Can dreams come true? Exploring transformative education and development through the experiences of La-Verneda-Sant Marti, Catalunya, Spain

This chapter explores two case studies of development non-profits, such as Associacao Sete de Setembro (ASDS) in Brazil and Comunidades de Poder (CDP) in Mozambique, that incorporated Freirean pedagogy and/or philosophy into their educational programming, with varying results. On the basis of these contrasting experiences, it shows how, within educational programming carried out by development organisations, a disconnect can occur when many of the traditional foci of multilaterally funded development programmes do not result in improvements in educational quality or student learning. In Freirean education, recognition of the meaning of knowledge, its ability to transform reality and liberate participants from oppressive situations, is the end goal - as participants reflect upon their knowledge and how to apply it towards meaningful social action, they come to new conclusions and reach new levels of heightened critical consciousness. Peter, the primary on-the-ground administrator of CDP's work in Mozambique, clearly saw success as separate from fidelity to Freire's methods.