Nomad RSI Annual Report 2014 28 April...For community‐based health education, Nomad RSI has...
Transcript of Nomad RSI Annual Report 2014 28 April...For community‐based health education, Nomad RSI has...
Nomad RSI Cambodia - Annual Report 2014
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Nomad RSI Cambodia – Annual Report 2014
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Photo cover:
Puham SHG member preparing bamboo shoots. MIPAD gained its first major grant and project activities in early January 2014 to promote sustainable and profitable
production of bamboo shoots.
The report was prepared by :
Nicolas Savajol, Technical Director
and
John Lowrie, General Coordinator
With contributions from
Ms Chey Bunthy, MRDC Manager and Ms Lay Raksmey, Finance Manager
All pictures and design credit to Nomad RSI – they may be used after permission is obtained with due attribution shown.
©Nomad RSI Cambodia 2015
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TTAABBLLEEOOFFCCOONNTTEENNTTSSTABLEOFCONTENTS 2 ACRONYMS 3 I‐NOMADRSIINMONDULKIRIPROVINCE 4 1. Summary 4 2. The team 6 3. Mondulkiri Indigenous People’s Association for Development 6
II‐PROGRAMMERESULTS 7 1. Mondulkiri Indigenous People’s Maternal/Child Health; Livelihoods and Capacity Building Project: 7
Background to the project 7 Main activities 7 Looking forward 10
2. Mondulkiri Resource and Documentation Centre (MRDC): 10 Background to the project 10 Main activities carried out by the MRDC in 2014: 11 Collecting mythological STORIES: the basis of the common identity and history 11 Exhibition about Bunong Weddings 12 Experimenting new ways of transmission through village level based exhibitions. 14 Looking forward 14
3. MIPAD enterprise development projects 15 Background 15 Main achievements in 2014 16 Looking forward 16 Sustainable Livelihoods and Natural Resources Management 18
4. Promoting Indigenous People's Interests 20 Indigenous People's Market in Sen Monorom 20 Intellectual Property Rights 20 Constructive Engagement on Land Rights 21
5. Research 21 A geographical study of malaria data in a multidisciplinary research project 21
6. Lessons Learned: 22
III–PERSPECTIVESFOR2015 24 V‐FINANCIALSUMMARIES 27 VI‐APPENDIX‐TABLEOFMIPADFEDERATEDSELF‐HELPGROUPS
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AACCRROONNYYMMSS
CBO Community Based Organisation
CF Community Forestry
CSO Civil Society Organisation
DoFAC Department of Fine Arts and Culture
CIYA Cambodia Indigenous Youth Association
HbF Heinrich Böll Stitfung
HC Health Centre
IRD Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
ILO International Labour Organization
KCF Kadoorie Charitable Foundation
MDGF Millennium Development Goals Fund
MIPAD Mondulkiri Indigenous Peoples ‘ Association for Development
MoU Memorandum of Understanding
MoH Ministry of Health
MRD Ministry of Rural Development
MRDC Mondulkiri Resource & Documentation Centre
NTFP Non Timber Forest Product
NTFP‐EP Non Timber Forest Product – Exchange Programme (NGO)
Nomad RSI Nomad Recherche et Soutien International
PHD Provincial Health Department
RDI Research Institute of Development
SHG Self Help Group
SOREMA SOciété REsistance MALaria
TBA Traditional Birth Attendant
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization
VHSG Village Health Support Group
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The most significant progress in 2014 was the key accomplishment of the full localization of Nomad RSI’s main partner “Mondulkiri Indigenous People’s Association for Development” (MIPAD) started its own activities in full, with staff transferring from Nomad RSI. Indeed, for the first time MIPAD succeeded in gaining two new grants in a year. Its first grant was from First People’s Worldwide to help its establishment, but then two new grants in 2014 enabled activities to start in earnest, directly serving members in villages. The first came from the Fund for Community‐Based NTFP Initiatives in South and Southeast Asia and the second from Winrock International/USAID. These two projects, awarded to and led by MIPAD, with Nomad RSI supporting, will hopefully lead to more projects in 2015 and beyond. This Annual Report for Nomad RSI therefore serves also as the first MIPAD Annual Report.
