The con-call meeting with CII's Backward Area Development Committee earlier today was interesting. CII members involved in Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives from various cities, towns and companies called in. It was a pleasure to speak with the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Sandipan Chakravortty, Managing Director of Tata Steel Processing & Distribution, in Kolkata. Thank you CII.
Most interventions were related to skills development. EWI team members Mr. Mathew John from Mumbai and Ms. Grace Guria of Guwahati met with Fr. Benny Alex of the Don Bosco Technical School, Maligaon Guwahati, earlier, over the weekend. They to are into Skills Development.
Related to this and the other activities of EWI Development Initiative Foundation, we have identified the following for further action.
The CNN IBN Citizen of the Year Nominee, Armstrong Pame - IAS, only 28 years of age, wrote in to let us know more about the needs of Tamenglong. He has recently worked on the road connecting Haflong, Tousem and Dimapur, a project initiated by him. He is from from Inpa village, of the Tousem Subdivision of Tamenglong, which had no road connectivity earlier. His family rallied community support and from total strangers around the world to construct a 100 Km road which has come to be known simply as `The People’s Road` since it was built totally from donations from the public. While the collections that came in through Facebook led to a figure of Rs 38 lakhs, Armstrong resorted to his traditional roots. “In Naga tradition if one is in need of help, he or she gives a pinch of salt to a household and in return the house gives cash or kind,” Armstrong said during a meet at the Tamenglong DC Bungalow on Feb 14, 2013. He continued that he ended up distributing a total of 6000 kg of salt to seek financial help from the public of Tamenglong area that amounted to Rs 3.5 lakhs!
This is only the beginning of Armstrong's efforts. He now wishes to enroll young ladies from his district into nursing education programs. We are working on the arrangements in Pune and have requested assistance for enrollment, housing and funding for this in Pune. Our Pune University MBA interns Dipti Kale and Pradeep Pawale are looking into this along with Rock Lungleng, of Ukhrul and an ILS Law Student, who is the Promoter of Hari Lung Hostel in Pune.
Tamenglong is one of the most backward districts. EWIF's Juliana Chakungliu NK, an MA Economics student from Pune college, is from Tamenglong.
School education is of poor quality and so are the buildings. New classrooms, toilets, solar power, introduction of computers and TVs is necessary.
Skills education is required for school dropouts whose parents cant afford any further schooling. Training institutes for vocational guidance are required.
Health care in non-existent. Patients are carried on bamboo stretchers through hilly terrains and bad roads. Doctors are 2 Phc for Touesm and 6 for over 1200 sq kms area and a population of 32,000! Health care services in clusters every 5 kms are required, where basic health care facilities are provided. These sub-centers could be taken care of by trained nurses. Bigger facilities are required too. An ambulance service should be instated says Armstrong, with a 4x4 wheel drive to ferry patients to nearest health care centres.
Water sources are at a lower elevation than the village settlements. Tribals live in the hills and refuse to shift from their settlements to valley or plain areas. Water management solutions are essential through rain water harvesting. Each family needs 20,000 litres storage tank. A water storage point needs to be connected to nearby water sources, 5 kms away - rivers and streams and piped to the villages where again there would be a distribution network.
Oranges of Tamenglong are famous. However there are no distribution systems or food processing initiatives. The crop is dying and no one knows why? Papayas are fed to pigs ! Sweet Lime / Lemon is not grown at all.
Armstrong has a local team ready to work on all this. EWIF invites Western region support and sponsorship!
We spoke to Rajiv Tayung of Itanagar who spends a lot of time in Assam. He is keen on identifying solutions to supply clean water to Dhimaji & Lakhimpur, in Assam. With monsoon floods, fresh and drainage water mix and the ground water gets contaminated too. EWIF invites Western region support and sponsorship!
Next was Kamal Basumatary of Kajalgaon, Chirang District, Assam. The district needs doctors and nurses to run their hospitals. A better quality of primary education is necessary. Colleges don't have infrastructure. Small hotels with 40 rooms need to be set up for visitors. Market place needs development. He is sure that the locals will cooperate and so will the local Government agencies. EWIF invites Western region support and sponsorship!
Cleophas Syiem of Nongpoh was next. Ri Bhoi District in Meghalaya too needs health care facilities, schools, small hotels and better organized markets. He is willing to take things forward with Western Region support.
