Hello my young friends!Here’stheWonderland.Onceyousteppedhere,youwillneverleavethiswayuntilyoulearneverythingtomakeyourownlifetherealdream.Everything is possible! If you believe (just a little for rightnow) that your life is a great present and YOU can make itmore colorful and sunny, go take something warm to drink (Imeanteaorcoffee),seatcomfortable,relaxandlisten. The Nature of Our DreamsHave you ever thought about your wishes? What kind are them?Remember… You are a child… Your eyes are opened, your heart isclear and the world around you is great and full of miracles. Youfeel likeyou’reswimmingonthewavesofcalmsea,thesunisshin-ingandsmilingtoyou…Youarehappy.Nomatterwhatisgoingonaroundyou,youbelieve…Believe,thatyourdreamsarereal. 1. Time for a Dream “Startthinkingaboutyourdreamsforachange,justlikewhenyouwerealittlechild.JonasSalksaiditbestwhenhewrote:‘IhavehaddreamsandIhavehadnightmares.Iovercamethenightmaresbecauseofmydreams.’[…]Awakenyourselftothepowerofyourownmindtomakethings happen. Once you do, the universe will conspire with you toworkmagicinyourlife”.Robin Sharma[http://galoreindia.blogspot.com/2012/06/monk-who-sold-his-ferrari-robin-sharma.html]. What about now? I bet you’re notsofreetodream.Why?That’smyquestiontoyou.Well,whywestoptodreamwhenwearegrowingup?Ourdream-ingprocessistransformingtotheprocesscalled“dreamingofdream-ing”.It’sexactlywhenyouwishthatinyourfarfuturethetimehavecomewhenyoucandreamofanythingyouwant…Andyou tell thisto yourself: “Not now, but in future… Tomorrow”. Tomorrow I willdreamaboutnewcar.TomorrowIwillsay tomyboy/girlfriendhowvaluablehe/she is tome.TomorrowIwillstartgoingintosportandhealthy feeding. Tomorrow I will dream about living the life I’veeverwantedtolive.Doyouwantmetotellyouthetruth?Todayyousay “tomorrow” to your dreams, tomorrow you say “tomorrow” toyour dreams and day after tomorrow you say the same. So, whereis the time foryourdreamtocome true?Keepingsilence?If Iwereyou, I guess I would do the same. But I know one secret – the-se-cret-of-today. Don’t wait for “right time” for your dreams to comeintoyourmind.DreamTODAY,RIGHTNOW!It’syour life!Live it! 2. Dreams & Reality “You see, things are always created twice: first in the workshopof the mind and then, and only then, in reality” Robin Sharma. Why do we have dreams? What if I…? How often do you askthis question? What if I travel all around the world? What if Iquite the job that I don’t like and went into my soul-work? Whatif I say hello to unknown person on a beach? What if I marry arockstar?Youcan’tevenimaginehowgreatourdreamsare!Butwhatwemeethere?Frames.SomeonecallsitLimits-created-by-society. I call it Limits-created-by-our-mind-under-society-influence.SooftenwesayNOtoourdreamsjustbecauseofourmind’sframe-works.Wethinkthatwearetooyoung,tooweak,tooold,tooirrespon-sibleetc.Wearewatchingthestrongunregulatedsystemaroundusjusttakingitthewayitisandbecomingsadifourambitionsareoutofthesocietyrules.Wearelisteningtomillions“must”.Mustgotoschool,must go to university (college), must work, must have some leisure,mustcreateafamily,musthavechildren,mustpaytaxes,andmustdie.Looksnotsoattractive…Howdoyouthink?Ofcourse,thereisnoth-ingbadinstudying,working,havingfamily,children,andleisureactiv-ities.Viseverse,itisgreatandwonderful!Butonlyincasewhenevery-thingwhatyouaredoingandeverythingthatyouhavebringsyoujoy.Inbasicprinciplesofworldreligionsyoucanfindthekeywords:enjoy.Ifyoufeelhappywitheverythingthatyou’vegot,yourmindisfreeandbelongsonlytoyou.Butifyourealizethatyoulostyourwishesinca-sualdays,findthetimetothinkaboutit,tounderstandwhichobstaclesareonyourwaytohappiness.“Aburningsenseofpassionisthemostpotentfuelforyourdreams.Here,inoursocietywehavelostourpas-sion.Wedonotdothingsbecausewelovetodothem.Wedothingsbecausewe feelwehave todo them.This isa formula formisery.”

Ifyouwanttochangeyourlife–wish.Ifyouwanttobehappy–dream.“Theveryfactthatyouhaveadesireoradreammeansthatyouhavethecor-respondingcapacitytorealizeit”.Andalwaysrememberthateverythingyouarethinkingaboutishappeninginyourreality.Yourthoughts,yourwishesandyourdreamshaveagreatpower–theyarecomingtrue. “Start to live with unbridled energy and limitless enthusi-asm. Watch the sun rise. Dance in a rain shower. Be the per-son you dream of being. Do the things you have alwayswanted to do but didn’t because you tricked yourself into be-lievingthatyouweretooyoung,tooold,toorichortoopoor”.3. The secret of Love Every Dream is Love. Do you agree? No matter what kindof dream it is. If you want a new car – you love your new car(or you love the feeling that appears when you imagine thatyou’re driving a new car). But when we are talking aboutloveincontextofhumanrelations–everytimeitisadream. LetusrememberthewordsofArthurGray(hey,I’mtalkingtoYOU!NotChristianGrey–beattentive)–thecharacterofAlexanderGrin’snovel “Alyie Parusa” (“Scarlet Sails”) about his beloved Assol:“Canyou seehow tight everything is interwoven:people,destinies,characters?I’mgoingtotheonewhoiswaitingonlyforme;andIdon’twantanyonebuther.Becauseofher,I’verealizedonesimpletruth:youshouldmakemiraclesbyyourownhands.Whenamanwantsadime,it’seasytogivehimadime.Butwhentheseedofblazingblossom,amiracle,lurksinaman’ssoul,makethatmiraclehappentohim,ifyoucan.Thanhewillhaveanewsoul,andsowillyou.Whenaprisonwardenfreeshisprisoner;whenamillionairepresentshisclerkwithavilla,andanoperasinger,andasafebox;whenajockeyletsanotherhorsewin,theneveryonewillunderstandhowniceitis,howunspeakablymarvelous.Butthereareothermiraclesaswell:asmile,acheer,forgiveness,andtherightwordinarighttime.Whenyouhavethem–youhaveeverything.As for me, our beginning – Assol’s and mine – will re-main with us forever in the scarlet flash of thesailscreatedbylovinghearts.Doyouunderstand?”Whatisthemainthattocreatemiraclesbyyourownhands.Everythingyoudo–youdowithlove.Evenifyoudobadthings(justthinkaboutwhatyoulovewhenyouaredoingbadthings).Youcan’tevenimaginewhatabigtreasureishiddeninsideofyou!YOU!Yes,YOU!Youhavethepos-sibilitytomakesmallandgreatmiracles.Foryouitcouldbenothing,butforsomeoneitmightbethedreamofalifetime.ItisthesecretofLove–tomakesomeone’sdreamtocometrue.Ifyougivesomethingfromallyourheartyougetmuchmoreinstead.Firstofall,yougetappreciation.Remember,whatyoufeelwhenyouhearsincere“Thankyou”.Youfeelthatyouaresignificant.Yourmoodbecomewellandyoustarttomindanewpowerinsideyourheart–thePowerofLove.Atsecond,Allinthisworldisinstableequilibrium–onceyouhavedonesomethingwithloveitwillreturntoyouinthemomentwhenyouleastexpectit.Ifwearetalkingaboutlovebetweentwo,thereisaquestiontoyou?Areyoureadytobelieveandwaitforyoureallove?Areyousurethatpersonthatwithyourightnowistherealone?Thesequestionsaresoimpor-tant.Ifweanswerthemrightnowandmakeappropriatechanges,wecanchosewhatwehaveinfuture.So,again,areYOUreadytorefusetocloseperspectiveforthesakeofyourreallovefromyour[child]dreams?Oh,justforgottosay,lookaround,thereisatleastonepersonwhowantsyourdreamstocometrue.Youcan’tsee?Well,lookbetter.Thereisonemore secret:wechosebyourselveshow to see theworldandthepeoplearoundus.“That’safairwaytolookatit.Nomatterwhathappenstoyouinyourlife,youalonehavethecapacitytochooseyourresponse to it.Whenyou form thehabitof searching for thepositiveineverycircumstance,yourlifewillmoveintoitshighestdimensions.Thisisoneofthegreatestofallthenaturallaws”.Thinkpositive.Ex-pectthebest.Ifyoucandothat–youcanliveyourdreams.

