Quechua (the target population) in syn-tax and vocabulary. Since most of the students he engaged with either still speak Quechua or at least come from the cultural environment where Quechua determines logic and influences thinking, Juan Jacobo Tancara had the great advantage of shared linguistic roots (“Es uno de nosotros”2). This gave far less motive for linguistic and cultural misunderstanding than is the case, on average, with a co-worker from the Global North (also among co-workers from Spain).

Se notaba ciertas diferencias en el modo de hablar ( jerga chilena, „corre más“, „salta más“) y en usar terminología de procedencia aimara, pero no hubo malentendidos a causa de diferencias lingüísticas, y más bien el conocimiento del idioma ayudó lograr cercanía con l*s estudiantes (a diferencia con gente de EE. UU.; Europa, que les cuesta a veces).3

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1 „The language helps to achieve better integration and build a lasting connection with the target group. There were no cultural misunderstandings, as the sociopolitical and cultural contexts of Peru and Chile are very similar. Furthermore, Juan Jacobo Tancara was aware that Spanish isn‘t the same everywhere, and so asked the people whether they would also express it in that way.“ (PO representative).2 „He is one of us.“ (target group: students)3 „There were certain differences in the mode of speech (Chilean slang, “run more”, “ jump more”) and in the use of terms originating from Aymara, but there were no misunderstandings caused by linguistic differences; rather, knowledge of the language helped to establish a closeness with the students (unlike people from the USA or Europe, who sometimes find this difficult).“ (Target group: students).


Therefore, the “inculturation” (inserción) process for a co-worker from the Global South (in an intracontinental setting) is not as long as that of a co-worker from the Global North: He/she can “get going” quickly.

…as I speak Spanish and am Latino/a, I don’t have to learn the history and mentality of Peru on top of that, because, as a Chilean or a Mexican, I already know it. A gross error, as Mexico and Chile are simply not Peru.5

4 The country directors referred to the course offered by the Peruvian organisation Centro Bartolomé de las Casas in Lima for people from abroad working in religious and development cooperation.5 Country directors, Peru.6 Country directors, Peru.

Preparations for understanding the local context, therefore, seem less relevant and were virtually nonexistent in Juan Jacobo Tancara’s case. However, in retrospect, according to the programme directors, this proved to be a shortcoming – because of course a Chilean would not understand the Peruvian reality either; however, due to a common historical, political, and cultural basis, far less effort is required. Many attitudes that prevail due to the informality and precariousness in Comundo’s countries of operation are, so to speak, also embedded in the DNA of a co-worker from these countries. Thus, flexibility, improvisation, creativi-ty, a simple lifestyle, hardship, and negotiating skills are realities or skills that can be assumed in most cases. Some co-workers from the Global North have to painstakingly acquire them and learn to accept them. However, it is a mistake to assume that a Chilean or Mexican co-worker would understand Peruvian realities, simply becau-se they are Latin American. Juan Jacobo Tancara would also have needed a “good introduction”, but this did not duly happen.

Co-worker Juan Jacobo Tancara with the primary target group of students

(photo: supplied)

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Because of his history and expertise, Juan Jacobo Tancara was able to contribute more to the analysis of the political context than a European co-worker.6

Conversely, this immediacy could also mean, in a negative way, that a co-worker from the South is not aware of every difference (between their country of origin and the country of assignment) no matter how small. This also applies to linguistic subtleties and local dialects ( jerga).

Stiftung Bühl CD-RichtlinienFor the reasons mentioned above, the workload of programme managers (PM) and country directors (CD) on a South-South assignment is less than on a North-South assignment, as many areas are eliminated (introduction to the country; assistance with practical issues; preparation in Switzerland; proofreading newsletters; organising awareness-raising trips, etc.).

Co-workers from the Global South share the colonial past with the target population and the “colonialism” that sometimes still prevails in structures, mentalities, and stereotypes. A co-worker from the Global North, on the other hand, belongs involuntarily to a system of (neo)-colonialization, even if he/she comes from a country like Switzerland that formally never had colonies. For a Global South co-worker (unless he/she belongs to the white elite), the debate about “decoloniality” is a very different matter than for a Global North co-worker. The “symbolic capital” that the particular co-worker – a “Swiss person” or a “Chilean” – represents is different for the target po-pulation. In the first case, the co-worker represents the “wealthy” North, an imperial past, and a still dominant power (financial, economic, cultural); in the latter, he or she represents a role of solidarity; a fellow “victim” of co-lonial oppression and neo-colonial exploitation.