Its been a rocking day for EWI Development Initiative Foundation! Come join us!
Most interventions were related to skills development. EWI team members Mr. Mathew John from Mumbai and Ms. Grace Guria of Guwahati met with Fr. Benny Alex of the Don Bosco Technical School, Maligaon Guwahati, earlier, over the weekend. They to are into Skills Development.
Related to this and the other activities of EWI Development Initiative Foundation, we have identified the following for further action.
The CNN IBN Citizen of the Year Nominee, Armstrong Pame - IAS, only 28 years of age, wrote in to let us know more about the needs of Tamenglong. He has recently worked on the road connecting Haflong, Tousem and Dimapur, a project initiated by him. He is from from Inpa village, of the Tousem Subdivision of Tamenglong, which had no road connectivity earlier. His family rallied community support and from total strangers around the world to construct a 100 Km road which has come to be known simply as `The People’s Road` since it was built totally from donations from the public. While the collections that came in through Facebook led to a figure of Rs 38 lakhs, Armstrong resorted to his traditional roots. “In Naga tradition if one is in need of help, he or she gives a pinch of salt to a household and in return the house gives cash or kind,” Armstrong said during a meet at the Tamenglong DC Bungalow on Feb 14, 2013. He continued that he ended up distributing a total of 6000 kg of salt to seek financial help from the public of Tamenglong area that amounted to Rs 3.5 lakhs!
This is only the beginning of Armstrong's efforts. He now wishes to enroll young ladies from his district into nursing education programs. We are working on the arrangements in Pune and have requested assistance for enrollment, housing and funding for this in Pune. Our Pune University MBA interns Dipti Kale and Pradeep Pawale are looking into this along with Rock Lungleng, of Ukhrul and an ILS Law Student, who is the Promoter of Hari Lung Hostel in Pune.
Tamenglong is one of the most backward districts. EWIF's Juliana Chakungliu NK, an MA Economics student from Pune college, is from Tamenglong.
School education is of poor quality and so are the buildings. New classrooms, toilets, solar power, introduction of computers and TVs is necessary.
Skills education is required for school dropouts whose parents cant afford any further schooling. Training institutes for vocational guidance are required.
Health care in non-existent. Patients are carried on bamboo stretchers through hilly terrains and bad roads. Doctors are 2 Phc for Touesm and 6 for over 1200 sq kms area and a population of 32,000! Health care services in clusters every 5 kms are required, where basic health care facilities are provided. These sub-centers could be taken care of by trained nurses. Bigger facilities are required too. An ambulance service should be instated says Armstrong, with a 4x4 wheel drive to ferry patients to nearest health care centres.
Water sources are at a lower elevation than the village settlements. Tribals live in the hills and refuse to shift from their settlements to valley or plain areas. Water management solutions are essential through rain water harvesting. Each family needs 20,000 litres storage tank. A water storage point needs to be connected to nearby water sources, 5 kms away - rivers and streams and piped to the villages where again there would be a distribution network.
Oranges of Tamenglong are famous. However there are no distribution systems or food processing initiatives. The crop is dying and no one knows why? Papayas are fed to pigs ! Sweet Lime / Lemon is not grown at all.
Armstrong has a local team ready to work on all this. EWIF invites Western region support and sponsorship!
We spoke to Rajiv Tayung of Itanagar who spends a lot of time in Assam. He is keen on identifying solutions to supply clean water to Dhimaji & Lakhimpur, in Assam. With monsoon floods, fresh and drainage water mix and the ground water gets contaminated too. EWIF invites Western region support and sponsorship!
Next was Kamal Basumatary of Kajalgaon, Chirang District, Assam. The district needs doctors and nurses to run their hospitals. A better quality of primary education is necessary. Colleges don't have infrastructure. Small hotels with 40 rooms need to be set up for visitors. Market place needs development. He is sure that the locals will cooperate and so will the local Government agencies. EWIF invites Western region support and sponsorship!
Cleophas Syiem of Nongpoh was next. Ri Bhoi District in Meghalaya too needs health care facilities, schools, small hotels and better organized markets. He is willing to take things forward with Western Region support.
Its been a rocking day for EWI Development Initiative Foundation! Come join us!
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