“Greatdreamers’dreamsareneverfulfilled,theyarealwaystranscended.” Alfred Lord WhiteheadAfterword: The tea is already cold. Enough to seat and spend yourpriceless timenearyourdevise.Anewhappyday isdancingaroundyou. Go catch it! Enjoy every moment of your life. It is beautiful!It was so nice to talk to YOU!Hope to hear from YOU soon! Alwaysyours,Realdreamer,ErmiSOSH

Ifyouwanttoaskaquestionorcontributeonthetopicwhilesharingyourmotivationordreamsmakingstrategy,justwritetomeandwewilldisscussyoursubject.Youcoulduseeditor`se-mail:lidko2504@gmail.com,markedforErmiSOSH.Takecare!

MOTIVATIONbyErmiSOSH

ECHOCHANGEEditor in Chief LidiiaKozhevnikovaDeputy Editor AnnaOpanasenko Photographer LidiiaKozhevnikovaLayout Designer AnnaPakholchuk Contributors LidiiaKozhevnikova AnasM.Talalqa AltynayRaskalieva HussainHaider ShabashKanahi ShahadatHossain UpakarBhandari HamzaAsad BhawanaShrestha SushantDhananjay BhupenGhimiray HamimiMouhou OlgaSidorska ErmiSosh Marketing ManagerTamaraBaschukTo the editor LidiiaKozhevnikova lidko2504@gmail.com Tel:+380509637084Address 43000,Lutsk, 5Vavilovastreet,17, Tel:+380509637084 http://www.echochange.org/__________________________ECHO CHANGE is the information-al English-language magazine, cov-ering cultural, educational and oth-eraspectsoflifeofyouthworldwide. ECHO CHANGE is founded by “EchoChange”.Allmaterialspublished inECHO CHANGE including name, concept, logo,photography, artwork, design and copytests are unconditional intellectual prop-erty of the publisher and are protected byinternational copyright laws. No reproduc-tion of any materials published in ECHO CHANGE is allowed without the explicitwrittenpermissionofthepublishers.

ECHOCHANGE

From The EdItOr

Ihavealwaysdreamedabout issuing themagazinewhichwouldbenotjustacommercialthing, but something,that could showthe world cultur-al asects, promoteprominent youth, opennew talants and bringo p p o r t u n i -ties to everyone... I think that to-day, finally it`s go-ingtohappen!

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Our very first edition of ECHO CHANGE maga-zine has collected many tallanted contributors fromUkraine, Nepal, Bhutan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Paki-stan,Algeria. Next time, we believe, that there wouldbe even more countries to speak about the inspir-ingthingsonthepagesofECHO CHANGE. Thisissueseemstobelikeacolorfulportfolioofwon-derfulyoungphotographers,supportedbypoemsandcap-tures,whichcouldbringustoanothercountries,inspireustolearnmoreaboutdifferentcultures,travelaroudtheworldandriseawarenessofyouthempowermentwhilesharetheopportunitiesalongwithpeacufulattitude.Asaphotographer,Iamveryproudofsomanybrightpictures in the magazine. I see how many talentedyoungpeoplearelivingaroundtheworldandwewantto give them platform to contribte and to show theiroutstandingworktotheInternationalsociety. We invite everyone, who wants to share their moti-vation, inspiration, artistic works and social deedsto contribute to the ECHO CHANGE maga-zine. It is your chance to light up your star andshinebrightforbetterfutureofourworld.

Sincerely yours, Lidiia Kozhevnikova

Ifyouwanttoaskaquestionorcontributeonthetopicwhilesharingyourmotivationordreamsmakingstrategy,justwritetomeandwewilldisscussyoursubject.Youcoulduseeditor`se-mail:lidko2504@gmail.com,markedforErmiSOSH.Takecare!

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TableofContentsECHOCHANGE

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TableofContents

ECHOCHANGE

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TableofContents

ECHOCHANGE

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What is Echo Change and what is it all for?

Thecoreidea

Echo Change is an international projectwhich aims to promote Sustainable Develop-ment. It gives youth an opportunity to show-case their Sustainable Development projects,and to connect the youth of all countries atoneplatformbyworkingtogethertomakethisworld a better place to live in. We have teamfrommorethan8countriesallover theworld.

EchoChangeconsistsof2categories,thefirstone is Organization, which includes “CountryChapters”indifferentcountries,andsecondoneis“Onlinemediaplatform”.Thesecondcategorywillincludeanetworkofyouthandyouthorga-nizationsaroundtheglobeandamedianetworkasitseffectivetooltoconnecttheworldandpro-vide a platform to youth to raise their voices.Thismedianetworkwillusethefollowingme-diumsasitstool;OnlineRadio,Youthmagazineand Online Video Channel. People have pos-sibility to participate in learning opportunitiesandareabletocollaboratetogethertocreativelyaddressissuesthathaveanimpactonthem.Weprovideyouthachance-notonlytoworkwithusbutalsotoparticipateinallourprojectswithour international collaboration partners, whichhelpsthemgainmoreandbetterexperience.Also

youthorganizationsincludingNGO’sworldwidewillbegivenopportunitytospreadtheirmessag-esthroughEchoChangeplatform.CurrentlywehavecoremembersfromMorocco,Nepal,Egypt,Canada,India,Pakistan,BangladeshandUkraine.VISION A world where people support each other’sideasandworktogetherforsustainabledevelop-mentandpromotepeaceandharmony. MISSION To establish a network of young lead-eroryouth-ledorganizationsglobally. THE WAY WE DO IT? World needs global talent, wegivebackgroundtoopenthem! GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS TospreadthenetworkofEchoChangeglobally. THEMATIC FOCUS i)Topromoteculturaldiversityii)Topromotepeaceandharmonyiii) To connect young entrepre-neurs oryouth-ledorganizationsglobally

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Aboutourinitiative

Echo Change istheinitiativeoftwoyouth-ledorganizationsBeydaar(Pakistan)andJoyoftheChildhood(Ukraine).Founders:

HussainHaider(Pakistan)LidiiaKozhevnikova(Ukraine)FatimaTanveer(Pakistan)Jon Yee (Сanada)Echochangecallsyouthorganizations,onlinesocialmediaplatforms,mediaplatformsetctojoinhandswithusinmakingaglobalnetworkofyouth.For membership:hr@echochange.orgcontact@echochange.org+923435840098http://www.echochange.org/https://www.facebook.com/echochangeofficial

iv)ToestablishyouthnetworkIn many countries worldwide there are a lotof uneducated youth, who were not enteringhigh schools, universities for some reason.With our online platform we will help thatpeople to become educated in the most suffi-cientsubjectthattheycoulduseintheirwork.Theonlytooltheywillneedtostarttheirself-development–isInternetconnection.

Morepopularisourplatform,moreyouthandyouth led organizations can join the network.Youth led organizations have possibility toget a chance to have their ad in a banner onthestation’swebsiteortobeheardonthesta-tion through On-Air Host mentioning or liveread.Wecanoffer toput up their bannersonourwebsite.Ourmanagersworkonsearchingfor the partners to promote their work on thepagesofourinternationalmagazine.Weinviteyouth,youth led initiatives,onlinemagazines,online radios, media platforms , social medianetworks etc to come and join this networkandbecomeapartofthisglobalproject,whichwe can spread all over the world together.

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JoyoftheChildhood

Our mission ispromoting a positiveimage of Ukraine asa country that caresaboutthefutureofitscitizens, its place onthe world map andunderstands the im-portance of investinginyouth.Workingdi-rectly with childrenfrom orphanages and

youthpeople.

