Exchange Visit to Yachuli area

Best Practices team from Mechuka and Koyu Korang areas were in Yachuli area recently. They reached Itanagar from their respective villages on August 24 and on to Yazali on 25. The team from Mechuka had reached Itanagar via Along accompanied by Kago Yam, the Project Supervisor there. Similarly, Takhe Meena, Project Supervisor led the one man team from Koyu area to Itanagar via Pasighat.

The Best Practices Project Coordinator, Pura Aiya accompanied the team from Itanagar and they reached Yazali on August 26. Punyo Rina, Project Supervisor of the area was waiting for them. The same evening, they trekked the fifteen kilometer path to Rubdi where the women groups and male volunteers welcomed them. The team, dead tired after walking for hours together through serpentine jungle path was rejuvenated withe cultural programs in the Nyishi village in the evening.

The teams had extensive exchange of ideas and shared the works they are doing in their areas. They later visited Kuch-Kuth village as well and came back to Yazali the next day. The came back to Itanagar on August 28 after a brief visit to Ziro.

The teams, especially with women from Mechuka villages were quite impressed and happy with the trip. They were a bit scared crossing a dilapidated hanging bridge on their way to Kuch Kuth from Rubdi. The wet-rice cultivation system of the Apatanis inspired the women and they are determined to replicate such practice in Mechuka as well.

No woman from Koyu area could make it this time. Apparently the women were willing but their husbands were worried about the landslides and roadblocks. An energetic Gaon Bura of Kakki village represented the area.

Read this for a brief news report about the trip.

Mobilizing Human Energy

Men, women and children thronged the jungle trek from Yazali to villages of Kuch-Kuth, Rubdi, Delipaj, Komp Tab, Lich-Lith and so on. Some women with their babies hanging by their sides while they worked with spades and daos.

The cleaning and repair of the trek used to be initiated in the past by a group of young people in the past, but it was long overdue this year. With overgrowth of bushes along the narrow path and the path having broken in some places, it was getting more and more difficult negotiating it. It was especially difficult for the women and children. That is when the Women's Action Groups (WAGs) formed by Future Generations Arunachal decided to mobilize the communities for a cleaning drive.

The WAGs were formed in these villages as a part of the project "Identifying Best Practices to Empower Arunachal Families" in selected sites in Arunachal Pradesh. Yachuli area is one of them - the other two sites being Mechuka and Koyu.

PHC Review Meeting

The half-yearly review meeting of the Primary Health Center, Sille, which is being managed by Future Generations Arunachal (FGA) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh was held in the Circle Officer’s Conference Hall at Oyan today. All the Panchayat leaders, Gaon Buras and other senior leaders of the area attended the meeting.

The leaders who spoke in the meeting representing their villages were all praise for the staff of the PHC, who have brought significant changes in the morbidity and mortality pattern of the whole area by improving the clinical services, regular outreach activities and training of mothers on basic health care. The shape of the PHC now is ten times better than that in 2005 before FGA took over the management, said Nalo Tasing, Anchal Chairperson. Okyam Gao, Zilla Parishad Member, agreed with him said that the leaders of the area should work together to get an X-ray unit for the PHC. She added that the NGOs should be working in more difficult areas and FGA should keep on improving their performance since Sille is well connected with road.

Nakek Moyong, Zilla Parishad Member (Bilat) explained about the purpose of the government’s PPP project and congratulated the people of the Sille-Oyan area for getting their PHC managed under the project. Byabang Rocket, Chairperson, Master Coordinating Committee (MCC), FGA gave an overall view of the works being done by FGA in other parts of the state. He recounted various misgivings about the organization in early days in places like Palin when it was misunderstood to have political agenda. He urged the leaders not to repeat the same mistake since FGA is working with the welfare of the people of Arunachal Pradesh as the only motive.

Aying Perme, Circle Officer, Sille-Oyan, who chaired the meeting congratulated FGA for good performance and urged the leaders to continue making contributions in managing the center.

Earlier, Dr. Tage Kanno, Executive Director, FGA explained about the purpose of the meeting and said that involving the communities in managing the PHC is one of the main objectives of the organization, and the meeting aims to elicit more participation in the project. He added that FGA hopes that the communities themselves should be able to manage the PHC whenever the PPP project comes to an end.

It may be mentioned that FGA has been managing the PHC, Sille since 2006 when it took over from the government. PPP project is one of the innovative project conceived by the government of Arunachal Pradesh as a part of National Rural Health Mission and has been nationally acclaimed for its success in improving rural health services.

