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| Update 44 |  |
February 2008 |
| www.andamandiscoveries.com | ||
Andaman Discoveries is committed to assisting villages of the North Andaman attain their development and conservation goals. We do not assume what is needed or necessary. We listen and work with the villagers to ensure that their community projects are addressing real needs. In order to remain relevant and true to the villagers, this month we conducted a village-wide survey. This survey will help us to evaluate our work and plan future projects, whilst ensuring the best for the people involved. Feedback was positive and encouraging for our work.
In Ban Talae Nok contuinues to have a busy community centre and a successful waste management program, showing the whole community's awareness of environmental issues. This understanding is essential if sustainability is to really happen. Visitors and volunteers included 11 members of the British Women's Group Bangkok, Reef Check volunteers on a cultural discovery tour, a film crew, a newlywed couple and our first German volunteers.
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Project Summaries Click on a headline to jump to the story: |
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Forward Thinking: "Attending the Tourism Fair in Bangkok was a great experience for me to learn about the industry and how we can move our eco tourism project forward in the future." Bang Hem, Age 24 Ban Talae Nok Village Community-Based Tourism Marketing Assistant |
Community-Wide Survey – Transparency and Feedback
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| Villagers sharing their opinion during the community-wide survey. |
At Andaman Discoveries we care what the villagers think, value their opinion and want to assist them achieve their development and resource management goals. To assist with this, Andaman Discoveries’ staff attend a monthly meeting with the Community-based Tourism Group to ensure understanding and make sure any issues are discussed openly and addressed as a group. However, Andaman Discoveries also wanted to give the whole village a chance to express their views and evaluate their experience of tourism, youth conservation, environmental education, community forest and resource management – past, present and future. A survey was conducted over several days which included informal interviews with families, individuals and groups and written questionnaires with the entire village. The results will be used for capacity building amongst the villagers and determine the direction of future programs. The results were highly encouraging, indicating that 70 per cent of villagers had participated and gained direct benefit from Andaman Discoveries work including the community centre, adult education, youth conservation and community-based tourism capacity building and occupational development. The results showed an interest in community conservation and need for natural resource management, as many of the villagers rely on it for food and building materials. If you would like to see the full results, please email us at info@andamandiscoveries.com.
Ban Talae Nok Community Centre – Meeting, Greeting, Learning
The Community Centre has become a focal point of the village, both an informal and formal meeting space for people of all ages. This month 20 people came together to discuss the King’s Self Sufficiency Project plans on how to make their community self sufficient. There were many great ideas to make the village a "greener," more environmentally friendly place to live and work. Villagers also had health check-ups to ensure they are all fit and well. The youth group held their "Love Reading" activity, aiming to encourage younger children to read more. The Tsunami Soap Cooperative sold a staggering US$100 worth of soap to guests visiting the centre, a boost to the soap ladies’ confidence and morale.
Ban Talae Nok Waste Management – Recycled Art and More
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| The youth hard at work collecting and separating the waste in the village. |
Waste management in Ban Talae Nok is going well. People are now really aware of the importance of this project and are taking responsibility for the cleanliness of their community. "The community loves to have a clean place to live," explained our vocational graduate and village coordinator, Cha. "This has been made possible by Andaman Discoveries’ guidance and input."
Cha, after looking around for the best price this month, has made contact with a man who will come regularly to buy all their recyclable materials to then sell to factories to help with the recycling process. What's even better is that although everyone in the village is showing interest and understanding the importance of this project, it was the youth group who started it up. As we all know, getting the younger generation involved with such things, raising their awareness of environmental issues and having them be motivated to take action is essential for sustainability, so this is a sure sign of progress in Ban Talae Nok. Their interest has extended further than simply waste separation and collection however, as now they are creating art out of the recyclable plastic and paper too. Learning from a trainer, this activity helps to develop the creativity of each youth, as well as bringing them together as a team and reinforcing that community spirit with which Ban Talae Nok is so familiar. Those who make especially good models can then sell them in the community centre. "We hope to make souvenirs from recycables to give to tourists and volunteers to thank them for visiting us," said a young artist in the group.