Charity Organization � Joy of the Childhood� UKRAINE

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FoundersofEchoChange

Our organization was created in 2011. The co-found-ers of “Joy of the Childhood” are young activists,who decided to put their energy and enthusiasm intosocial activities for commonwealth in our country.In support of Ukrainian Women Foundation Vo-lyn Charity organization “Joy of the Child-hood” was created on the 28th of February 2011.TasksoftheOrganizationare:1. To provide different stuff, funds, organization-al and other kind of aid for kids, youth and others,whoareinvolvedintheireducation,trainingorcare;2.developmentandimplementationoftargetedprogramsandprojectstosupportorphans,disabledchildren,sickchil-dren,childrenoflow-incomefamiliesaswellasothercat-egoriesofpersonsforthepurposeoftheOrganization;3. promoting science and education, implementa-tionofscientificandeducationalprograms;4. implementation of the interactive methods ofeducation,learning,andtraining;5.charitableassistancefororphanages; 6.participationandimplementationofinternationalprojectsaimedtopromotepersonaldevelopmentandenvironmentaleducationforchildrenandyouthontheregionallevel;7. practical activities in cooperation with pub-lic authorities and city administration, local gov-ernment, community organizations, businessesandorganizationsofdifferentformsofownership; 8. involving financial and information resourc-es to support programs and projects aimed at im-plementingthegoalsoftheOrganization;

9.supportingthedevelopmentoftalentedchildrenandyouth;10.creatinganinformationalInternetportalforachievingthegoalsoftheOrganization;11.involvingvolunteerstotheproj-ectsandactivities,organizedbytheOrganization.

Charityorganization“JoyoftheChildhood”isopenfornewcontactsandpartnershipinordertoorganizecommonnationalandinternationalactivitiestospreadawarenesandtomakepositiveimpacttooursociety. +38 099 340 79 68radistdytynstva@gmail.com http://joychildhood.com/

Beydaar isyouth ledorganization thataims towork tocreateawarenessandciv-icsense in thesocietyprimarily throughourprojectswhichaimtobenefitdiffer-entgroupsofthesocietyandfocusingmoreonmarginalizedgroupsofthesocietywhichhavebeenneglectedsofar.Alongwithourpermanentprojectsweconductseminars, symposiums, theatre, training sessions, photography, painting, shortfilms,documentaries, essaywriting,debates, groupdiscussions andvariousothermeans.Usingmediaasaneffectivetool,ouraimistospreadawarenessandaddressissuesbydoingradioshowsonaregularbasis,livedramaandshortfilms.

The team is committed to working for peace and welfare in society. Bey-daar also aims to promote arts and culture in society and provide a plat-form to showcase talent in a meaningful way and work creatively for thebetterment of community. The primary aim is not just to create aware-nessamongstyouth,but tomake themstandupon theirownandcontributebackintosocietyinordertobeapartofthechangetheywishtosee.

BeydaarSocietyisregisteredbygovernmentasanotfor-profitNGOundersociet-iesact,XXIof1860.OurwholephilosophyisshowcasedbythePersianandUrduword‘Beydaar’meaningawake,watchfulandvigilant.Thewordshowsourcon-cerntowardsyouthawareness,identificationofissuesandproblemstheyarefacingandaddressingthoseproblemsinaneffectivemanner.WeareateamofdevotedandenergeticyouthfromPakistancommittedtoexcellenceandupliftofsociety.Beydaarisanorganizationledbyyouthundertheageof24,whichmakesitmostformalizedyouthledorganizationofPakistan(amongyouthledorganizationsledbyyouthunder24yearsofage)andoneofthemostformalizedandexpandedor-ganizationamongotheryouthledorganizations.TeamBeydaarisaninclusiveandphilanthropicblendofyouthwhichisnotonlycapableofraisingitsvoicefortruth,humanrightsandpeacebutisalsoeffectiveinaddressingtheneedsatanytimetoservethecountryandthushumanity.Youthfromallbackgroundsandsectionsofoursocietytogetherconstitutesourcoreteamwithoutanydiscriminationofgen-der,religionorethnicity.Webelievethattheonlywaytobesavedfromthetorrentofdisintegrationwithinsocietyisonlypossiblethroughunified,consolidatedandorganizedyouthwhichbelievesintheprincipleof“Bethechangeyouwanttosee”.

Although Beydaar is run by youth, but we also have andadvisory board of professionals and mentors who are al-ways there to assist and guide us throughout our activitiesand members of this board are not only within the countrybut experienced people from different parts of the worldwho have vast experience in the field of charity gover-nance,voluntaryandsocialworkarepartofthisboard.Where do we exist?

Ourchaptersareworkingindifferentdis-trictsofPunjab,KPKandSindh.BeydaarusesitsresourcestomobilizeyouthofPak-istan tocarryoutourvisionandmission

BEYDAARintroduction

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intheirlocalcommunitiesmakingusoneofthemostexpanded,formalizedandeffectiveyouthledorgani-zationhavingpresenceatgrassrootlevel. Our Partners:-WeareimplementingyouthpartnersofEducationYouthAmbassadorsprogramPakistan,(PakistanChapterofGlobalYouthAmbassadorgrouplaunched-by A WORLD AT SCHOOL, UK based Charity)-We are youth implementing partner ofChildrenLiteraturefestival2014,Lahore-IdaaraeTaleemoAagahi(Pakistan)-Charity‘JoyofChildhood’fromUkraine -Youth Implementing partner in Lahore Distt ofAnualStatusforEducationReport,2014. BEYDAAR PROJECTS: Ourcurrentprojectsare:-SlumKidsEducationalprogramme,wherethefocus isonthepersonalityandcharacterbuildingofthechildren; -InterFaithHarmonyProgramme,whichcallsfortherespectforotherfaithsandtheirbeliefs.Italsoaimstopromotepeaceacrosstheregion.-Child Sexual Abuse Awareness in general public and teacher’straining Programme, this programme has started in order to cre-ateawarenessamongkidsandtheireldersaboutthesexualabusedonetochildren.Detailscanreadintheprojectssection.-ProjectJaago(wakeup),weperformtheateratvariouslevelsinclud-ingstreettheaterforawarenessondifferentsocialissuesofoursocietysuchaschildmarriage,girlseducation,abuses,humanrightsetc.Echo-ChangeBeydaar and its collaboration partner Joy of childhood from Ukrainelaunched a global platform for youth worldwide. In that project youth frommorethan20countrieshadbeenaddedandnumberisincreasingdaybyday. Our active chapter are in 6 countries of the world. Along with our coun-try chapters, we are about to start our global youth media platformwhichwillincludeonlineinternationalradioandonlinemagazine. Our major focus: 1:Tospreadawarenessonsocialissues2:Connectingyouthfromallovertheworld3:Promotingeducationandhealthyactivities4:Peacebuildingdialoguesandprogramsbyinvolvingyouthworldwide.www.echochange.org facebook.com/echochangeofficial Thankyouforreadingandwehopetogetyourforthcomingsupport.Yoursuggestionsaremorethanwelcome!www.beydaar.org www.facebook.com/beydaar info@beydaar.org+923325249544

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ECHOCHANGEFoundersofEchoChange

Agritourism comprise of two words ‘Agricul-ture’ which means the process of cultivation ofcrops, fruits,vegetablesand livestocks forbusinessand ‘Tourism’ means visiting place. Any agricul-turalbasedoperationoractivity thatbringsvisitorsin the farm is also agrotourism . Nepal is a landlocked country situated on the lap of Himalayan.Nepal lies at the height from 59m to 8848m. Thatcauses different temperature areas that favors dif-ferentplants togrowinwiderangeof temperature.TheclimaticandgeographicsituationofNepal isagiftofnaturetodevelopasacountryofagritourism. Agritourism is one of the sectors of ecotourism.People visit these sites to gain information on cul-tivation practice of crops, to experience the cul-tivation practice and so on. It helps in showcasingunexplored area, promoting and developing theeconomy and lifestyle of local people living in ru-ral area.Peopleareeager toknowhow the food isproducedandtotalkwithfarmerswhatgoesintothefood production. This is provided by agrotourism.Nepalisanagriculturalcountrywhereabout65%peopleareinvolvedinagriculture.TherearealotofnaturalresourcesinNepalwhichhelpagritourismtobemorepopularandsuccessfulinNepal.Thelowerland inTerai can be cultivated as crops productionareas, the hills could be used as fruits productionand in the mountains the livestock production maybedevelopedaccordingtothegeographicalsituationofNepal.Severalcultivationpracticesofagricultural

products in Nepal in different way in different ar-eas make it more interesting to visit for tourists.There can be observing different field situationaccording to the season. On Summer farmers areworkingonriceplantations.Duringtheworktheyaresing-ingAsharesongswhichmakethemfeelavoidfromhardworkandmakeenvironmenttobepleasant.Agritourismhasvariousdifferentsocial,economicandculturalbenefitsforthenation.Ithelpsvisitorstofindoutaboutthetraditionalpracticesinthesear-eas and to share their cultivating practices as well.AgritourisminNepalneedstohavehighinvestmentandresearchthoughtheleveloflivingandeconomicstatusofpeoplewho live therecan increase.TherearealotofbeautifulplacesinNepaltovisitfortour-ists. But there are some problems with transporta-tion, not developed road network. Development ofinfrastructure roadnetworks, communication, lodg-ingandfoodingfacilitiesshouldbepropersoevery-one can visit such agricultural place with beautifulnature’sgift.ManyoftheNGO’sarerunningproj-ects for the development of agritourism in Nepal.Using the collaboration with government agencies-differentpeopleandorganizationgettinginvolvedinagritourismcanplayagreat role in thedevelop-ment of Nepal as the best destination forAgritour-ism in theworld.Then finallywecanhave Nepalas thebest place tovisit if youwant to experienceanAgrotourismbyyourselflikeatourist.

