Training attended on "Geriatric Care"...

Six Participants from Arunachal Pradesh participated in week-long training programme on “Geriatric Care” which was concluded at Agartala on March 23 last. The program was organized by National Institute of Social Defense (NISD), Govt. of India in collaboration with Abhoy Mission, Agartala and was supported by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India. The main objectives of the training is to develop a cadre of frontline skilled/trained personnel of Geriatric Care givers that specializes in home care in family and community setting and creating a team of frontline personnel in old age care.

Three (3) from Future Generations Arunachal (FGA) and one each from Community Learning & Doing Center (CLDC), Palin, Rintey Dene Welfare Society, Palin and Ngunu Ziro, Ziro participated in the training programme. Participants from Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland and local citizens of Agartala also attended the programme. The five day programme covered various issues on basic care of elderly people, role of police personnel for care & protection of senior citizens, protective laws, promoting health & active ageing, dietary at older age and recreational activities for older people. The participants also visited Old age homes/ Ashram at Gokulnagar and Gandhigram in Agartala and interacted with the older peoples and with disabled children and tried to know what challenges being they face in their native home from the family members and how they feel at Old age homes.

It is worth mentioning here that the Abhoy Mission, a voluntary organization with the objective of providing well-structured and multidimensional services to the persons with disabilities and Senior Citizens taking community at large into account and at the same time to reduce the incidence of disability in the state and to grow confidence in the minds of Senior Citizens.

A week long training programme was coordinate by Mone Gurung, Program Coordinator, Future Generations Arunachal.

Green gold in Mechuka...

In yet another worth emulation initiative, Future Generations Arunachal as a part of its best practices programme, initiated bamboo plantation in the enchanting Mechuka valley with the help of community members of Apatani Plateau and RK Kanaujiya, SDAO, Mechuka and the program led by FGA's project supervisor Kago Yam, the apatani bamboo (Phyllostachys Mannii) rhizomes were brought from Hong village (Ziro) with the help of FGA members and Ngunu Ziro. With the idea to replicate best practices of the Apatani community in the Mechuka valley, the Best Practice program was launched as both the places shares the similar type of climatic and geographical features which would facilitate natural resource, like the bamboo to flourish in Mechuka with huge land available for plantation.

FGa Executive Director, Nalong Mize feels that with the propagation of the bamboo species, sustainable resources will be abundantly available in the valley located along the Sino-India border for various community usages which would make a huge difference in their living standard.

Moreover, it would also reduce dependence on wood or timber for domestic purposes which would check deforestation and help in conserving the forest resources. Development of bamboo based handicraft such as basketry could spruce up the local economy. Interestingly, bamboo plantation can improve the nutrition of the community by providing succulent bamboo shoots for vegetable.



In total, 1,100 bamboo rhizomes were brought from the Hong and distributed among the residents of Lhalung, Dongsar, Farge, Dorjeeling, Bomjipanga and Boragang villages. The numbers fell short because of increasing demand of the Ziro gift.

A day-long training on planting and management was conducted on 11 March last and given by the locals of Ziro based Ngunu Ziro's Secretary and FGA member, Narang Tam to the villagers, including women's action group members and agriculture officials. (Arunachal Front volume 20 dated 22 March 2012)