Rio Tinto and IBLF host Prize workshop
In March, Rio Tinto and IBLF hosted a Prize workshop in Delhi, India bringing together the 2008 Rio Tinto Prize for Sustainability finalists with previous Prize winners to network, share experiences and see first hand examples of the 2006 and 2007 winners' work on the ground.
The event was attended by previous Prize winners and 2008 short listed organisations from Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas including:
- Trees, Water & People (2008 winner)
- Institute of Integrated Rural Development (IIRD)
- International Development Enterprises India (IDEI)
- Magic Bus (2006 finalist)
- Maternal and Child Health Advocacy International (MCAI)
- Sierra Gorda
- SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
- The Equilibrium Fund
- Water For People
- Village Reach
- Forest Stewardship Council
- Aga Khan Planning and Building Services
- The Barefoot College
- Utthan Centre for Sustainability and Poverty Alleviation
The group carried out visits to:
The Barefoot College which works to improve the lives of villagers in Tilonia, Rajasthan. The group saw how The Barefoot College work to train illiterate women to become solar engineers and how this approach has been replicated in villages across India and many countries in Africa, by bringing women from different countries to Tilonia to learn the necessary skills to electrify and maintain the solar systems in their villages.
Utthan, based in Allahabad works holistically on poverty alleviation. One approach is through reclamation of land degraded from mining. Utthan has facilitated the donation of two hectares each of degraded land to some 60,000 farmers to date where these farmers now have the opportunity to grow Jatropha. Once processed into biodiesel, Jatropha can provide enough fuel for their family needs as well as provide an income from the surplus. The Jatropha is heliplanted with other medicinal crops underneath, and bamboo and poplar above, both of which provide nutrients to improve the soil quality and when harvested, provide valuable income as well. Over time, the aim is to restore the land to allow the return of food crops. The group were able to see this innovative work as well as wider education and health extension work for 96 villages.