Upakar BhandariB.Sc.Ag ,AFU First Batch

AgriculturelandinGulmi

AgritourismInNepalECHOCHANGE Worldpages

AgritourismInNepalECHOCHANGE

Special thanks to Lushan Ghimire for prepearing the photoes.

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AgrotourisminNepal

ECHOCHANGE PerconalExperience

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FromFebruary5thto15thNorwayhostedtheInter-national Student Festival in Trondheim (ISFiT). Spe-cially for Eco Change the participant from KazakhstanAltynayRaskaliyevapreparedareviewabouttheevent. Good news! I found out about the Festival in 2012, but that yearI was not selected. But everyone has a second chance.Last summer a friend from Ukraine convinced me toreapply. Registration form was simple - a few ques-tions about myself and an essay on why do I want totakepart in theevent.Howdelighted Iwaswhen threemonths later I checked my inbox. I received an invi-tationonthebiggeststudentfestivalintheworld!Thelettersaidthatoutof5,000applicationsfromallaroundtheworldonly450peoplefrom120countrieswereselected.So,by thewillof fateIhave leftcoldAlmatyinFebruaryandarrivedinicyScandinavianwinter.Dur-ing11daysNorwaywasshowingtothestudentsfromallaroundtheworldthewholevarietyofitsweatherfeatures.First,Trondheimwrappedusinawhiteblanketofsnow,thenchangedthemoodforadrizzlingrain,andthefinalchordwasaknockingoutblizzardwithpricklyhail. It’shard to imaginehowwewould survivedwithoutour host families - host moms, dads, brothers and sis-ters. All 450 participants were given shelter in housesof local Trondheimers. Among the hosts were stu-dents and young families and older couples. Theyshareduswith everything - starting fromwarmclothes

andhomedinnersandendingwithfairytalesaboutthenorthernlights. Image against corruption!This year ISFiT was dedicated to thetopic “Corruption.” All participantswere divided into 18 workshops thatdiscussedthisproblemfromthepartic-ularpointofview.Ichosetheworkshop“Image.”Throughoutthefestival,alongwithclassmatesfromallovertheworldIwasdoinginterestingcreativetasks.Ourmainresultisashortfilm“Corruption»available at ISFiT YouTube channel.

FESTIVALFEVER- ISFIT2015

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What did we want to say in our video? Everythingin the world is interconnected, our actions affect thelives of people in the long run. If you want to fightagainstcorruption,thenstartwithyourself.AfterworkingwiththefilmwehadameetingwiththeNorwegiandocumentaryphotographerWernerAnderson.Hetoldusabouthisprojectsshowingthelivesofpeoplein the fieldofmilitaryconflicts inotherdifficult situa-tions.WealsohadaworkshopwiththeNorwegianCre-ativeSchool.Togetherwith itsprofessorsandstudents,wephotographedonthestreetsofthecitytolearnhowtotransmitdifferentfeelingsthroughcaptures.Meeting with Dalai Lama FromthebeginningIknewthat thiswouldbeoneofthe most rewarding days of my life. The whole festi-valwasorganizedatthehighestlevel.Icannotbelievethat it is entirely the fruit of the work of students andvolunteers,evenwiththestrongstatesupport.Thepro-gram of ISFiT consists of seminars, conferences, con-certsandmeetingswithfamouspersonalities Themostlong-awaitedeventformewasthemeetingwithHisHolinesstheDalaiLama.ForthefirsttimehespokeatISFiTin1994.Andnow,aftersomanyyears,hereturnedtoTrondheimtomeetwithparticipantsofthefestivalagain.The Dalai Lama is such a great personality! Sim-ple and wise, he was constantly joking and laugh-ing, he treated us as equals, called us “brothers andsisters”. On corruption Dalai Lama said that this isone of the types of violence. Therefore tolerance, for-givenessandlovearethekeytoitssolution.

Students of the World! AspartoftheceremonywasheldISFiTStudentPeacePrize.This year the award went toAyat Al-Kormozi, student andpoetfromBahrain.In2011,sherecitedherpoems,criticizedthepolicyofthecoun-try,on thesquareofhernativecityofManama.After thatduetothisverseshehasundergonemanymonthsoftorturea n dpersecution by the governmentfor courage to write and talkaboutthefreewillofitspeople.

Theparticipants of ISFiT honored the student laure-ate with a parade through the city of Trondheimwith lighted torches in their hands. It is a tradi-tionaleveningprocessioncalledWalkofPeacethattakesplaceoneveryissueofthefestival.What’s next?ISFiTbecameformeasourceofideasandinspira-tion.InthenearestfutureI’mgoingtotosharemyexperienceswiththevolunteersof theYouthInfor-mationServiceofKazakhstan.Together,weareplan-ning the next issue of Kazakhstani informal youthconferenceZhasCamp,heldannuallyinAlmaty. Undoubtedly,duringoneandahalfweeksofthefestivalIwasnotabletogetacquaintedwithalltheparticipants, touncoverthesecretsofScandinaviansoulor save theworld fromcorruption.But Ihavemetdozensofstudentsfromallaroundtheworldwhocareaboutthefutureoftheplanet.YoungpeopleinArgentinaandTogo,AustraliaandSingapore,com-municate,developandseek tocontribute tochangetheworld.Iamsurethattheresultofmyjourneyisnot

just rise of friends number on face-book, but future joint projects be-tween the countries, tolerance andfriendship among nations over thou-sandsofkilometersaswell.

Text and photographs by Altynay Raskaliyeva

Sushant Dhananjay

Aplacetogo...NepalECHOCHANGE

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Sushant Dhananjay

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PORTFOLIO

HAMIMIMOUHOUamatourphotographerbasedinAlgeriaStudieddigitalphotographycoursesinNorway.

1000 STEPS MARCHING WITH A SINGLE MISSION FOR A SILVER LINING: SAVE OUR WATER BODIES; A CASE STUDY ON BORAL RIVER

INTRODUCTION

Thegovernmenthasfailedtotaketheproperactiontosavethecountry’sriversandwetlandsfromillegalencroachmentandpollution.TheratioofwaterbodyandlandinBangladeshwas1:1in1900,thenitwas1:2in1980andatpresentitis1:20.40%ofBangla-deshruralcommunitiesdirectlydependoncommonwaterbodiesfortheirlifeandlivelihoodswhethertheotherstudyshowsthat33%ofcommonwaterbodiesinBangladeshhavealreadybeengrabbedbythein-fluentialpersons,corporateaquacultureorindustries.LikemanyotherriverstheBoralRiver,onceservingasimportantriverlinkacrossChalanbeelareasbetweenPadmaandJamunarivers,alsoplayedvitalroleformaintainingenvironmentalbalanceintheregionbutithasturnedintoanarrowcanalduetothegovernment’simmatureplanning.Environmentalistsandexpertisehavealreadydemandedtoretrieve the lifeofBoralandtheevictionofallestablishmentssetupillegallyalongtheRiver,inabidtosaveitsfragileecology.ThedriedupBoralgivesapitiablelookwhileunabat-edencroachmenthassqueezedtheriverintoascantyflow.The220km-longBoralRiveristhemainbranchof the Padma which originates at Charghat area ofRajshahiandpassesthroughfourdistrictsandChalanBeelbeforefallingintoJamunaatSirajganj,connect-ingwith30rivers.Severalportionsoftheriver,whichprovides livelihood to around five million people,havebeenencroachedonbylocalinfluentialgroups.BEHINDTHESCENE

In1985,BangladeshWaterDevelopmentBoardsetupthreegatesatthesourceoftheBoralinRajshahi,whileitlateralsosetsuptwofurtherdownstreamatNatore.Thereareseveralmoresluicegatesatdiffer-entsiteswheretherivermeetsotherwaterbodies,likeBeels.Insteadofcontrollingtheriverbankinundation,thesluicegateshavekilledthemajordischargerateofBoral,thuskillingit,moreover,duetocontinuousen-croachmentforovertwodecades,theonceprofuselyflowingwideriverhasnarroweddowntoanalarmingwidth,showinghardlyanycharacteristicsofariver.Itisdryingupandbecomingnarrowerduetotheintro-ductionofseveralunplannedembankmentsalongitslength.Thefertilityoftheadjacentlandsisdecreas-ingfast,whilethereisapalpableriseintemperature.

