| Project |
PEAK -–
People, Empowerment and Indigenous Knowledge |
| Location |
Almora and
Nainital districts in Uttaranchal |
| Focus |
Rural
Development and Environment |
| NGO Information |
Members of
CAC (Community Awareness Center) began working on the issue of
traditional knowledge and practices in 1998 through a detailed
and extensive documentation process in one watershed in Dhauladevi
block in Almora district between 1998-2000. Having understood the
immense value, relevance and importance of this knowledge system
in women's and dalit empowerment (and in sustainable development
more broadly), a series of community based interventions were
initiated in 15 villages by CAC in the two districts of Almora
and Nainital. While the two units of CAC - at Buniyad and at
Bheerapani have contributed to the community level processes,
the third unit –Aadhar (CAC) has been providing mainly technical
inputs both for documentation as well as for the interventions.
|
| Project Summary |
CAC will work in the villages in Nainital and Almora dists.
The proposal is for a period of three years. The work will be as follows:
- Documenting and preserving people's knowledge
- Natural resource (forests,etc) preservation through community involvement
- Strengthening of organic agricultural practices to achieve food security
- Women's empowerment through greater access and control over natural resources
- Dalit empowerment and increased respect for skills of dalit artisans
- Promotion of water-mills - for grinding flour and small-scale electricity generation
- documentation by the community
|
| Objective |
The long term objectives of the project are as follows :
- Improvement in the economic status of the poor and dalit
communities in remote rural areas through increased livelihood
opportunities and options
- Women's empowerment and greater access and control over the
use of natural resources
- Dalit empowerment and increased respect for skills of dalit
artisans
- Adoption of ecologically and economically sustainable
practices
The short term objectives of the project are as follows:
- To document and disseminate local practices based on
people's knowledge
- To promote, document and disseminate innovations based on
people's knowledge
- To improve the livelihood options and opportunities of
communities living in the project area in the districts of
Nainital and Almora
- To assist the process of women's empowerment in both project
areas
- To assist the process of dalit empowerment in the area of
Buniyad (CAC)and increase sensitivity to caste issues in
communities in the project area of Bheerapani of CAC
- To create a network of like-minded organizations and
individuals and initiate a process of policy advocacy
- To demonstrate the effectiveness of improved water-mills
(gharat)
|
| Requested Budget |
Rs. 15000/year for 3 years ($1~Rs. 45) |
| Status |
Approved - $5000 from Austin |
| Project Coordinators |
Anitha Sampath
Sandhya Govindaraju |
| Contact Email |
anitha.sampath[AT]gmail[DOT]com
sandhya_sago[AT]yahoo[DOT]com
|
| Additional Information |
Asha's project page
General Document on Aadhar
Aadhar brochure
May 05 - The Green Revolution in Kumaoni Hills |