The MIPAD Federation, at the end of 2014, consisted of 16 active Self‐Help Groups (SHGs), or participating communities – formed originally from the UNESCO/ILO project; then the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation project, and this year with USAID/Winrock Foundation. There are 301 members of which 216 (72%) are women.
Nomad RSI completed its own main project on schedule in June 2014: Mondulkiri Indigenous People’s Maternal and Child Health; Livelihoods and Capacity Building Project. The final evaluation showed the project’s positive impact in improving both health and livelihoods but highlighted that much still remains to be done, given that so far the project timeframe has been just two years. The project design had set 10 milestones to measure progress. All 10 were substantially achieved. Most notable were:
All of the 8 planned new Community Self Help Groups were established, projects underway (making 12 in MIPAD federation) with 214 new members (64% women).
Vital messages about Maternal/Child Health were successfully conveyed in 18 training sessions, using conventional and creative arts methodology, with new peer educators, focusing on safe motherhood (especially danger‐signs in pregnancy); sound nutrition, and cognitive child development.
Livelihood improvements were underway, with 80 poor families directly‐assisted through grants; 214 SHG members and 14 needy non‐members able to access manageable loans for new or supplementary income‐generating activities.
The capacities of Self Help Groups to self‐manage vary considerably. Some are still very new and not fully able to conduct affairs on behalf of members. Others are more advanced and doing well on their own. We have been monitoring the main reasons for the differences.
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Better and stronger support will improve the capacity of the weaker groups, especially if provided by the organizational services of MIPAD. Once fully‐led by the elected Board of Directors, the membership will benefit more from deploying its most capable trainers and peer educators to share strengths around the federated network. Nomad RSI is committed to developing the organisational capabilities of MIPAD in its plan to relinquish its responsibilities and hand over finally to local control by 2017.
The other important project that Nomad RSI has led since 2010 is the Mondulkiri Resources and Documentation Centre (MRDC). Thanks to a new partnership with Cambodia Indigenous Youth Association (CIYA), through funds from Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HbF) the MRDC was able to mount many activities during 2014 culminating with the very widely‐received exhibition on traditional weddings. The partnership will from 2015 operate within MIPAD and have a planned programme for the next three years. The MRDC now has a new office in central Sen Monorom providing more visibility and close co‐operation with partners in the Mondulkiri Tourism Hub and “Hefalump” Café. Eventually, it is hoped that MRDC will serve as a model for a National Indigenous People’s Cultural Centre.
Second MIPAD Board Meeting in 2014
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Sorn Sarun Senior Consultant ) Puch Sorya /Lay Reaksmey Finance Manager ) Office Team Phen Sophal /Sreng Phalleak Administrator )
Soeng Uk Project Field Manager ) Chey Bunthy MRDC Project Manager ) Chan Kasol MIPAD Director ) Field Sam John Community Facilitator ) Trek Chanhea Community Facilitator ) Tong Somnang MRDC Librarian/Com Facilitator )
Moen Rith/Net Phally Logistician/Driver ) Kunthea Ueun Guard ) Support Staff Buntheer Phon Guard ) Nay San Cleaner )
Nicolas Savajol Technical Director ) Expatriate John Lowrie General Co‐ordinator )
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The year started with the first MIPAD General Assembly (AGM) and the election of its first Board of Directors. It was the first time that representatives from all member communities, plus selected officials, met. Later in the year two board meetings were held.
The first formal board meeting of MIPAD reviewed the purpose and reasons for regular board meetings and members confirmed their adherence to the MIPAD structure and executive management. The background of the main project and early results led by MIPAD on Bamboo Shoots were discussed. MIPAD is conducting feasibility studies in to the development of small bamboo shoot enterprises in villages of the SHG federation.