Fig1:LocationofBaralRiver

ACTIONFROMMASSLEVEL

TheSOSfromBoralRiverhasprovokedreactionsfrom the common people, public representatives

Fig2:3ventSluiceGateonthemouthofBoralRiveratCharghat,Rajshahi

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ECHOCHANGE Sustainabledevelopment

NGOsandmembersofthecivilsociety.PeoplefrombeneficiarydistrictsofBoralRiverhavedemandedthattheauthoritiesremoveanumberofsluicegatesandotherobstaclesimpedingfreeflowoftheBoralRiver, the lifeline of Chalan beel, to save marineecology,farmingandfisheries.BangladeshParibeshAndolon,BoralRakkhaAndolan,BoralRakkhaAn-dolan,JatiyaNadiRakkhaAndolan,AssociationforLandReformandDevelopmentandRiverinePeopleformeda220-kmhumanchainfromCharghatinRa-jshahitoBaghabariinSirajganjonMarch14demand-ingimmediatestepstosaveBoralRiver.ThelocalMemberofParliamentProf.AbdulKuddusdemand-edarivercommissiontobeformedtorevivetheriver.

SCENARIOOFRECENTTIMESANDEMPOWERINGYOUTH

‘Save our water bodies’-this is not just a slogan;ratheritisanurgefromallwalksoflife.Environmentmovementdisplayssuchappealingfeaturesasunity,selfreliance;spiritofvolunteerworks.Itneedsanin-tegratedchainthroughwhichwecanensureabetterplaceinearthrevivingourwaterbodiesaswellasourenvironment.Soawarenessisamustthing.ThiscasestudyonBoralRivernotonlyfocusesthecriticalis-suesbutalsoreflectsthewholescenarioofourcoun-try.Weneedtostopbeingthecatalystforextensiveblowstotheseriverbodies.Andyoutharebestsuitedastheyareresilienttoanykindsofdisorder.Theyouthistotakeinitiative,makesomenoise,raisethevoiceandmakeeveryoneawareofthissituationinBoral.ToletthemasspeopleofBangladeshknowaboutBoral,the youth can arrange human chains, gatherings,seminarswhichhasgotthepotentialtoalarmpeople.

Table01providesthedistributionofthepopulationaccordingtoage[11].Informationis includedbysexandagegroup(0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over). The age structureof a population affects a nation’s key socioeconomic issues.Countrieswithyoungpopulations(highpercentageunderage15)needtoinvestmoreinschools,whilecountrieswitholderpopulations(highpercentageages65andover)needtoinvestmoreinthehealthsector.Theagestructurecanalsobeusedtohelp predict potential political issues. For example, the rapidgrowthofayoungadultpopulationunabletofindemploymentcanleadtounrest.SocialMediaslikeFacebook,Twitter,Blog-gingcouldbebroughttoattention.Blogging,Micro-blogging,Twitter-trendingcanmakeahugenudgeoverthemedia.Face-bookevents,groups,postingscan shake the topicup.Butallthatmatters is the resolutionof theyouthwhocanmake thisallpossible.Intherecenttimes,wehaveseenwhatyouthem-powermentdoandwecanhopetoseeitonwardsaboutBoral.

ACTIONOFTHEMEDIA

Mediasareplayingastrongroleagainsttheenemiesofenvironmentatpresent.ButMediascanonlyreachtheeruditepopulationwhereastheBoreal-extinctionaffected people are mostly illiterate. The illiterateonescanonlybereachedthroughliteratemanpower.

Inrecenttimessocialnetworkslikefacebook,twit-ters, blogging has made a huge impact on socialawareness.TheBoralRiverhadarhetoriceffectonthemassmedia.Almostall themainstreamMediascovered thenewswithmuchweightage.TheDailyStarheadlined“HugeHumanChainalongBoralTo-day”.Theystatedthatoverthreelakhpeoplejoinedthehumanchain,thelargestofitskindinthecoun-try,demanding steps to save the river foronehourfrom 11:00 am. [7] Prominent English daily TheDhakaTribuneurgedtoremovesluicegatestosaveBoral River.They also stated that the environmen-talistsurged thegovernment todemarcate the riverboundary asper theCadastralSurvey (CS) and in-clude thewaterbody in thegovernment’sdredgingprogramme,whichisalreadyrunningforthePadmaand Jamuna rivers.[8] Oldest Bangla daily of Ban-gladesh the Daily Ittefaq also mentioned about theBAPA hosted human chain for raising awarenessaboutBoral.[9]Bangladesh’slargestonlinewebpor-tal Banglanews24 highlighted the illegal encroach-mentsuffocatinglastsliceoflifeoutofBoral.Otherthan that, The Daily Samakal, The Daily ProthomAlo, The Daily Sangbad, Online web portal Ban-glamailalsoreportedontheBoralrivermovement,mostly focusing on the BAPA protests, the humanchainandtheillegalencroachmentalongBoral.[10]WAYSOUT• A proper survey has to be carried out in acyclic order in every year to observe relative factse.g.navigabilityofwetlands,pathoftheriveranditsdistributariesandtributaries.Needthepropermain-tenanceofthesluicegatesacrosstheriverstoregu-latetheflowduringtherainyandthewinterseason.• Dredging, a modern techniquehas to be implemented for Boral Riv-ertoincreaseitswatercontainingcapacity.• TheresidentsalongsideBoralRiverarenotreallyapprehensiveofthedeteriorationaswellastheencroachmentofriver.Theyarestillunfamiliarwiththetechnicalaspectsoftheriver.Itistheresponsibil-ityofours,theengineers,tomakethemaware.• Workshops can be arranged, meetings canbecalledintherespectivelocales,evenvisitstotheindividualfamiliescanbearrangedtoopenuptheireyesaboutwhat’sactuallyhappeningtoBoral.

RESTORATIONOFTHEWETLANDSINNORTHWESTREGIONRiversand their tributariesare formedawaternet-work over the entire chalan beel area. The riversare Atrai, Gur, Korotoa, Boral, Mara Boral, Tulsi,Chenchma, Bhadai, Chikni, Bogomja, Khubjipur,Telkupi and their innumerable tributaries, intercon-necting canals and channels. But, unfortunately,

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ECHOCHANGEMakingimpact

many of those have lost their heritages due to vari-ous unplanned infrastructures. Referring to variousresearchfindingsRedwanurRahman,Associatepro-fessorofInstituteofEnvironmentalSciencesofRa-jshahiUniversityaddedtheidentifiedspeciesoffishis 129, annelids eight, arthropods 11, mollusces 13,amphibians seven, reptiles 17, birds 34, mammalseightandaquaticvascularplants52inthebeel.Thenumberofcultivablefishspecieis7andselfrecruitedfishspeciesmorethan50.ProfDrAbdulMannanofZoologyDepartmentofRajshahiUniversitycalledforremovingtheillegalembankmentstohelpregainthenormal flowof the rivers in theBeel area and savethe water bodies as well as its ecological balance.ManyofthewetlandsoftheBeelhavebecomecultiva-tionlandandusingofinjudiciouschemicalfertilizersandpesticidesonthefarmingfieldsisposingaseri-ousthreattotheecosystemandbiodiversityespeciallyfisheriesresources.“Thereishugepollutionpressure,climate change impact, unsustainable developmentinteractions,”ProfDrAbdulMannandemandedstepsto removeall the illegal embankmentson theBoralRiver to navigable the river and save Chalan Beel.Tonmoy Sanyal, Divisional Coordinator of Bangla-desh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA),saidsteps to removeall the illegalembankmentsontheBoralRivertonavigabletheriverandsaveCha-lanBeel,thelargestwaterbodyinthenorthernregionare needed.Sobura Khatun, 80, along with his fam-ilymembers joined thehumanchain in frontofherresidence at Sondova village in Chatmohar upazila.