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| Hard at work before the big day of exams. |
Adult Education – Testing Times
After months of studying, the time had come for the 15 adult learners to test their reading and writing skills in order to obtain their high school diploma. We would like to wish all the students the best of luck with their results. Seeing their friends studying, has prompted more adults to come forward to ask for lessons, so Andaman Discoveries will sponsor further classes next month for the new intake.
Love Reading Project - Planning ahead!
Andaman Discoveries staff, Pink, originally started the reading project as a way of encouraging children to read. Through this, however, Pink’s own planning and organization skills have augmented too. "Andaman Discoveries has encouraged both Cha and I to plan in advance," says Pink, "Planning makes things happen, a skill which we did not know before." She also explained how this project increases group members’ research skills which then boost their knowledge.
Looking Towards the Future – New Team Member Attends Tourism Fair
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| Ban Talae Nok villager, Bang Hem, promoting community-based tourism at a recent Tourism Fair in Bangkok. |
Mr Bang Hem, rubber tapper, local guide, long-tail boat driver and now marketing extraordinaire! In recent months, Bang Hem has proved himself to be an active, dedicated and community-minded member of the Community-based Tourism Group. Andaman Discoveries, always keen to encourage motivated individuals, saw Bang Hem’s potential and has invited him to become part of Ban Talae Nok’s Village Marketing team who will be promoting community-based tourism to responsible operators. His first taste of marketing and promotion was attending the 5th Thai International Travel Fair in Bangkok organized by the Thai Travel Agents Association, the Association of Domestic Travel and Thailand Authority of Tourism with Cha, Andaman Discoveries’ village coordinator.
For Cha and Bang Hem this was a chance to promote their community-based tourism activities, assess what other organizations and products exist, make contacts and links with other organizations in the industry and gain experience in promotion. After a busy day of meeting tour operators, handing out brochures and networking, the two returned to village to share their experiences with the group. Cha and Bang Hem now plan to follow up by inviting tour operators to their village to see the potential for partnerships.
Nature Trail Clearance – Honeymooners Get Active in the Jungle!
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| Newlyweds Meredith and Dave with local guides at the end of the nature trail. |
Spending your honeymoon helping 14 local guides clear a nature trail through thick jungle might not be everyone’s of the most romantic start to a married life. However, after watching a documentary about Andaman Discoveries on the Current Channel, Meredith and Dave (US), were inspired to join us and help out during their honeymoon. The Community-based Tourism Local Guide Group of Ban Talae Nok were clearing the nature trail and fixing ropes to ensure the safety of visitors and asked the newlyweds to join. Armed with machetes, the couple got hacking, making easy work of the three-kilometer trail which had become overgrown. After a hard day’s work, the whole community came together to enjoy a spicy duck curry that made everyone sweat more than the day’s exertion! Andaman Discoveries supports the community’s development and conservation work, and the villagers are always delighted to have guests and volunteers join in. This is made possible by Andaman Discoveries' close working relationship with the villagers and previous volunteers' "have a go" attitude. "We are passionate about this type of tourism because it benefits both parties," explained Meredith. "For us it enriched our lives and informed our sense of the world. For the villagers, they have become stewards of their own experience, making decisions as a group about how to introduce travelers into their lives rather than having Western tourism forced upon them."
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| Brenda (third from left) on a mangrove exploration trip with Andaman Discoveries’ local staff and Youth Conservation Group Leader, Miss Pinky (second from left) |
Short-term Volunteering – A Few Weeks, a Big Difference
Brenda (US) was a bank manager and decided to take a career break to do some volunteering. Like many of us, Brenda did not have months to dedicate to a project, which other organizations request. Our flexible and short-term placements fitted perfectly with Brenda’s plans and she joined us for two weeks. She worked on projects ranging from guide training to teaching English in the local school. "I gained tremendous respect and knowledge for another culture so different from my own," said Brenda after her five days in-village cultural and language immersion. "It’s amazing how you can connect with people from across the world without even speaking the same language."
