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The role of Cuban women in environmental projects

Crew+ Champions Journal by Mabel Seisdedo

By IW:LEARN

June 17^th, 2024

In the stunning Caribbean region, the GEF-CReW+ project is making a difference by helping countries tackle the challenges of wastewater management and its impact on aquatic systems. One of the project's initiatives is taking place in Cuba, where it is dedicated to enhancing the collection and management of urban waste in the Rodas municipality. Additionally, the project is working towards strengthening the capacities of the Municipal Councils of Cuencas in the Cienfuegos province. This aims to ensure that these councils can effectively report on the progress and challenges related to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on improving water quality. The project's efforts are not only addressing the immediate issues but also laying the foundation for a sustainable and thriving future for the region.

Cienfuegos, Cuba. Photo: Julie Kwak/UnSplash.

Mabel Seisdedo, the principal researcher at the Environmental Studies Center of Cienfuegos, shared her journey as a researcher with us. She helped us understand the evolution of the project, its impacts, and whether she faced any challenges as a woman in this context:

"It was truly an honor to coordinate the project in Cuba. The experience has been a valuable part of my professional development, presenting both opportunities and challenges. As a scientist, I take great pride in being able to contribute to the betterment of environmental conditions in my homeland.

As a Cuban woman, I must recognize that the transcendental changes that occurred with the revolutionary triumph particularly with the participation of women in science have had an important contribution since they allowed the recognition of their creative capacity, their potentialities, and their social equality.

This has influenced the high percentage represented by this force with the highest technical and professional qualifications in my country. However, it is also worth noting the resistance and dedication that women require to achieve high professional goals since it is a challenge to combine successful performance in the workplace, with the care responsibilities that are assigned to us in the family, the double shift, and the various personal problems that influence our actions.

Fortunately, since my insertion into the workplace, I never suffered gender discrimination and I had many opportunities that contributed to my postgraduate improvement and to acquire certain skills.

Before completing my 5 years of required graduation work, I had already obtained a Master of Science degree and was coordinating a territorial scope project. Later, other research and development projects of greater complexity and scope were added.

The role of Cuban women in environmental projects

Both in my work in coordinating these and in my doctoral training since I was 30 years old, I learned some important skills for the satisfactory management of them. From technical skills that involve processes and methodologies, conceptual and organizational skills; linked to planning and goal orientation, to human skills, which are no less important, and are related to teamwork, communication, and the motivation of those involved to achieve the proposed objectives.

Although the implementation of this project in several countries, including Cuba, was affected by COVID-19, we were able to carry out the preparation and planning stages satisfactorily through various work meetings with the participating entities to achieve their commitments, draw the objectives, define responsibilities and needs, as well as to form the work teams and an adequate schedule for their development.

Also, we were able to carry out field visits to better understand environmental problems, gather information, and design environmental monitoring programs in response to the proposed objectives. We hope that this year, a set of activities can be expedited to achieve the planned results."

About the project

The GEF CReW+ Project "An integrated approach to water and wastewater management using innovative solutions and promoting financing mechanisms in the Wider Caribbean Region" is a partnership project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) that is being co-implemented by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 18 countries of the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR).

This project builds upon its previous successful phase “The Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management (CReW)” project (2011-2017). GEF CReW+ is being executed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the Organisation of the American States (OAS), and the Secretariat of the Cartagena Convention (CAR/RCU) on behalf of the IDB and UNEP respectively.