RECOMMENDATIONSASANENGINEER

Theengineershavegot someveryspecificabilities,sotheyhavegotsomespecialdutiestocoverup.Thetechnical aspects, as in for Boral, the actual impor-tance of regulating the sluice gates is only relisable

Fig4:SchoolchildrenstandbesideanearlydeadBoralRiveratBonKishorevillageinCharghatupazilaofRajshahidistrict,formingpartofthe220-kilometre-longhumanchainfromCharghatinRajshahitoBaghabariinSirajganjyesterdaydemandingstepsformakingtheriverregainitsflow.

for the engineers. So it’s their dutyto make the others realise the factsandterms.Inthisregard:-TheWaterResourcesEngineerscanreachuptothehighestlevelsofthegov-ernmenttoshowtherealpictureofBoral.-Theycansetupa taskforceforde-tailsmonitoringofBoralthatwillhelpthegovernmentofficialstogetabetterviewoftheriverandtheycanmanagethegovernmentinitiativesaccordingly.-ThelocalbeneficiariesofBoralarestillnotproperlyawareofconsequencesofanextinctBoral,whichisthemainrea-sonforthebankencroachment.Theen-gineersaretomakethemaware.-Theengineerscanarrangesocialgath-erings,meetings,villagecouncilstolet

the mass people know about Boral extinction.- The local schools, colleges can ar-range science fairs, workshops to cre-ate awareness among the local students.-Thestudentscanmakeupsmallgroupstospreadthemessagefromfamilytofamilyintheadjacentvil-lageswhichwouldbemuchmoreeffectiveprocess.CONCLUSIONWe need to save the Boral River from illegal en-croachment by the influential quarters who builtseveraldamsontheriverinunplannedwayturningthe once turbulent river into a dead river.A youthmovement canbeoneof themost effective strate-gies by providing young people with opportuni-ties to develop an effective Boral save movement.When the actual steps in the movement processare reviewed, the role of a youth begins to soundmuch like that of a facilitator, a very differentrole for many people to move for Boral grabbing.REFERENCES[1] Rucht, D. (1989). Environmental movement organiza-tions in West Germany and France: Structure and inter organiza-tional relations. International Social Movements Research 2, 61-94.[2] Blanchard,K.,Carlos, J.,&Randolph,A. (1996).Empow-erment takes more than a minute. San Francisco: Berrett- Koehler.[3] Brulle, R. (2000) Agency, Democracy and Na-ture: The US Environmental Movement from a Criti-cal Theory Perspective. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.[4] Rucht, D. & Roose, J. (2003) Germa-ny. In: Rootes, C. (Ed.), Environmental Protest in West-ern Europe. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 80–108.[5] Rootes, C. (2004) Environmental Movements. In: Snow,D. A., Soule, S. A., & Kriesi, H. (Eds.), and the Blackwell Com-panion to Social Movements. Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 608–40.[6] Walden Bello. (2007) “The Environmental Move-ment in the Global South: The Pivotal Agent in the Fight againstGlobal Warming?” Global Resource Depletion Washington, D.C.[7] h t t p : / / w w w . t h e d a i l y s t a r . n e t / b e t a 2 / n e w s /huge-human-chain-along-boral-river-today/

Shahadat Hossain, S.E.T. Chowdhury and N. F. Anisha

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SustainabledevelopmentECHOCHANGE

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ECHOCHANGEGetinspiredbyhumans

He took birth in a working classfamilyexistedinLahoreasajoinedFamily.MuhammadMubeenwasthenamegiventohimbyhisgranddad.Hewassecondchildofhisguardians.Theyhadaninfantbabygirlbeforehisbirth.Hisagewasaroundafewmonths when his grandma (nany)recognizedsomeissueinhisdevelop-ments.Accordingtosuchconditions,theyconsultedtheirfamilyspecialist.

Thespecialistletthemknowthattheinfantkidhassomehandicapinhisrighthalfofbody.Hisguard-iansputtheirbesttocurehisdisorder.Theytookap-pointmentsfrommastersforcheckupandtooperatehislegfromorthopedicmaster.Yet,itdidn’tputanincredibleimpactonhimevenhecan’tsitattheagewhen a typical kid can. His guardians did not losetheirtrustandbringituplikeanordinaryyoungster. Despite thefact that,physical issueshehassharpmind.Heplayedacriticalroleinthatrouteinsidehiskin, theyare five innumberwith twobrothers andthreesisters.Everyoneacceptedhimlikeanordinarychild.Hewasextremelyquicktostudy.Hisguardiansdidnotconcedehimtoanyschoolatthetypicalageastheysufferedoverthegeneralpopulationidioms.But,theysenthimtothetuitionCenterclosetohisfamilyforhisbeginninggrooming.Inthisway,hecanhavethecapacitytofacealltheissuesinhisnearfuture.Afterprovidingthetrainingandguidance-hispar-ents decided to admit him to the school of specialpersonwhenhewasatageof seven.Butwhenhismotherwenttothatplaceforgeneralenquiryandmettheprincipalof the institute shewasnot impressedwithherattitudeduetoherrudebehavioranddecid-ednottoadmitherchildinthatschool.Sheadmittedhimtoanotherschool(theschoolfornormalstudents)innursery classwherehis elder sister andyoungerbrotherhadmulledoverforaroundtwoyears.Thansheconcentratedonanalternateschoolwhichwasalittlefarfromtheirhome.Inthewakeofpassingoneinstructiveyeartherehejoinedtoanalternateschoolin1998andwasgoingtheretill2009wherehiskinadditionally were going by themselves with him.

Inthatschoolhegotanexcellentguidingstaffthatappreciate his courage and also push him to workhardforhisbrightfuture.Healwaysshowedhisbestin the class but he want to attain a position among1st,2ndor3rdalthoughhehadgotten4thto6thposi-tioninthepreviousclasses.Whilehewasat8thformhe`sgot3rdposition.Itbecameagoldenchanceforhimbecausethe1stthreepositionholderdidattemptthe school papers as they had to the board papers.In9thclasshealsohadtoattempttheboardpapersthatwhyhestartedworkevenhard.Hewasabitwor-riedabouthiswritingasitwasslowinspeedandil-legible.So,heappliedforawriterintheboardandhegotthepermitadaybeforeexams.Hegot1stdivisionin9thand in10th too. Overall,hegot80%marksandhedidnotawareofitthathehadgot2ndpositioninalloverthePunjab.Onedayhereceivedacallonwhichhewas informed thathewas invited inC.Mhousetogethisreward.Hedidnottookthatseriouslybutaftergettingenquiryhefoundsthatitwasreal.On10thofOctober2009,heattemptedtheceremonywithhismotherandcollectedhisawardfromC.MPunjabofthattime(Mr.ShahbazSherif).Aftergettingthatawardsheconsideredthatitisabigsuccessofhislife. Rightnow,he is doinghisbachelors in computerfromVirtualUniversityofPakistanandhadmadehisProfilepowerful.MayALLAHShowerallhisbless-ingonhimandhedonotneedanyhelpfromothers.IfhefindshimselfsuccessfulandcomfortableIalsofeelhappyabouthissuccessasheismyelderbrother.

SHABASH KAHANI

Muhammad Mubeen –

A Motivation

Youshouldatleastoncevisit

tothisbeautifulandcharmingcity-cityofenergy.

ThereisacitywhereyoucanfindapieceofEuropeandapieceofAsia,separatedby

wonderfulchannelBosphorus.Itisaplacewherepeoplelikeanimalsandfeedcatsoneach

corner...

Whenexploringthecity-trytodoitatbothdaytimeandnighttime.Itiscompletelydifferentandyouwouldbe

impressedbythechangesyouwouldbeabletoobserve...

