Activity Update December 2013: Kanha

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Sampathlal Dhurve – Field assistant

           

Highlights      

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Sampathlal Dhurve – Field assistant

           

Highlights                                                                                                                                               

     ·      1 voluntary work project programme on water conservation – check dam built at Dala nallah, Samaiya
·      One voluntary work project for community assistance – cleaning of area around well at Bhagpur
·       2 bio-gas plants repaired
·      2 nature trail programmes
·      7 nature and wildlife film shows attended by 372 students
·      Environment education programme conducted in 11 schools - attended by 245 students
·      2 capacity-building workshops for women’s SHGs
·      2 unemployed youths placed in resorts                  

       . 27 villagers placed on temporary work cutting bamboo for Forest Department at Seoni (Chapara)                                               

Conservation  

   To reduce the dependence of villagers on forests for firewood, we encourage them to use alternative sources of energy. As part of this programme, we assist villagers in repairing bio-gas units (set up by the Forest Department and Ajiwika) which have fallen into disrepair. In December, we helped two villagers, Amarsingh Marawi of Patpara, and Dharamsingh Marawi of Kutwahi restart their units.

Amarsingh Marawi lights up his biogas unit after we had it repaired

Patpara - Amarsingh Marawi's biogas tank being cleaned

In water conservation work, we organized a programme to construct a check dam on December 10. The site of the dam was Dala nallah, a stream adjoining the jungle around 0.5 km from Samaiya village. Eleven villagers, including members of Sithala women’s self-help group (SHG), unemployed youths and elders comprised the team which built the dam. Mukesh Patel, Forest Guard based at Samaiya, also participated in the programme. Wildlife and domestic livestock will both benefit from this water body. Nilgai and sambar are spotted regularly in the area.

Amit inspecting the site before construction

Constructing the dam using material from the bank of the stream

Forest guard Mukesh Patel poses with the volunteers after completion

On December 20, Amit and Sampath led a team of 11 people in a programme to clear wild growth around a well in Bhagpur. Due to heavy rains during the monsoon, wild growth had proliferated around the well and access to the well was affected. Our team, which comprised 3 youths from the village and 5 members of Sharda women’s SHG and elder villagers, removed the wild growth and cleaned the area. Photos below.

Education

During the month our team organized environment education programmes in 11 schools in the villages in our area of operations.

Sampathlal conducts a classroom environment education programme
in Patpara

Amit and Sampath led children of Dhamangaon on a nature trail on December 22. Another nature trail was organized on December 24 for children of Chapri and Sautiya. On the trails, our team helped the children identify various species of plants and animals and explained the importance of preserving our environment. Photo below.

Education van programme

There were 7 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation in October.

Bhagpur - School children and villagers watch a wildlife film 

Employment Cell

We helped two youths get jobs during the month of December.

Sonsingh Markam, who got a job at S Kumar's 999, Mocha

Suman Armo of Batwar got a job at Maheswar Resort, Khatiya

In other livelihood-related work, we helped 27 villagers from Kanha get temporary work cutting bamboo for the Forest Department in Seoni district. Shri Sudhir Mishra, Ranger Forest Officer based at Ajania Jagmandal is known to Amit as he was earlier based at Kanha. Thanks to this connection, Amit was able to send 27 villagers from our area of operations to Seoni when Mishra told him that he needed labourers for temporary work. Based on the amount of work, the villagers are earning 300-500 rupees per day. The villagers started work on December 29 and the work is expected to last 2-3 months. Photo below.

SHG capacity building training programme

As part of our assistance to villagers in alternative livelihoods, we help women set up SHGs to start their own business units. During December, we organized 2 workshops for a total of 11 SHGs and taught them how to how to maintain documents and conduct proceedings. The SHG members were also introduced to possible activities that they could take up. The workshop was organized jointly with Ajiwika Mission, a project by the Madhya Pradesh state government to help empower women. Ajiwika has sanctioned amounts ranging from 10,000 to 3,00,000 rupees to these SHGs.

One of the workshops we organized with Ajiwika (at Dhamangaon)

Workshop at Tilri

Over the past 2 years we have been assisting villagers in commercial cultivation of vegetables. Around 15 villagers have been earning between 300-500 rupees a week in additional income through this activity. In December, one more villager Ratiram Dhurve of Chapri has started earning through this activity. 

Chapri - Ratiram loads his produce for sale

Shyam Singh at his vegetable patch at Patpara