Workshop on Conservation in Koyu

A day-long workshop on community-based conservation and sustainable development through community energy was organized at Koyu by Future Generations Arunachal (FGA) today. Gaon Buras (GBs), members of the women’s groups, school teachers and students attended the workshop.

The workshop focused on threats of global warming and role of communities in containing it using slides shows and documentaries on melting of snow in the Himalayas leading to rising sea level. If we do not take action now all coastal areas will be submerged and it will affect the people in the hills as well, informed Punyo Chada and Hibu Tatu, Green Teachers from Ngunu Ziro who were the resource persons.

The community participants and students prepared three months work plans for their respective areas which included tree plantation, flood control activities, maintenance of drains and cleanliness drives in the surrounding areas, controlling of wild animal hunting and deforestations.

Wild life and virgin forests could be used to promote eco-tourism and generate income for the people said Marte Koyu, vice Principal, Government Higher Secondary School, Koyu while participating in the program. He referred to many species like tigers, reindeers and hornbills which are almost extinct in Arunachal Pradesh because of human hunting. Earlier, Pura Aiya, Project Coordinator Best Practices of FGA highlighted about the works of the organization. He also explained the working methods of FGA based on SEED-SCALE process and urged the participants to get involved to create a better future.

Tajir Kakki (HGB) of Kakki village and Tunya Rina (GB) of Rina village distributed tree saplings provided by Pasighat Forest Division to the participants.

Students participated in Queen's Baton Relay

After much waiting for the Queen's Baton Relay in the Itanagar-Naharlagun city finally it arrived in the city on July 22, 2010 in a warm reception at Rajiv Gandhi stadium by minister's, Public and the huge gathering of school students from VKV, Nirjuli, Govt. ME. School, D & G Sector, Naharlagun holding banners and placard prepared by the students to pass the message on "Low Carbon Practices" to save our mother earth. Under Future Generations Arunachal, the selected school students were located along the Queen's Baton Relay Route from Naharlagun to Itanagar to cheer up, pass the message on Low Carbon practices through slogan, placards & banner and to get a chance to see the Baton closely. In Itanagar, Govt. ME school (P-sector), Kingcup Public school, Govt. ME school (Nitivihar), JNK public school, Green Mount school and Govt. Hr. sec. school took part in the Queen's Baton relay programme. The students community were very happy witnessing Baton and shaking hand with "Shera" the official mascot of XIX Commonwealth games 2010.

It may be mentioned that, Future Generations Arunachal (FGA) partnering with Center for Environment Education (CEE) involving the students from various schools to create an awareness on "Low Carbon Practices" to link with the Commonwealth Games which is scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 3-14 October 2010.

Environment Awareness Camp

It is not only our duty to contribute to world-wide efforts in containing global warming which threatens the very existence of life on earth, but also take actions at local levels to conserve our forest and wildlife, were the key messages that the participants in the environment awareness program in Kuch-Kuth village today. The program, organized by Future Generations Arunachal (FGA), was attended by 55 men and women from the surrounding area. Interestingly, there were more women participants than men.

“We have always depended on nature and knew we need to conserve it,” said a participant. “Today we learnt how to start taking concrete actions.” The participants discussed about the threat of global warming, the role of common man in protection of wildlife, and community participation in the government’s effort to conserve nature can make any project more effective. Facilitated by Hibu Tatu and Punyo Chada, both Green Teachers, the villagers prepared workplans for the coming three months. Their plans include plantation of saplings in the degraded forest areas, prohibition of hunting, and social services to keep the villages and the surroundings clean. Tree saplings, provided by the Hapoli Forest Division, were distributed to the participants at the end of the program.

It may be mentioned that FGA is carrying out a project entited “Identifying Best Practices to Empower Arunachal Families” in the three selected sites in the state, of which Yazali area in Lower Subansiri is one. The other two sites are Koyu Korang area in East Siang and Mechuka area in West Siang. The project explores various ways of mobilizing community energy to enable them to participate in the developmental processes and hence empower them to take locally contextual steps. The present program was carried out under the leadership of Punyo Rina, Project Supervisor, to mobilize community action in conserving flora and fauna of the area.

Community-based Wildlife Conservation

Sandwiched between the world’s two most populated countries, the tribal lands of Arunachal Pradesh, India provide a refuge for rare and endangered wildlife, including the Clouded Leopard and Red Goral. In the Talle Wildlife Sanctuary, this conservation project partners with village elders and hunters of the Apatani tribe. Local people are trained to use infrared camera traps to document and monitor wildlife. This visual data encourages community leadership in conservation activities. This project also facilitates educational programs, conservation clubs for youth, and works with women’s groups to link conservation benefits with mother and child health and income generation.

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