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What to see in Istanbul: 1. Topkapi Sarayi. Home of the Ottoman sul-tans for nearly 400 years, Topkapı Sarayı was the seraglio, the heart of the vast Ottoman Em-pire, ruled by the monarch who lived in Topkapı’s hundreds of rooms with hundreds of concu-bines,children,andwhiteandblackservants.2. Ayasofia. The Church of the Divine Wis-dom (Hagia Sophia in Greek) in Sultanah-met, Istanbul, is one of the most impressiveandimportantbuildingseverconstructed.3. Sultanahmet.Istanbul’simperialMosqueofSultanAhmetI,facingtheHippodromeinthecenterofOldIstanbul,isoneofthetopsightsinthishistoriccity.Called the Blue Mosque by foreign visitors be-cause of its interior tiles, it disappoints if you’relooking for lots of blue because the blue tiles aremostly in the inaccessible upper galleries. Oth-erwise, the mosque is a fine example of Istan-bul’swonderfulimperialOttomanmosques.4. Basilica Cistern. Beneath Istanbul lie hun-dreds of gloomy Byzantine cisterns. They’releft from the days when Istanbul was Constan-tinople. Most large, important Byzantine build-ings provided for storage of water beneath them.ThegrandestofallistheBasilicaCistern(YerebatanSarnıç), so called because it lay beneath the Stoa Basilica, a grand Byzantine public square. It’s alsocalled the Sunken Palace Cistern (Yerebatan SaraySarnıçı) because that’s what it looks like. 5. Bosphorus.EveryvisitortoIstanbulwantsto—andshould!—takeaBosphoruscruiseonthe32km(20-mile)-longstraitwhichjoinstheSeaofMarmaratothesouthwiththeBlackSeatothenorthofIstanbul.

Photosby:LidiiaKozhevnikovaText:Internet

On Friday the 10th of October 2014, when theworld saw MalalaYusafzai, at age 17, become theonly youngest recipient of any Nobel Peace Prizein one hundred and twelve years, I recalled thetime when I was 17, three years ago, I was so re-morsefulabout the fact that I amnotevenclose tobeinginMuhammadBinQasim’sleague. IoncefellintoaverbalfightwithsomeproMalalacyberfriendsonsocialmediaabouthowshebecamea‘hand-picked’ambassadorofpeaceandeducationby thewestalthoughthereare thousandsofsimilarcasesandIwasheavilycriticizedformyopinion.ButwhenshebecametheyoungestNobelLaureateeverand the second Pakistani to receive a Nobel Prize,thesameoldso-calledcyberfriendsstartedtowhineabouthervictorybecauseaccording to them,Paki-staniHumanitarian:AbdulSattarEdhideservedtheawardevenmore.Soifthereeverwasanappropriatetime;CongratulationsMalala!Youdeservedit! I’m not a fan of Malala Yusafzai. I neither de-spisehernorenvyher.I’mnotevenbraggingabouthowproudIamofmycountrybecauseshewontheNobelPrize like IwaswhenSharmeenObaid-Chi-noy became Pakistan’s first Oscar winner for herdocumentary, Saving Face in 2012. Being a youngPakistani,Idon’thaveenoughspaceinthemedial-temporal lobe of my brain to store Malala’s latestsituationjustbecausetheInternationalmediawantsus to accept their projection of a hand-picked one-of-a-kindimageofa“PeaceActivist”whosurvivedanassassinationattemptbytheTaliban.SorryMala-la,I’mnoJustinBeiber.I’mnotimpressed! All this makes me wonder, are they really do-ing it for “Peace” ? Time will tell. All we cando is sit in our bedrooms and watch televi-sion or read a newspaper to have media’s dy-namicof“Peace”imprintedinourminds. I’ve got no problem with Malala winning thisprestigious award. She’s a sweet girl. I’ve got aproblem with the Swedish and Norwegian com-mittees who recognize these cultural and sci-entific advances. I’ve got a problem with theauthenticity of the most prestigious award avail-ableinworldtoday:TheNobelPeacePrize.In1866,AlfredNobel,thefounderoftheNobelPeacePrize,inventeddynamite,ahigh-explosivethatwasfirstusedinWorldWarOne.Mr.Nobel,however,didnotlivetoseetheterrorandchaosthathisdynamitehadcausedinbothWorldWars.Hisconceptionaboutdy-namitebringingworld-peacewenttotallywrong.

NobelPrizeshavebeenawarded toover850 in-dividuals. Out of them, 20% are Jews. In the 20thCentury, 27% of United States Nobel Prize win-ners had Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. At the Holo-caust museum in Berlin, Germany, at the AlfredNobelexhibit, thereisapresentationcardthatcon-firms thatAlfred Nobel was a Jew. So what’s go-ingon?Let’spsychoanalyzethelosttribes.HistoryoftheAfghans(1858)explains:“WhenNa-dirShahmarchingtotheconquestofIndiaarrivedatPeshawar, the chief of the tribeof “YoosoofZyes”(SonsofJoseph)presentedhimwithaBiblewritteninHebrew.Theywererecognizedby theJewswhofollowed the camp. The presence of Bibles amongAfghansconfirmedtheirJewishorigin.” I’mnottryingtosayMalalaisaJew,butratherawell-pickedor forwell-preffered (For the lackofabetterword)award-recipientbytheauthority.Imy-selfbelong toYusafzai caste.And I cherish to findthat traditionalAfghan genealogies list QaisAbdurRashid; the founding father of Pakhtun Nation asthe 37th descendant of King Saul, the first JewishKing.JewsareIntelligentpeopleafterall.

FORPEACE....ASTHEYSHOWIT...

ECHOCHANGE Personalopinion

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In2009,afterBarrackObama,whoisn’tthefirstAmerican President to win the Nobel Peace Prize,was awarded one, many people believed that theterm “Peace” that was once vehemently associatedwith the award,no longer remained its criteria anderoded the foundationof thePrize.So inmyopin-ion, Abdul Sattar Edhi, the uncomparable livinglegend,asymbolofpeaceandatwentyfirstcentu-ary humanitarian, who most people think shouldhavewontheaward,isJUSTABOVETHIS!IfthereevercomesadaywhenaPakistani-basedcommittee for some International Peace Prize isorganized, I would love to see Jonathan Pollack, ayoung Israeli activist against the IsraeliWest BankBarrier, a graphic designer and founder of “Anar-chists Against the Wall” as well as Arik Ascher-man, an American-born Israeli Reform Rabbi anda human rights activist, receive the InternationalPeace Prize for spending nearly half of their livesspearheadingproteststodefendPalestiniansagainstthe violence caused by Israeli settlers in Palestine.AllI’msayingis...Give“PEACE”achance.

Hamza Asad, author of “The Student Diaries”

facebook.com/TheStudentDiaries

ECHOCHANGEPersonalopinion

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Still dancing like a peacock(ThisisthestoryofayounginspirationalfigureofNepal.PeopleknowherastheonelegdancerofNepal.)

Have you ever thought to yourself havingonly one leg but also being happy and danc-inglikeapeacock?Youmaycallmeinsanebutit’snotafoolishquestionthatIamaskingasIhave seensomeone reallydoing ithere inNe-pal. Neelam Dhungana, 21, an amputee, wholost her one leg in a tragic bus accident whileshe was only 15, has the power to dazzle youwithhermesmerizingdanceperformance.Ibet,youwillstartimagineyourselfinhershoesandfeelmiserableforhavingbothlegsandstillnotbeingabletohavethoseflawlessstepslikeher.Neelam isanexemplar in thismentallyhandi-capped society where, physical disability, ineveryday thought, is associated with failure,withdependencyandwithnotbeingabletodothings(eventheregularchoresoflife). Neelamashernamesuggests,isreallylikeagemstone(TheBlueSapphire),withacaptivat-ingbeautyandneverendingsmile.Herschoolmatesalwayshadadreamofdancinglikeheras

everyoneusedtoappreciateherdancemoves.Anycultural program at school and Neelam wasn’tthere;theprogramwouldn’tbeinteresting,theyopine.Shewassynonymoustoapeacock.OurlifeislikeaPandora’sBox.Weneverknowwhattragicsurprisesithasforuswhenweopenit.ThesamehappenedwithNeelamwhenshewasjustonhervergeofyouth.Anambitiousdreamofbeingafamousactor,ablissfulteenage,thou-sandyouthfulaspirationsandmostofallthebestdiversionofherlife;dancingwereallshatteredinaroadmishapmadebyacarefuldriverwhenshewasrightfullywalkingonherownlanehold-ingthehandsofherbestbuddy.In the tragedyshenotonlyhadtoloseherallyforeverbutsheevenhadtomislayallherdreamsandleadherremaininglifeasanamputeewithonlyoneleg.Whensherememberstheverydayshesays,“Ilearntthatmylegwasamputatedonlyadayafter.Though my family members were around megivingmehope, but inprivate I used to admit