The second meeting enabled MIPAD staff to introduce the MIPAD board to its new project supported by the grant from USAID via the Winrock Foundation. MIPAD from June 2014 was awarded a one year project aiming at creating and sustaining new livelihoods in indigenous communities based on sound use of forestries and eco‐friendly opportunities. The project is promoting alternative livelihood strategies for communities living inside protected forest areas in Koh Niek and O’Reang districts. The project will continue in 2015, the first of what should be three years, and MIPAD is hoping that it will be one of its major programmes for many years.
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MIPAD’s main challenge now is to build the capacity of its Board of Directors so that it can effectively lead MIPAD. MIPAD is founded on and committed to be driven by its beneficiaries, through their elected representatives on the Board. Therefore the Board Members must be fully conversant in their role and responsibilities to develop the organisation, and to act on behalf of the full membership in public discourse.
Nomad RSI and MRDC lost a good friend and regular performer, prominent Bunong Musician, Mr Nyel Che, who died in 2014.
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Backgroundtotheproject
The overall objective of this project is to contribute to improved maternal and child health‐care by adopting an integrated approach involving health education and livelihood improvements with strengthening the capacity of Indigenous Communities of Mondulkiri. Nomad RSI therefore places a high premium on the partnership with MIPAD, as well as with other active players such as health and local authorities.
The main operational methodology is the “self‐help group” (SHG) concept of working and supporting each other in educational, family enterprise and community activities. The new federated association of all those SHGs (MIPAD) is taking the overall co‐ordination and promotion of their interests through core groups of expertise needed to support the eight villages targeted in this project along with other groups previously formed and joining those newly from other projects.
For community‐based health education, Nomad RSI has continued to convey essential messages through non‐formal participatory tools first developed to counter malaria. They include creative arts (role‐play, theatre, music, games) that Bunong adults and children assimilate, adopt, and can then transmit to their people as peer‐to‐peer educators.
The project, approved for an initial two years was completed in June 2014 with the main achievements presented below.
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Mainactivities Good progress on the whole has been achieved through the development of all 8 SHGs directly supported by the project. The essential groundwork has been put in place regarding key messages both in livelihoods improvement and maternal/child health. However, it is recognized that more needs to be done to accomplish sustained change and self‐sufficiency. Livelihoods:newcollectiveformsofdevelopmentthrough“SelfHelpGroups”(SHGs)All the new 8 target villages SHGs were well‐established at the end of the project, despite encountering difficulties and challenges. Success rates vary in terms of SHG capacity to manage their own affairs. Nomad RSI community facilitators assisted them to prepare their own governing structures, rules, and strategies. Although a standard model exists, each group was encouraged to devise its own model through a fully participative way to come up with what works best in their locality. The same process was employed to facilitate each group to define and prioritize activities they wanted to work on. Most of the activities chosen are actually related to family economic development projects such as better raising of animals, rice‐farming, etc. These they can attain through access to their group finances through loans with new technical knowledge. Collective projects are also being developed by some groups such as for community tourism and community vegetable gardens.
Puchar SHG Chimeat Community Garden
All groups received grants and used them for various activities according to the group objectives and the village’s circumstances. For example in the villages of Koh Niek district, where paddy fields dominate, many members borrowed money to pay for inputs to develop their fields (gasoline, labour etc.), in some cases no longer relying on mortgaging their crops through more expensive loans from their purchasers. Some families used the money to improve their economic and health standards by better feeding of domestic animals, or diversifying food production and nutrition through investing in a home garden. In villages like Puchar where women were trained in weaving, they invested the money to increase their inventory of raw materials. Some families used the grant to build or repair their houses or pay for traditional ceremonies. All of that is improving their livelihoods as they do not
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need to borrow money from external brokers (especially loan sharks) who charge higher interest rates well above the 2% per month norm that most SHGs have adopted. Health treatment is also a major use for the loans and is encouraged by the fact that there is no interest rate levied for a health issue, so that the person returns to economic activity quickly. For the SHG in Gaty, which has been successfully managing a saving fund for health for several years already, and for the village of Pukong, almost all the grants so far have been used for health benefits. Now both need to develop the livelihoods sides. MotherandChildHealth:Empoweringwomen tobeablemakebest informed choices fortheirownandtheirfamily’shealth.
