Matej Cerny from People in Need - hoping for change in Cuba

In this week's One on One, Rob Cameron speaks to Matej Cerny, who works for the Czech Republic's best known humanitarian aid group People in Need. The organisation is involved in campaigns in various countries around the globe, such as Chechnya, Afghanistan and most recently Cuba.

Matej, tell us a little bit about exactly what People in Need is?

"Well People in Need is not only a humanitarian organisation. We do lots of projects, not only abroad, and the Cuba project is not the most recent one - the most recent one is the one going on right now in Asia, after the tsunami. We also work in the Czech Republic, especially social programmes with the Roma population. But we do work abroad of course, that's what we're best known for. We've been to Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia and so on. So the scope is really large."

And it's built up a pretty high profile hasn't it? Certainly in this country, as an organisation which is helping people in various difficult situations around the world.

"Yes. The floods that hit the Czech Republic in 2002 really helped, because the people could actually feel the help that was coming. There was huge solidarity among the people with fellow citizens who were somehow affected by the floods. They were sending money to lots of humanitarian organisations, but we received I guess the largest amount of money and we did help. Last year I was working as a production manager for the One World film festival, which is a documentary film festival organised by People in Need. It happened that I needed to transport something, so I ordered a truck. We loaded the truck, then we came to our offices to unload it, and I said to the driver - OK, how shall I pay you? And he said - Well, you're People in Need, I don't want any money from you. I said - It's not possible. But he said - No, no, you helped me so much during the floods. He almost broke down in tears. And this kind of thing happens to you a lot when you're working for People in Need."

That must be an extremely satisfying feeling. Tell me about you - what led you to get involved with the organisation?

Logo of the foundation People in Need

"Well, it was basically by accident. I was working for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for five or six years. Then I took a job translating a book. I was sitting for four months at home, at the computer, looking at the screen, no contact with people. After I finished it I was desperate to get a job working with people. And since I was working for the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, I knew some people at the One World festival. So that's how I came to People in Need. I didn't actually come to People in Need, I came to One World."

Tell me about your average working day.

"Well it depends what you do. When working with One World I was doing private sector fund-raising. So you basically sit at a desk and try and call people, sending them emails, explaining to them what the One World film festival is, asking them for money and asking them for a meeting, which is a problem. Sometimes you get the feeling that those people who are supposed to be marketing managers of big companies don't actually exist, because you can't get them on the phone."

So how do you get past the secretaries? What's your method of getting to the people who have their fingers on the purse strings as it were?

"Well I keep calling them! I try to batter them, to disturb them by calling them, and once you get them on the phone you have to somehow use your charm or wit or whatever to persuade them to meet you personally. Which sometimes happens, and sometimes obviously not."

What would you say is your greatest success so far in your work with People in Need?

"I guess the symbolic jail cell that we did on Wenceslas Square."

This was for the Cuban dissidents.

The symbolic jail cell on Wenceslas Square

"Yes, this was for the Cuban dissidents. We built a symbolic jail on Wenceslas Square. And for eighteen hours we were holding people who were willing to sit there symbolically for the Cuban dissidents. People who took part were politicians, actors, well-known personalities from Czech society, including the former national ice-hockey coach Slavomir Lener, who is a really well-known person in this country."

Czechs are often described as rather xenophobic. Do you think that's true, and does that affect your fund-raising activities? Is it hard to get Czechs to give money to foreigners?

"Regarding Cuba, no. It's hard for me to answer this question. If you look at the wave of support after the tsunami in Asia this year, it was even bigger than after the floods, which actually happened in this country, rather than abroad. Thanks to the media attention, and all the pictures of the struggling people, there was huge support here, and it is satisfying."

The symbolic jail cell on Wenceslas Square

Often one criticism levelled at charities and humanitarian organisations is that basically they are a drop in the ocean. They help patch up problems or provide temporary solutions to problems - they can only provide cosmetic solutions to problems which could be solved at a stroke by governments. How would you address that criticism?

"Well firstly I'm not an expert in humanitarian aid, but what I know is that there is a new approach to humanitarian work, and it's not only giving people food and clothes and then leaving, but trying to focus on development projects. That you give the people the means to get their lives together and stand on their own two feet."

Providing them with the means to support themselves.

"Yes, exactly, and to build their lives again and their businesses or whatever they do."

The symbolic jail cell on Wenceslas Square

But what about the political side of what you do? For example Cuba. Even though you've had some fairly high-profile campaigns, Castro's still there, the dissidents are still in prison. You've raised awareness for a short period of time but no doubt it will begin to slip from people's minds again. Isn't that quite frustrating, not being able to have a more direct effect on a situation such as Cuba?

"Well how do you know it will slip away? We will keep struggling, and we will keep doing this, in several ways. Either with these symbolic jail cells, or you can have photo exhibitions, you can show documentaries about Cuba, you can write to the newspapers, and keep people aware. Regarding the fact that Castro's still there - yes, that's true, but, you know, you can't think when doing this that you do something and the subject of your interest - in this case Castro - will just disappear. It's not possible. You're doing small things to help, and you hope it will help one day, and you never know when. When the Velvet Revolution came to this country, there was a demonstration where Havel stood up and said - If somebody told me two months ago that I'd be appearing at a demonstration that had actually been approved by the authorities I'd think they were crazy. And after that demonstration there was a revolution and the whole regime collapsed. And the same thing might happen in Cuba, and hopefully one day it will."

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