As a traveler I passionate about preserving indigenous cultures. Help me raise funds to preserve the livelihood of the Honey Gathering Tribals of the Nilgiris
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Dear Friends,
I have signed up to cycle 250KMs over 4 days from March 6th to 9th and raise Rs.100 per KM for the sustainable self-reliance of tribals in the forests where the ride ends. I am looking to raise a minimum of Rs.25000 to impact over 250 families living in the Gudalur Valley in the Nilgiris. If 25 people donate even $20 (~Rs.1000) I will meet my fundraising goal, although I hope to raise more than that.
If you are able to support the cause, I would very much appreciate your generous donation. To donate:
Via Paypal: send the donation to [email protected]
Via Credit Card: https://fundly.com/honey-mad-ride/
By check mailed to:
contact me for the address
(Please put ACCORD in the memo field)
Yours sincerely,
Samanvitha
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The Vision
As most of you are aware, I have been traveling, and learning and contributing in the areas of holistic wellbeing for over a year now. During my travels I have come across many indigenous tribes that are losing their identify, their land, and their livelihood. The only way to survive is to become “mainstream”. While change is the way of the world, and there are benefits to modern education, and modern healthcare, there is a lot that is lost from our human heritage during this process of “civilizing” these tribes - a wealth of knowledge that tribe is specialized in over generations due to their unique ecosystem - survival and life skills, language dialect, healing techniques, art forms, cuisines, and so on. In the spirit of holistic wellbeing, I was looking for a way to get involved in helping preserve this diversity, while still not excluding the tribes from the benefits of major modern advancements.
The Organization
ACCORD (Action for Community Organisation, Rehabilitation and Development) was born in November 1985 to help the adivasi (tribal) community of the Gudalur Valley cope with the onslaught of modernity, while preserving the unique genius they were gifted with. It is an organization by the adivasis for the adivasis. They are involved with equipping the tribes with necessary education, healthcare, advocacy, legal training, credit and marketing services, needed to interface with the rest of the world, while preserving their unique cultural heritage.
http://www.adivasi.net/accord.php
The Project
Unless the tribes are able to generate income from their traditional skills, they are forced to migrate to cities looking for meager wage labor. ACCORD launched the “The Honey Project” in 2013 to help preserve the traditional art of honey gathering of the Kattunayakan tribe, by organizing the collection and sale of the honey as a community activity. The funds I am raising will go towards this project of securing adivasi livelihood. All the funds raised will go towards the cause.
The Ride
The ride will be from Bangalore to Gudalur (about 250kms) from March 6th to 9th. Along the route, we will stop by at local villages, stay with the villagers and learn more about their lives and culture. Unlike my past fundraising efforts, where I never got the meet the beneficiaries, here the ride will end at Gudalur, where we will get to interact with the NPO, and the tribals, to see first hand how and where the funds will be put to use.http://madcycletours.in/
Again, your generous donations will go a long way in preserving the diversity of our cultural heritage and help a community live in alignment with their land and values. To donate:
Via Paypal: send the donation to [email protected]
Via Credit Card: https://fundly.com/honey-mad-ride/
By check mailed to:
Contact me for the address.
(Please put ACCORD in the memo field)
Sign in with your Facebook account or email.
Sign in with your Facebook account or email.
http://madcycletours.in/?page_id=363
1986… Land Rights
2006… Forest Rights
2014… Go the distance for their Livelihood rights!
ACCORD has been working with the adivasis (tribals) of the Gudalur Valley in the Nilgiris for nearly 30 years, supporting them to assert their rights, especially their right to land. Working through the Adivasi Munnetra Sangam (AMS), an organization with over 18000 adivasi members, we have ensured that they enter mainstream society on their own terms, in dignity and pride.
Today, these communities are faced with new challenges. A changing economy, puts at risk the gains achieved by us in the field of health care and education over the years. With only meager wage labour open to them, young adivasis are forced to migrate to towns and cities. This has led to a disintegration of their identity and culture. To counter this trend ACCORD seeks to find new and innovative ways of combining traditional livelihoods with modern technology and access to markets. One such venture is…
‘The Honey Project’
The Kattunayakan tribe are traditional honey gatherers. Their age old wisdom and skill make them experts in tapping honey from towering trees with their bare hands. However, shrinking forests and changing economic conditions put at risk their lifestyle and very existence.
In 2013, ACCORD established the honey project with the aim of collaborating with the community to sell honey as an organised activity. Through the project the community will collect and sell their honey through an adivasi collective ensuring the survival of their forest and their tradition whilst generating an income. The project has been a success and generated 6.4 lakhs for the community and impacted over 250 families.
The funds generated through Go MAD will support the ongoing work on securing adivasi livelihoods.
Support ACCORD…
Support adivasi self reliance!
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