Following preparatory work with the Provincial Health Department, three main kinds of trainings were designed and delivered to the Self Help Groups, made up of 70% or more women, in targeted communities where particular health issues were identified.
The first training related to “Safe Motherhood” with key messages regarding safe pregnancy and birth‐delivery. It also provide updated information regarding the services available at the local health centre or health post in order that mothers‐to‐be and Traditional Birth Attendants TBAs were fully aware of latest services and charges if any. Then a second training in nutrition conveyed basic notions of nutritional food‐types and their fundamental importance in child development. The third training explained fundamental concepts regarding cognitive development of children.
Healthy and Happy Bunong Mother and Baby
All trainings were delivered through Women’s Self Help Groups. Those attending the groups include women community leaders; TBAs and Village Health Volunteers in the Village Health Service Groups (VHSGs). Local authorities, commune and village chiefs, were always invited to join the trainings in order that they too are aware of the importance and content of the trainings to support and reinforce further dissemination of key health messages.
The difficult roads in the district of Kao Seima only allowed teams to conduct trainings during the dry season. Thus all the trainings took place at the beginning of the 2014, the last project semester. The other trainings in Koh Niek district were organised during previous semesters and with the child cognitive development later.
Nomad RSI experimented with the peer‐to‐peer health education training model to see if communities were able by themselves to extend messages, so expanding the impact of initial trainings to reach more villagers. Our facilitators helped the SHGs to build their own curriculum and to assist the first peer‐sharing training. Early results from six peer‐sharing trainings are encouraging according to key persons from SHGs; village authorities and VHSGs.
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Peer training in Chiclop Child Cognitive Development Training in Chimeat
Lookingforward
Further strengthening of operational capacities is still needed in all of the SHGs before we can be sure that they can carry on by themselves to disseminate health messages and support new livelihoods. After just two years, most SHGs are not yet confident enough to stand on their own. They need ongoing assistance across the full spectrum of their activities to become fully self‐reliant, able to manage their groups on their own. A gradual phase‐out is required as Nomad RSI or MIPAD withdraw, as and when SHGs determine that they ready, and evidence shows that vulnerabilities of members are being addressed. One key point is that the success of a group depends strongly on its leadership – the best leaders lead well, while others need to reach similar standards. Such strength needs developing in‐depth to avoid undue dependency and risk through having just one or two. Therefore Nomad RSI wants to ensure that all group leaders have the chance to acquire more skills in leadership; SHG management and technical aspects of activities. Maternal/child health messages need to be continually reinforced and integrated with other key messages such as counter‐malaria and safe drinking water habits. These trainings should continue, with a gradual move from initial dissemination towards more regular follow‐up and encouraging of peer‐sharing.
22..MMoonndduullkkiirriiRReessoouurrcceeaannddDDooccuummeennttaattiioonnCCeennttrree((MMRRDDCC))::BBaacckkggrroouunnddttootthheepprroojjeecctt The MRDC was established in Oct 2010 from the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDG‐F) ‐ Creative Industries Support Programme (CISP)”, a joint initiative by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International Labour Organization (ILO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Since 2011 MRDC has suffered from a lack of funding, curtailing activities, however a “skeleton” operation has been maintained
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together with its websites/social media, plus occasional high‐profile activities, all due to the dedication of staff and supporters.
In 2014, due to the new partnership with Cambodian Indigenous Youth association (CIYA), MRDC could continue its mission on a sounder basis. CIYA is a national membership body of indigenous people, mainly of university graduates and students (city‐based) with Bunong a strong presence. It therefore is an ideal complement to the Mondulkiri‐based rural membership of MIPAD working with their parents and younger siblings. Then thanks to further partnerships with the WWF and ELIE, MRDC was able to relocate in the centre of Sen Monorom.