Juan Jacobo Tancara, for example, was able to contribute a great deal to the subject of “decolonisation”, including from his own experience as a Chilean Aymara. Or help to understand the context, due to life experience in a similar environment. In actual fact, in the current assignment of Juan Jacobo Tancara, there was little chance to do so in the country group. This potential would have to be pursued more explicitly.7

As a “Chilean” Juan Jacobo Tancara represents a projected „archenemy“ for his Peruvian colleagues and students because of the loss of territory suffered during the Pacific War (1871-83). However, given his atypical indigenous phenotype for a Chilean, this hardly mattered on the contrary, it had the effect of creating a healing learning pro-cess in terms of stereotypes and prejudice for the target group.

Se notaba un trato de igual a igual, sin afán de superioridad (en lo que se diferencia en algo de profesores peruanos que sí les gusta subrayar superioridad), con mucha transparencia y respeto. Juan Jacobo Tancara no quería ser llamado “doctor”, sino “hermano”, por lo que se ganó mucho respeto. Y que se confundía también con l*s estudiantes. No habiendo mesas en las aulas, de rodillas comía también con l*s estudiantes.8

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While co-workers from the Global North are insured for almost all eventualities (health insurance; public liability, accident, repatriation, retirement provisions, etc.), a co-worker from the Global South cannot benefit to the same extent despite a contract with a Swiss sending organisation. Local insurances are often expensive, only valid for a very limited time, and very confusing; insurance with a usual Swiss provider is impossible on South-South assi-gnments. Comparable international insurance would be very expensive; so, travel accident insurance was taken out for Juan Jacobo Tancara. He preferred – contrary to contractual agreements with Comundo and at his own risk, for which a disclaimer was signed by both parties – to take out health insurance valid only in Chile. Its cover-age was doubtful– fortunately, it did not come to a case. This uncertainty was a latent concern throughout the assignment. However, Tancara took the risk with equanimity, also an expression of his aforementioned familiarity with fragile human environments.

7 Comundo co-worker in Peru.8 „He treated us on an equal footing, with no wish to be superior (in this he was a bit different from Peruvian professors, who like to highlight their superiority), and with a great deal of transparency and respect. Juan Jacobo Tancara didn‘t want to be called “Doctor”, but “Brother”, which gained him a lot of respect. And he also mixed with the students. In the classrooms, there were no tables so he also ate knee-to-knee with the students.“ (Target group: students). 9 Unlike some European coworkers, Juan Jacobo Tancara wasn‘t afraid to ‘sit tight’ in the country because of the Covid-19 situation; he felt like ‘an ordinary Peruvian’”. (PO representative).

A diferencia de algun@s cooperantes europe@s, Juan Jacobo Tancara no tenía miedo por estar «aferrado» en el país por la situación de Covid-19; se sentía como «un peruano más».9


The enabling of South-South assignments can also be an expression of organisational attitude: away from the exclusive N-S approach. This should also be expressed in awareness-raising work: South-South assignment co-workers and national co-workers should also be brought in (“newsletter”). However, this requires special efforts (translation work linguistic and cultural; processing, marketing).11

10 Because despite having completed a doctorate in Germany (albeit in Spanish), his active German language skills were too weak.11 Comundo co-workers in Peru.

Finally, there is an essential difference between a South-South assignment and a “classic” North-South assi-gnment in the matter of awareness-raising in the Global North, namely the feedback of the assignment via education and awareness-raising channels. Since a Global South co-worker normally doesn’t have a network in Switzerland/Europe, this kind of feedback requires special efforts from employees at the sending organisation (programme managers; media officers; network group assistants, etc.). In Juan Jacobo Tancara’s case, this (es-sential) part of PDC was clearly neglected for resource reasons. A lot of translation work is needed (not only linguistic but also cultural)10, as well as networking efforts, blogs, posts, newsletters, articles, and active social media management in one of the national languages.

