Month: August 2011

(August 9, 2010) Indigenous peoples from all over celebrate as the world commemorates this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous People with thematic focus on the importance of IP roles in environmental protection. Being at the front line of promoting indigenous peoples rights and environmental advocacy in their own respective countries, NTFP-EP partners from Indonesia and Cambodia have been invited to participate in this year’s celebration of the said event.

(UN Headquarters, New York, USA) The NTFP-EP film “Crafts Kalimantan: Harmony of Culture and Nature”, which was produced by Nanag Sujana and Jali Prattama of Gekko Studio and the Crafts Kalimantan partners, has been chosen for screening at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples Celebration of World Indigenous Peoples Day in New York.

(Jakarta, Indonesia) Crafts Kalimantan, the makers of the Borneo Chic brand, has been invited to be one of the speakers at the seminar for the International Day for the World’s Indigenous People, organized by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Indonesia. Borneo Chic and other products by the Kalimantan artisans and city-based designers will be showcased in the seminar.

Joining the list of speakers for the seminar is Oscar Lawalata, a famous Indonesian fashion designer who will be visiting Sintang, West Kalimantan, where one of our partners, Jasa Menenun Mandiri is based. The film “Crafts Kalimantan: Harmony of Culture and Nature” bound to be shown in the celebration in New York is to be screened in the seminar as well.

(Sihanouk, Cambodia) Since Cambodia’s first celebration of the International Day for the World’s Indigenous Peoplein Phnom Penh in 2005, the event has contributed to the promotion of multi-level indigenous peoples rights and policies. In their aim to promote unity and communication between indigenous peoples groups in Cambodia, NTFP-EP partners will be participating in the celebration of the International Day for the World’s Indigenous People through the aid of another partner, Misereor.

Handicraft weaving, a tradition passed down through generations of indigenous peoples in Cambodia, is gaining fresh value through a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), sister UN agencies and local organizations.

Since July 2010, 800 indigenous people in 10 villages of four Cambodian provinces have begun learning new entrepreneurial abilities—including marketing and quality control, exhibition, costing and consignment skills—to sell more textiles and products and increase their families’ incomes.

“We are happy that more people are interested in buying our products,” said Planh Proleav, a 27-year-old woman from the Kroeung indigenous group in the village of Ta Gnach, northeastern province of Ratanakiri.

“We are able to earn more money for food, medicine and books for our children to study,” added Proleav, one of 195 people who received training in her village.

The initiative is part of the Creative Industries Support Programme, which works to preserve and promote Cambodia’s cultural heritage, supporting the livelihoods of more than 800 indigenous and Khmer artisans in the central, north and eastern provinces of Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, and Mondulkiri, as well as Ratanakiri.

In Ratanakiri, UNDP worked with civil society group Cambodian Non-Timber Forest Product Development Organization (CANDO) to assist indigenous communities in finding markets for their handicrafts. CANDO also arranged training on business planning, financial management, costing, quality control and marketing.

Between October 2010 and March 2011, sale of indigenous-weaved products from the province increased by 18 percent compared to the same six-month period in 2009, according to CANDO.

“In the past they didn’t understand the market, but through the training they know how to set their product prices to factor in the cost of raw materials, labour and production tools,” said CANDO staff member Heng Socheath.

The villagers weave textiles and sell them to CANDO, which sub-contracts other producers—mostly women and people with disabilities—to turn them into finished products.

Notebook and laptop covers, shopping bags and wallets made from the woven textiles are sold in the capital Phnom Penh at several tourist outlets, including at a shop established by the Creative Industries Support Programme.

In addition to improving indigenous peoples’ incomes, the partnership also helps preserve the cultural heritage of several ethnic groups.

“Many indigenous communities have already abandoned their weaving tradition,” said Heang Sarim, president of CANDO. “They couldn’t find markets to sell their products and didn’t have support to improve product quality.”

These newly-acquired skills have also given women greater independence from their spouse. “Unlike in the past where they depended on their husbands to provide for them, many of them are now able to make money for their families,” said Sarim.

In addition to UNDP, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Labour Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organization are partners in the Creative Industries Support Programme, supported by the UN-Spain Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund.

Article from the United Nations Development Programme, 2011 (http://www.beta.undp.org/undp/en/home/ourwork/povertyreduction/successstories/cambodia-marketing-skills-indigenous-handicraft-sales.html)
Article from

I – What is MGF?

The Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) is a network of indigenous organizations and support NGOs. Our shared goal is to empower forest-based communities to make use of and manage forest resources in a sustainable manner. To this end, the NTFP-EP catalyses and supports activities that build up and strengthen the capacity of our partner organisations in their work with forest-dependent communities, particularly indigenous peoples.

With support from the Broederlijk Delen, the Partnership Fund for Community-Based NTFP Initiatives in South and Southeast Asia was established, which basically serves as the 2nd phase for the EP Microgrant Fund (MGF) and is accessible for:

Promising new initiatives needing start-up funds; and
Established initiatives in need of immediate support (unexpected opportunities, sudden threats)

The over-all purpose of the MGF is to catalyze and support activities that will build up and strengthen the capacity of local organizations in:
the protection and sustainable management of ecosystems
mainstreaming and integrating sustainable forest management in NTFP enterprise development and NTFP subsistence uses or vice-versa.
communicating their local issues and plans to other stakeholders and parties locally or on a more macro-scale.

II – Who can apply?

The MGF is primarily directed at the wider EP network in forested areas throughout South and Southeast Asia with special focus on the following countries
· Philippines
· Malaysia
· Indonesia
· Cambodia
· Vietnam
· India (Western and Eastern Ghats)

III – Which initiatives can apply for MGF?

I. General
Actor: Applicant is a community, peoples organization (P.O.) or local non-government organization (NGO) with close community links.

Urgency: if not funded momentum may be lost or set-back may occur in overall strategy.

Alternatives: other sources of funding are not immediately available. (on the assumption that this has been checked by the initiative and/or its supporters.)

Ownership: The project has been discussed in the community/ies involved; motivation is high among a large section of those community/ies.

Organization (Institutional Capacity): the initiative is sufficiently well-organized to carry out the activities on its own OR adequate assistance/support by others can be relied on.

If bridge funding is requested, the organization should be: (a) able to present reasoning why the former donor will not fund the activity and (b) willing to develop a clear operational and resource mobilization plan during the bridge period.

II. Thematic
Depending on the primary focus of the proposed project / activity, the following thematic coverage / focus will be considered:

1. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
The project contributes to one or more of the following:
a.) enhancing or reviving sustainable traditional practices;
b.) adapting local RM to changing circumstances;
c.) improving capacity for monitoring and RM planning.
d) sharing of important learnings.

2. TENURE
In projects concerning land rights / access to forest lands, territorial claims of other communities have been solved, are in the process of being solved or the project contributes to solving the disputes.

3. LIVELIHOOD
The project:
a.) contributes to improving income situation, through fair trade of forest products from community-based enterprises;
b.) has potential to become self-sustained in the future;
c.) addresses possible impacts on the resource.

4. THREATS
The project contributes to:
a.) awareness raising of the impact of destructive developments among communities directly affected or within society at large;
b.) effective lobby to halt these development, or
c.) better monitoring and enforcement of regulations.

5. CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION
The project contributes to:
a) Building resilience among forest –based groups in the face of climate change
b) Testing localized climate change adaptation interventions

IV – How much can be requested?

Maximum amount of grant funding is € 5,000.00 for a maximum of eighteen (18) months of project duration per applicant.

V – How to apply?

It is recommended that applicants CAREFULLY READ THE MGF GUIDELINES prior to accomplishing the MGF proposal format (which can be downloaded from http://uploading.com/files/done/e9224b63 ).

The completed application preferably should not exceed three (3) pages excluding the breakdown of expenses.
Applications may be sent through mail, e-mail or facsimile:
The MGF Secretariat
NTFP-EP for South and Southeast Asia
92 Masikap Extension,
Brgy. Central, Diliman,
Quezon City, Philippines
Fax: +63 2 426 27-57
Email: mgf@ntfp.org

THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS ON MONDAY, 31 AUGUST 2011.
(Note: Please be advised that due to the anticipate volume of applications, a pre-screening / shortlisting shall be made by the MGF Secretariat taking into consideration the abovementioned criteria. All shortlisted applications received after the deadline shall then be reviewed by the MGF Advisory Committee according to the criteria listed above. Decisions on the applications will be made by the Advisory Committee, 4-5 weeks thereafter.)