MRDC’s new home is upstairs at the Hefalump Cafe. The Nomad RSI originated eco‐tourism project now operates from there too. http://www.hefalumpcafe‐tourismhub.com/?page_id=134
MRDC for 2014 first focused on defining or re‐defining strategy by capitalizing on past experiences of successes/difficulties over the years with more recent opportunities and needs.
In the event, not all the envisaged funding and support materialised but still MRDC was able to develop several actions focused on its three main objectives:
Access to documents related to traditional knowledge and the culture of Mondulkiri Indigenous People’s (IPs)
Promote interest in Indigenous People’s culture
Demonstrate that Indigenous People’s culture is alive and surviving.
Fortunately those activities not only encouraged enterprising ways of generating revenue but demonstrated to our new donor, HbF, that MRDC was worth supporting on a systematic basis.
MainactivitiescarriedoutbytheMRDCin2014:
Traininginindigenousculturedocumentationandpromotiontechniques:Five main training sessions for the 10 Bunong volunteers and local staff were provided in order to build their capacity in relation to the collection; documentation and promotion of their culture and traditions, for their own preservation and to offer to the outside world. The training sessions focused on:
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Understanding basic photographic techniques in order to be able to take better quality pictures while documenting cultural identities.
Introduction to the use of editing skills such as Photoshop and Indesign.
Basic filming practices and techniques to lead interviews about traditional stories with Bunong Elders tailored for volunteers.
Social media applications‐training focused on how best to use them for promoting IP culture.
Complementary and equally important training over the year was in Computing and English. Together they added and enhanced many tools and techniques for better documentation and promotion of culture to the outside world. In the past, limited capacity of our volunteers in these domains presented difficulties slowing progress. The MRDC has been fortunate in gaining a new partnership with international volunteer‐placement Agency “Globalteer”. They not only recruit willing volunteers with the technical skills we need, but they also provide revenue as MRDC hosts the volunteers. The partnership is a great opportunity to help build the knowledge of local people with quality English language and computer skill opportunities not available at school, and extremely limited even for the wealthy in Mondulkiri.
Indigenous youth volunteers training in social media applications with a French specialist.
Socheat, our volunteer from Dak Dam commune, took part in a 3 day social media training session at the MRDC. He said that “It is great that I can share something about my origins with other people around the world and get to know them as well by just sitting in front of this computer!” He added “I feel more confident and less scared to touch the computer as before I always felt that I would break the computer when I typed on it”
ExhibitionaboutBunongWeddings
A traditional Bunong wedding exhibition was conducted at the Hefalump café located under the MRDC’s office. 11 posters displayed how Bunong weddings are organized nowadays; how they differ from Khmer weddings and how they are changing,. Visitors could view them at leisure in the café backyard. The posters are the main output of six field visits to
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research and document the subject. The team covered 6 different wedding ceremonies over a two year time‐frame. Despite local differences existing in village practices, the exhibition wanted to show the common patterns and main important features of a Bunong wedding, that are still distinct from Khmer ceremonies.
For the exhibition opening ceremony, various government departments led by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, NGOs and Bunong guests were invited. They were welcomed to share and express their ideas regarding this topic. The posters were on display at the Hefalump cafe for 2 months for Mondulkiri visitors, with 341 counted. Today they are retained by MRDC for future displays or in response to requests to see them.
Collecting mythological STORIES: the basis of the common identity and history ofIndigenouspopulationsDuring 2014 the MRDC team managed to collect 24 different stories from four different places in Mondulkiri; taking pictures and recording the voices of the story‐tellers. These stories emerged from interviews conducted with 20 participants; most of them women and the elders. This knowledge, in danger of no longer being passed on orally, is now secure to reach other people, especially new generations of Bunong. Recording and developing documents allows the MRDC and the Bunong community to keep that knowledge in perpetuity rather than risk its loss. Through these stories we can understand how Bunong people live; what their community looks like; how their leadership works; how they practice their traditional beliefs etc. Thus, it is very important to keep this alive amongst other cultures, and it helps to counter the notion that indigenous people are not as advanced as mainstream societies. At times it was hard for the MRDC team to persuade people to share these stories as the art of traditional story‐narration is dying out. We had to take account of important taboos, such as you should not tell some stories in the day time. Some stories and songs cannot be divulged unless a ceremony is celebrated. Mrs Margaret Flannery was so enamoured that she kindly posted the following on our website: https://mondulkiricentre.wordpress.com “Both directly and indirectly I believe that the MRDC staff and the role/s they provide and undertake (and all the amazing and I believe under‐acknowledged skill set/s they possess) have facilitated my increased knowledge and skills as a member of our global community.