A South-South assignment presents a particular challenge for fundraising, but it could also be an opportunity: some individuals and institutions (e.g. foundations) are more inclined to support a project on which a Chilean Aymara works than one with a Swiss person. However, relevant evidence is yet to be provided.

Together with colleagues from CEDEPAS at an anniversary event of the organisation

(photo: supplied)

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What differentiates a South-South assignment from a local assignment (national co-worker)?The “added value” of sending a co-worker from the Global South to another country should also be apparent and significant in comparison to “national co-workers” i.e. a Peruvian in Peru. In the various interviews conducted as part of the evaluation process for Juan Jacobo Tancara’s assignment, it took considerable effort to make the question at all comprehensible, because most interviewees repeatedly emphasized that it was not the “nationali-ty” of a co-worker‘s (i.e. passport) that was decisive for the success and impact of an assignment, but the “person” (with all the associated characteristics and competencies).

Stiftung Bühl CD-RichtlinienEn general, las características que se refieren a la procedencia (“chileno”) y pertenencia étnica (“aimara”) fueron subordinadas a las características personales (“buen gente”) y profesionales (“excelente docente”) y trayectoria.12

The reverse is not true either: the (cultural) origin of a co-worker is not important in PDC. When we talk about “creative foreignness” and “intercultural exchange” as a key component of “global learning”, such differences very likely play a role.

Compared to a local (“national”) co-worker, both South-South co-workers and [also] those from Europe are on assignment for a certain period, come from outside for this period, have left their local environment and con-text, and then go again. This is a clear added value compared to a local co-worker.13

12 „In general, the characteristics relating to the person‘s origin (“Chilean”) and ethnic affiliation (“Aymara”) were subordinate to personal characteristics (“good

guy”) and professional characteristics (“excellent teacher”) and career.” (Conclusion from talking to the target group: students). 13 Country director, Peru.14 „One difference Juan Jacobo Tancara‘s demand for punctuality, which was described as “European”; he was irritated if people arrived late ‒ but at the same time he was ready to provide additional support to catch up on what was missed. Over time, he persuaded the students to be more punctual as well, ‚to show respect for other people‘s time“. (Target group: students).15 Country director, Peru

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Un punto de diferencia era la exigencia de Juan Jacobo Tancara de puntualidad, lo que fue etiquetado de “europeo”; se puso molesto, si la gente llegó tarde – pero a la vez estaba dispuesto a prestar apoyo adicional para recuperar lo que se habían perdido. Convenció con el tiempo a que estudiantes también lleguen más puntuales, “por respeto al tiempo de las personas“.14

The obvious advantages of a “national co-worker” are in the areas of finance and organisation. A national co-worker can be hired by the partner organisation at a local salary, doesn’t need any special introduction to learn about the national context, and can easily get a national insurance cover. However, the risk is that a “local co-wor-ker” represents “cheap” labour for the partner organisation (because he or she is paid by the sending organisati-on), that they could not have otherwise afforded. The concept of a “national co-worker” also requires an “added value” compared to the usual employees of a partner organisation (but that is another debate).

In the case of Juan Jacobo Tancara, it is certainly the case that a “local co-worker” from Lima would have expe-rienced far greater “creative foreignness” in interacting with Quechua-speaking students in Huancayo than was the case with the Chilean co-worker. But again, “foreignness” doesn’t necessarily depend on origin.

I think the Copartes [partner organisations] still prefer it if a foreigner from the region gets a Cooperante contract [co-worker contract] (perhaps with better employment conditions than the local employees) than a local, Peruvian co-worker from their own team.15

A co-worker from another country in the Global South can contribute and use his or her international networks, in a way that a local co-worker normally can’t. This can be of great benefit for cluster building and exchange in the thematic area across national borders. With regards to awareness-raising and fundraising in the north, a South-South assignment faces the same problems as a “national co-worker”.

