Second, Kinder Acts: The Story of Reena Nachika
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the story of a young Indian Maoist who turned her back on violence – and now champions education instead.
By
March 09, 2021
Reena Nachika leading a community meeting at Dakapada village in Koraput district, Odisha, India.
Credit: Abhijit Mohanty
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In the remote village 465 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, capital of the eastern Indian state of Odisha, people are excitedly gathering for a community meeting. Reena Nachika, once a Naxal a Maoist rebel but now a social worker, is motivating parents to send their children to school.
“Education is the only way to empower our next generation,’’ said Nachika, a native of the Dakapada village who belongs to the indigenous Kondh community. “If today I am here, speaking confidently in front of you all, it is because of my education.”
Nutri-Gardening Initiative Promises Better Nutrition for Tribal Women Farmers 18/02/2021
A glimpse of brinjal, tomatoes, green chillies, pumpkins and bottle gourd cultivated in a nutri-garden. Dry leaves and paddy straws are used as mulch to enrich moisture and increase soil fertility. Photo: Abhijit Mohanty
Khunta, one of the remote blocks of North Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, is yet to overcome malnutrition. For years, rain-fed agriculture and collection of forest produce constituted a major source of livelihood for the tribal community here.
However, with varying climatic conditions, such as erratic rainfall and prolonged dry seasons, the tribal youth of the region have lost faith in agriculture as a sustainable means of income. Depletion of forest resources has weakened their economy all the more.
The struggle to get inclusive education to south Odisha s tribal children downtoearth.org.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from downtoearth.org.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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January 15, 2021, 5:52 PM IST
As our climate continues to change, farmers struggle to grow crops, putting terrible pressure on the ability of the human to feed itself. Scientists warns that climate change could shrink the global food supply. Climate…
January 15, 2021, 5:52 PM IST
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