First report from exchange participant in Norway

Introduction
This project is the first Professional exchange program between Venezuela, Mexico and Norway. According to find solutions for housing problems, Leieboerforeningen (Norway), Fundacion Vivienda Popular (Venezuela) and FOSOVI (Mexico), made a especial agreement in which participants of these countries will exchange experiences about community work, housing programs, financial systems, management's criteria, besides their own cultural baggage, socio-economic and political system. 

The program is made possible true financial support from Fredskorpset (Norway).

This is the first experience from South to North, and it will be for six months in Oslo, Norway. Two professional from Mexico and Venezuela will be working in different organisations like Leieboerforeningen (which is the receiving organisation, in charge of managing the program in a network with Fredskorpset as a financial part), ANSA (Association of Norwegian students abroad), UNGBO (Young Living) and Husbanken (The Norwegian State Housing Bank).

Hopefully, next year will be the experience from North to South, this time with professionals from Norway in Mexico and Venezuela. It will be one-year program. It also supposes to be a South-South exchange financed by the Fredskorpset. These people from Mexico and Venezuela will expend six months in each country.

This kind of program will help to enrich these three sides of the triangle (Norway, Venezuela and Mexico), allowing comparing, abstracting and understanding similarities as well as differences. While we have discussions and professional skills, about social, political, cultural, urban and environmental issues; we could develop new strategies according to each social and cultural reality.

This report contains a general description of our work experience we have shared in the first two weeks living in Oslo; that is the reason why we write this report together. Our next reports would be realised in an individual way, the methodology would be specificated and discussed according to the personal or collective process.

Participants background
Daniel Barreiro Anzola
Caracas, Venezuela
Civil Engineer (Santa María University, Caracas 1996)
Working as a Planning Manager and doing Budget in a Construction Company called Grupo Eiffel.

Bricia Bautista Muñoz
Mexico, D.F.
Architect Engineer (National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico, D.F. 1997) Nowadays working as an Architect and Technical adviser in the Improvement Housing Program that is developed at Fomento Solidario de la Vivienda A. C. (FOSOVI). 

Nadia Nehls Martinez.
Mexico, D.F.
Sociologist (National Autonomy University of Mexico, 2000). At present works at Fomento Solidario de la Vivienda A. C. (FOSOVI) as an Analyst in the Urban Planning program. At the same time she is Professor Assistant at the Political and Social Science Faculty at the National Autonomy University of Mexico.

Carla Urbina 
Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Architect (Rafael Urdaneta University, Maracaibo 1997) and Magister in Urban Design (Metropolitan University, Caracas 2000) Experience in Interior Design, Landscape and Urban Design. Now she is working as an Urban Designer at the Metropolitan University and also as a Professor assistant in the Urban Design Master program.

Mexican Partners
FOSOVI (Fomento solidario de la vivienda )

Fomento Solidario de la Vivienda is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation, which work is focus in Housing Improvement, Urban Planning and Environmental Development projects in order to contribute to neighbourhood's upgradings.

The institution has a broad work experience in social, technical, juridical and financial areas. It has five different work teams:

• Housing Improvement (gives advise and supervise housing projects)
• Urban Planning (gives advise in planning and neighbourhoods upgrading promoting social participation)
• Financial Projects (gives credits to people to build houses or start small business)
• Political Analysis (make an analysis about the country situation)
• Diffusion and Publications (co-ordinate the seminars, congress and publications.

FOSOVI tries to look for integral solutions in problems related with urban planning and popular housing in Mexico City and others places in the country, working with lower income sectors. The institution methodology is to promote social participation overcoat with popular sectors of the population, taking care of the cultural and social integration, therefore, the communities' environment too. 

Venezuelan Partners
FUNVI (Fundacion de Vivienda Popular)

It is a Venezuelan non-governmental and non profits organisation meant to design, promote and develop appropriable methodologist, models and programs to contribute to meet the housing and habitat needs of lower income sectors, particularly emphasising self-help methods and technical assistance to the communities.

The foundation is based on a flexible organisational structure and interdisciplinary team.  As a result, development of social and environmental activities is based on an integral approach.

Norwegian Partners
Our work experience in Oslo will be realised in some Norwegian organisations that are described in the following paragraph.

Leieboerforeningen (Norwegian tenants organisation).
Main Object: Price-control and law assistance to all tenants of Norway.

ANSA (Association of Norwegian students abroad)
Main Object: To be aware of all students' rights that are planning to study abroad.
 
UNGBO (Young living)
Main Object:  Provide living houses to Immigrants and Norwegian people whom needs a house and social advises.

Picture:
The picture was taken at the first meeting at UNGBO. From left: Lars Aasen, Leieboerforeningen, Nadia Nehls - Fosovi, Daniel Barreiro Anzola - Funvi, Bricia Bautista Muñoz - Fosovi, Carla Urbina - Funvi and Pia Pladsgaard, UNGBO