Livelihoods Network Camp 2012, the story…

Day 2. In the field

araku valley, livelihoods network campEarly enthusiasm for the second day of Livelihoods Network Camp, despite sleeping late the day before. I must say that the campers were determined to go into the field, to meet people. The meetings were strong, successful, working and moving for the hundreds of participants across subgroups to observe, question, and start drawing diagrams of possible solutions in the areas of project monitoring carbon, access to market, energy, agriculture, finance activities and nutrition. In the end, it was difficult to stop working sessions and sharing that spread throughout the afternoon.

 

The richness and depth of imminent guest speakers have long kept the participants on alert. Ganesh Devy spoke of the importance of language in culture and development; Emmanuel Faber dwelt on the importance, opportunities and constraints of co-creation. Galvanized, encouraged, challenged, participants were separated with the question of the day, that we must constantly ask ourselves. “Will my work really bring happiness to the poorest poor and the weakest weak?”. Important issue that has its place among the field Practitioners who constituted the majority of campers. It holds that it is important to encourage participation and leave the choice to the people to extent the help that we want to bring them…

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How to improve nutrition and health? – “Who moved my Cheese?” – Nutrition group 

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All determined to find the right combination to improve livelihoods of the Adivasis tibes

 About the guest speakers

Emmanuel Faber is Vice-Chairman and Deputy General Manager of Danone. Before, he was Vice-President for the Asia-Pacific region in charge of operational activities. Emmanuel played a key role in integrating sustainability and social innovation in the core strategy of Danone and its organisations. In particular, he participated actively in close cooperation with Muhammad Yunus to the creation of danone.communities, a social business investment fund that focuses on nutrition and access to water. More recently, the Livelihoods Fund.

Ganesh Devy is a renowned literary critic and activist. Among his many academic assignements, he has held fellowships at Leed and Yale University. Ganesh has a long term engagement with denotified tribals in India. He was awarded by the Prince Claus Fund for his work for the conservation of the history, languages and views of oppressed communitites in the Indian State of Gujarat. Ganesh is the co-founder of the Basha Academy, a very original organisation acting as a university for students from the adivasi tribes in Gujarat and as a sustainable development center. Through his academic and field experience, Ganesh elaborated an inspriring vision on the interaction between culture and development, and beyond he challenges the concept of development itself.

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Emmanuel Faber (R) and Ganesh Devy (L)