Local Partner: Grassroot
Background and objective:
Indigenous communities are carriers of traditional wisdom and our spiritual relationship with nature has helped us recognize and identify plants and herbs of nature to heal disease. Indigenous contribute about 60 percent of financial support to the family. They work in farms, run house- holds, raise children and also most often subjected to a number of violence such as domestic abuse, unequal pay and no right to political participation in the local body governance. Meghalaya is one of the States known as a bank of various medicinal herbs. However, traditional medicinal practitioners have challenges that have deterred and prevented them to pursue the practice that has been passed on for generations for economic sustenance and promotion due to intellectual property rights issue, lack of market access, lack of proper documentation of the practise among others.
This project therefore aims to promote women leadership through economic empowerment by strengthening the capacity of women traditional medicinal practitioners as this have long since been a source of traditional livelihood, support the youth Involvement in order to prevent teenage pregnancies and equip girls with life skills to make informed decisions and to prevent migration to other cities in search of minimum pay wage job
Communities’ leaders, 27 existing SHGs and 16 practitioners actively participate in sessions related to UNDRIP, FPIC and IPR. The session on life skills has enabled young boys and girls in the community to participate and identify their skills in decision making and advocacy skills.130 women and youth were made aware on menstrual health and hygiene and empowered to challenge gender stereotype on this issue. A total of 20 participants participated on the capacity building on entrepreneurship.Out of 15 traditional healers, 1 traditional healer was registered with the Khasi Traditional Medicine Commission.70 participants benefited from the story telling session and are made aware of the traditional wisdom.
Local partner information:
Grassroot was conceptualized when a group of five like minded friends realized that Meghalaya lacked Organizations that worked for community development with a rights based approach. The Organization was officially registered in 2007. Its mission is to ensure responsibility and power of the individuals and the community and has the long term priorities to support the empowerment and active participation of the community through Self Determination and equal participation and representation of women in Democratic Processes at Local and State Governance; Decision making policies through Free Prior and Informed Consent and the promotion of Self Sufficiency through sustainable livelihoods and strengthening of local economies .