Sustainable Partnerships – Reef Check, Earth Watch, and Andaman Discoveries
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| Reef Check, staff Awe (Thai), Danielle (US), and John (US) identifying species on the nature trail on their day off from reef check surveys. |
Andaman Discoveries is a firm believer in creating partnerships with local leaders, villagers, and other NGOs in the region. Sharing ideas, cooperating, and working towards a common goal of sustainable livelihoods and community-led conservation is vital for the success of the region’s development. Reef Check, an element of Earth Watch’s marine conservation project, is working in the region surveying coral reefs. Part of the team’s program was to spend a day with Andaman Discoveries in a local community. Luckily for Andaman Discoveries, Reef Check volunteer, Tom (US), was a keen botanist, and was put to work with local guides identifying plants and species on the Ban Talae Nok nature trail. Tom identified over 40 species which will be used to make an information sheet for the trail. "Traditionally, conservation and community development has been divided," explained one of the volunteers. "Forward thinking organizations like Andaman Discoveries and Reef Check are bridging the gap and acknowledging the links between the two. It’s also reassuring that 80 percent of the cost of our trip went right back to the community."
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British Women’s Group – Welfare Trip
Last October, Co-Director Kelly May presented on behalf of Andaman Discoveries to the British Women’s Group in Bangkok, inviting them to join one of our trips combining volunteering and cultural immersion, and explaining about our approach to community develop and conservation. Thanks to the efforts of the group’s leaders, a four-day Welfare trip into Tung Nag Dam, Ban Talae Nok and Tharnkirin village with 11 members was arranged. After volunteering and learning about our different projects, the group brainstormed about the different ways they could continue to help, inspired by their time with us. Ideas included selling handicrafts and encouraging friends and family to join an Andaman Discoveries trip.
| As experiences go, this has to be one of the most memorable of my stay in Thailand. The thoughtful and meticulous organization of our home-stay trip by Kelly and her team meant we experienced many new activities and sights and met many new people in a very short space of time. I experienced soap making, a batik workshop, roasted the new crop of cashews with the villagers, made Thai dessert, learnt how to prepare and cook Thai food with our home-stay family and watched a beautiful sunset. One of my most moving experiences was the boat trip to re-plant the mangroves and visit the site of the former Village that was destroyed by the 2004 tsunami. I felt I came away with a realistic view of traditional Thai rural life but also more of an understanding of the difficulties such communities are facing in an ever-changing world. -Carol, living in Bangkok |
Community Celebrities – Travel Show in Village
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| Camera man Geoff captures every minute of the in-village activities |
Andaman Discoveries relies on word of mouth for much of our promotion due to limited resources for marketing and outreach. A film crew from Quebec had heard that Andaman Discoveries is doing great work in the area of short-term volunteering, and requested to film a group of volunteers in action as they helped out on the various development and conservation projects. The name of the show is Partir Autrement which roughly translates into "Leave Otherwise." "More people want to volunteer as part of their regular holiday," explained one of the crew; "This travel program will show everyone it is possible to make a meaningful contribution, even if you only have a few days to spare, by joining community-minded organizations like Andaman Discoveries."
New Team Members – Emily, Derrick, and Mimi
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| Newbies, Derrick, Emily and Mimi spend the weekend bonding on the beach! |
This month also marks the arrival of three new people to the Andaman Discoveries team. Derrick (US) joins us as he completes his field experience for his undergraduate degree with the Asian Institute of Technology. Emily (UK) will be working on communications and marketing to ensure that the world knows about the work of the villagers, and Mimi (Canada) will be using her past tourism experience to help smooth the process of bookings and enquiries. It really takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work to do what we do in village. There is a surprising amount of office work and paper work, which is essential to the success of Andaman Discoveries in achieving our goals. Derrick says, "Hired in as a marketing and development intern, I also had the opportunity to work with organization and networking within the office. These, among many other seemingly smaller assignments, are critical for building a successful, synergetic team that will accomplish its set goals." Hopefully with this new motley crew, Andaman Discoveries will be a new slick, sheen eco-tourism machine!
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Andaman Discoveries is North Andaman Tsunami Relief’s commitment to long-term sustainable development.
Copyright 2008 Andaman Discoveries