Stiftung Bühl CD-RichtlinienHubo contactos con la Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana en Costa Rica (UBL), con el Instituto de Estudios de las Culturas Andinas (IDECA) en Puno, con el Instituto Superior Ecuménico Andino de Teología en Bolivia. A través de la red que Comundo tiene en el Perú, se podía ampliar también las redes en el país: Asociación Educativa Teológica Evangélica (AETE) en Lima, IDECA en Puno, intercambio de docentes entre AETE y San Pablo. 2019 fue un año en el cual se dio importantes pasos de articulación, que en 2020 eran para profundizar. Pero fue truncada en gran parte por la pandemia. Juan Jacobo Tancara estableció lazos con el Arzobispado de Huancayo (charlas, biblioteca, librería) y con la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Nacional del Centro.16

16 „There were contacts with UBL in Costa Rica, with IDECA in Puno, with ISEAT in Bolivia. Through the network that Comundo has in Peru, it was also possible to expand networks in the country: AETE in Lima, IDECA in Puno, exchange of professors between AETE and San Pablo. 2019 was a year in which important steps were taken in networking, and these should be intensified in 2020. But this was largely cut off by the pandemic. Juan Jacobo Tancara established links with the Huancayo archdiocese (meeting, library, accounting) and with the Faculty of Education at the Universidad Nacional del Centro.” (PO representative).17 „South-South exchange is more necessary than ever, because we share very similar situations with regards to colonial and neocolonial conditions, as well as asymmetries in power, symbolic capital, the media, etc. It would be hugely enriching if there could be an exchange between Africa (or the Philippines) and Latin America i.e. South-South missions of people from different continents other than Europe.“ (Juan Jacobo Tancara).

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Conclusion and perspectivesIn the context of still very asymmetrical relations between the Global North and South, the diversification of forms of assignment in PDC is an important sign of the desire to overcome colonial and neocolonial attitudes and build epistemic justice (the equality of knowledge and forms of knowledge between the West and the Global South). In addition to their more practical and logistical advantages, South-South assignments are a good training ground in this respect; a co-worker from the Global South holds up a “cultural” and above all “decolonial” mirror to the sending organisation and co-workers from the Global North and local co-workers. This sheds light on the asymmetries, that exist even among Global North co-workers on assignment who have some awareness.

Es necesario más que nunca el intercambio Sur-Sur, porque se comparte situaciones muy parecidas respecto a la condición colonial y neocolonial, pero también a las asimetrías de poder, de capital simbólico, de los medios de comunicación etc. Sería una tremenda riqueza si se pudiera realizar intercambios entre África (o Filipinas) y América Latina, es decir misiones Sur-Sur de personas de diferentes continentes que no sea Europa.17

Having lunch together in a village near Cusco

(photo: supplied)

Stiftung Bühl CD-RichtlinienAn expansion of South-South assignments inter-continentally – i.e. perhaps a Kenyan co-worker on assignment in Nicaragua, or a Bolivian on assignment in Zambia – could develop a dynamic from which PDC could benefit as a whole. However, this requires a clear will by the sending organisation and by Unité to undertake such assignments, and SDC must be willing to cover the proportional additional costs (language acquisition, tra-vel costs, introduction, insurance). In the case of intracontinental South-South assignments, the sending organi-sation must provide additional resources in awareness-raising and fundraising work, which are partly compen-sated by lower expenses for the preparation and monitoring of the assignment.

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Conclusion: There were good experiences that could be built on. However, national co-workers and South-South co-workers together should not make up more than 50 % of the co-workers. Personality and technical knowledge, experience, and character are more important than nationality (which is actually secondary). Unfortunately, the potential of South-South co-workers is not fully harnessed in Switzerland or Germany, because there is very little feedback.18

18 Country director, Peru.

The pilot project carried out and monitored by Comundo in the form of Juan Jacobo Tancara Chambe led to the following key findings:

The personality of the co-worker is the real “added value” and determines the “success” or “failure” of an assignment and thus its contribution to programme work.

Furthermore, although knowledge and competencies are equally available in the Global North and South, they are nevertheless not equally weighted i.e. there is an “epistemic inequality”.

South-South assignments bring this asymmetry to light and challenge PDC in its claims regarding “partnership”, “exchange on an equal footing” and “ownership” in projects and direction.

South-South assignments require special framework conditions by sending organisations to ensure better awareness and adequate fundraising.

The “weak spots/areas to be worked on” in South-South assignments are insurance and the range of services compared to North-South assignments.

More South-South assignments – including intercontinental– are needed to gain further insights into this approach.

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One of us – yet somehow not