Those posters, video clips and pictures illustrating each activity and event. They have been
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posted in our social media applications:
www.mondulkiri‐centre.org ‐ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MondulkiriMRDC?ref=hl
‐ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mondulkiri%27mrdc ‐ Issuu: http://issuu.com/_mrdc_
Staff and Bunong volunteers conducting interviews of Bunong story‐telling with Elders Dak Dam Commune
Experimentinginnewwaysoftransmissionthroughvillage‐basedexhibitions.
Two village forums about Bunong weddings were organized in Pou Loong and Pou Chhab in order to verify the information collected during field‐work; and to discuss contemporary changes affecting Bunong culture, so building dialogue between the old and new generations regarding such ancient institutional knowledge. 100 local people joined the two events during the day and people were free to come to see the exhibition during the evening. Most villagers who attended were village elders, local authority leaders and elders. Elder people had a chance to share their knowledge and to learn more about wedding ceremonies elsewhere as the way weddings are celebrated differ from place to place. Elders showed a strong interest in the exhibition and the MRDC work. They were very pleased to see that this type of forum was being held with their communities and contributing to dialogue about their culture. The documents produced by the MRDC, posters and photos produced local pride in their own culture. Lookingforward
We will continue as much research as possible related to the Bunong people and contemporary cultural issues within the Mondulkiri province. Ideas include an exhibition about musical instruments and three village forums about traditional music and how it is passed onto new generations. Others planned include details of our special rice seeds and the elephant ceremony. We will collect more Bunong stories in the Bunong language and
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produce tri‐lingual posters from these stories. We will select a new intake of Bunong student volunteers, those who are really motivated and want to work for this project and are eager to develop their capacities/knowledge related to preserving their cultural identity. These new volunteers will be trained throughout the year and at the end of 2015 they will be able to share and promote their culture using the various tools. We look forward to working closely with our relevant stakeholders especially UNESCO; the Department of Culture and Fine Arts and CIYA.
3.MIPADSocialEnterpriseDevelopmentProjectsBackground Livelihoods improvement is increasingly the main priority for the MIPAD SHGs as traditional ways of making a living are being eroded. Indigenous people are losing self‐reliance and now need to make use of the market economy for essential needs. Therefore community‐based social enterprises are being explored, as well as more diversified family enterprises. The first social enterprise project started in January to examine the feasibility of sustainable production of bamboo shoots in Puham SHG. The six‐ month pilot project was based on local knowledge of the crop and its uses.
MIPAD Community Mobilisation Session Chimat Village
Then from June 2014 a new larger project started to create and sustain new livelihoods in vulnerable indigenous communities. This too was based on sound use of forestries and eco‐friendly opportunities. It was funded by USAID through partnership with the Winrock Foundation. This initial one year project is designed to improve livelihoods and develop alternative livelihood strategies based on sustainable use of natural resources that contribute towards reducing current exploitative “cut and run” short‐term strategies which are harmful for eco‐systems. Strategies to achieve this objective include :
Facilitating indigenous community‐mobilization for viable new or supplementary activities (Bamboo shoots and other NTFP activities, non‐infrastructure eco‐tourism, agriculture) through imparting skills and knowledge in community‐based self‐help group‐working and family‐based entrepreneurship.
Providing technical trainings in chosen new enterprises. Strengthening MIPAD’s organisational structure through a “Community Livelihoods
and Eco‐tourism” Co‐ordinating Committee (CLECC) for the strategic management of