ECHOCHANGE Inspiredbyhumans

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the misery and shed tears for the misfor-tuneofnotbeingabletodanceanymoreYes,thereislightattheendofthetunnel.Forher,disabilitywastypicaltrajectory.Afterape-riodoftime,shestartedtoadapttohernewsitu-ation,andstartedmakingmuchofit.Shestarteddancing even with her one leg without givingnoticetoothersforherhappinessasdancingwastheultimateecstasyofherlife.Afterfiveyearsof practice (which wasn’t easy), her talent gotthelimelightonalocalstageontheoccasionof‘InternationalDayofPersonswithDisabilities’ayearbackwiththesupportofBhimaKhatiwadaandMinaAcharya,whotooarephysicallydis-able;whomNeelamlikestocredit.Sincethen,shehasneversteppedbackfromheraspirationof being an actor. “Even if life is sometimeshard,myspouse,parentsandmentorshaveal-wayssupportedmeandhelpedmebecometheone-legdancerofNepal.”,Neelamshares.Weoftenassumethatpeoplewithdisabilitiesareunhappy.Butinfactwe’rewrong.Surveysreveal people with disabilities consistently re-port a quality life as good as, or sometimeseven better than that of non-disabled people.Humanflourishingispossibleevenifyoulackamajor sense like sight,oryoucan’twalk,oryou’re totally physically dependent on others.Sometimes, theyaredriven togreaterachieve-ments than before. That’s why if we presup-pose thatphysicaldifficulties forpeople resultinmiseryforthem,theywearewrong. What is more important here is the socialblockade rather than the physical impairmentitself. It’s true that in general, disabled peopleusually have fewer choices than non-disabledpeople. Most societies still have limited ac-cessibility for them, which have certainly cre-ated some problem for them. Otherwise, spe-cial people like Neelam are much better thanmentallyjammedpeopleofoursociety. Yes, it’s also true that physical impairmentundoubtedly involve greater degrees of mis-ery than average human should endure.ApartfromthattherearesomeexampleslikeNeelamwhose transformative life stories teach us animportant important lesson that human beingsare capable of adapting to almost any situa-tion and can march on to triumph overcom-ing all the misfortunes. Neelam, even aftersuch misfortune still dances like a peacock.

Neelam even after such misfortune still dances like a peacock.

Written by: Bhawana Shrestha

ECHOCHANGELifepages

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Photo of both Jordanian and Syrian children in sport for peace sessions in north Jordan (one of the ost communities for Syrian refugees)

FordecadesSportsnatureand intrinsicval-ues have been questioned. In 1970’s GeorgeOrwell stated that “Serious sport has noth-ing to do with fair play. It is bound up withhatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard ofall rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessingviolence. In other words: it is war minus theshooting.” At the same time sport championsstartedpreaching that sport offeredmore thana temporaryhaven for thesuspensionofcon-flict.Forthisgroupsport,locallyandglobally,can solve those problems that politicians andmilitaries palpably cannot. “if sport was goodforthem…itmustbegoodforothers...” In2005withtheInternationalYearofSportand Physical Education the added value ofsportaspeacebuildingfactorwasgivenalmostunanimousrecognitionbytheinternationalde-velopment community. The UN regards sportasaneffectivetoolandastrongunifyingfac-tor in the process of conflict transformationand peace building. This has for instance ledtotheuseofsport-relatedactivitiesasaninte-gralpartofnationbuildingandtofostergood-willwithin localcommunitiesbyanumberofUNpeacekeepingmissionsworldwide.

Notonlyhassportbeenrecognizedasapow-erful apparatus, but the fundamental valuesof the sports and play alone have been ac-knowledged as very important elements inthebuildingofastrongcivilsocietyandstateswhere tolerance and friendship is being built.More than a conflict transforming tool, sporthas been granted the potential as a conflict-preventionmeasure,helpingforestallprocessesthatgenerateaggression,hatredandfear.Ifsportisaneffectivevehiclehowitcancon-tributetoPeace-Building?Sporthasbeenincreas-inglyrecognizedandusedasaninnovativelow-costandhigh-impacttoolinhumanitarian.Atthegrassrootsorcommunitylevel,sportcanbeseentoprovideausefulwayofcreatinganenviron-mentinwhichpeoplecancometogetherto:worktowardsthesamegoal,showrespectforothersandsharespaceandequipment.Alltheseaspectsare crucial topeace-buildingprocesses andareexemplifiedinfindingsfromaPeacePlayersIn-ternationalprogram.Somepeoplewillaskhowsportcanmakepeacewhilepeopleofdifferentcountriescompeteinsports,theybecomerivals,andsometimesitcanleadtoenmity?theansweristhatthegamesareusedinPeace-Buildingits

SPORTFORPEACE

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Photo of both Jordanian and Syrian children in sport for peace sessions in north Jordan (one of the ost communities for Syrian refugees)

non-competitive games focusing on buildingmany values can bring peace, achieve accep-tanceandbuildtrustwiththetargetgroup.Sportforpeaceisn’tanillusion!TodaythesearefourInitiativesusingsportasatoolforbuildpeaceintheconflictingparties,GenerationsForPeace,PeaceAndSport,PeacePlayersand thePeresCenterforPeace.Thoseinitiativesareus-ingasportasaneffectivetooltoreinforcevaluesofsharing,tolerance,respectandloyalty. At theUNheadquarters inNewYork,on23August 2013, the UN General Assembly de-clared6AprilastheInternationalDayofSportfor Development and Peace – a decision thatrepresentedanhistoricstepinrecognizingsportasa tool fordevelopmentandpeace.declaring6 April as the International Day of Sport forDevelopment and Peace is an evidence howmuchsport isaneffective tool inPeace-Build-ingandcommunitydevelopmentaswellastherole that sportplays in society,whetherbyen-couraging healthier lifestyles, making sportmorewidely accessible or using sport as a ve-hicle for development in areas made vulner-ablebyconflict,povertyandinequality. Not only on the locally but internationallysports can help bring the importance of con-necting countries, sportsmanship, and somedaymayshowtheworldjusthowstupidsomeofourwarsreallyare.TheOlympicsisanexampleofalargeeventthatcanbeshowcasedasafriend-ly competition between countries (who opposeeach other). It unites viewers to a similar goalandconnectsthemonaneventthatis(relative-ly,ornot,insomecases)non-violent.

Anas M. Talalqa Jordan

ECHOCHANGEPeaceinitiatives

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Todaywewouldliketotellyouaboutprofession-almodelwithgreatpersonalityOlga Sidorska.Shewasborn in a small cityLutsk inUkraineand became famous model in Asia. Olga hashugemodelingexperience–shewasworkingasamodel formore than9years inChina,Thai-land, Lebanon, Malaysia, Poland and Ukraine.Shehasanexperienceofworkwithsuchworld-known brands as: Paco Rabanne, Gucci, Dior,Prada,RalphLauren,JilSander,MichaelJebran.Shebecameanofficialfaceofcommercialcam-paign for Maybelline, Marlboro, Swarovski.

“Ifyouwannatryyourselfasamodel–neversaythatyoucan`tdosomething,followyourdream.Ifyouwanttobecomefamous–youneedtoworkalot.”

“Youshouldworkonself-developmentconstantly,neverstopthisandalwaysbethankfulforthepeoplewhogrownupyourstar,firstofallforyourparentsandthen–toyourteachers.”

“I am glad that I had the chance to work with interna-tional professional photographers, stylists and manag-ers – we have learned a lot from each other. Thanks tothem, I start developing my new job as a photographer… ”

Photo of Olga Sidorska Interview by Lidiia Kozhevnikova

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ECHOCHANGE