SEMINAR on ABCD (Asset Based Community Development)

KOTA KINABALU: The Institute for Development Studies Sabah or IDS is organising a seminar on community development in Sabah, together with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung KAS.

“Community development improves the situations of the community, not just economically, but also as a strong community in itself,”.

I said: A. Wisdom, knowledge, integrity and sincerity on the part of the state is needed. B. Asset and Need based are both needed.

More at: New Sabah Times.

Appeals Court favours Orang Asli, stop order against Iskandar developer stays – The Malaysian Insider

The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court order given to anOrang Asli community to stop a developer from destroying their customary land in the Iskandar Development Region in Johor.

A three-man bench chaired by Datuk Lim Yee Lan said in dismissing the developers’ appeal that there were no grounds to interfere with discretion of the High Court to grant an injunction.Following the dismissal of the appeal, the main trial which started in February will continue in the Johor Baru High Court on July 21.

Node Dua Sdn Bhd and Strait Bay Sdn Bhd had filed the appeal to set aside the injunction obtained by 188 Orang Asli Seletar, who had filed a suit against the developers and 11 others seeking a declaration of their customary land in and around Kampung Orang Asli Bakar Batu and Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Temon.

They are seeking damages for trespass and a permanent injunction relating to their customary territory and burial grounds.The Orang Asli Seletar’s customary territory is located within the Iskandar Development region.

However, the Orang Asli claimed that they had acquired customary rights over the land in the 1950s and contended that all subsequent alienation of their territory is unlawful.

They had applied for an injunction against Node Dua and Strait Bay, which had continued with reclamation, construction and earth works on the land despite the fact that the suit was still pending.The encroachment began in February last year, resulting in the Orang Asli filing for an injunction against the developers.

On December 10 last year, the High Court granted the injunction to preserve the land until the disposal of the main suit. – June 25, 2014

via Appeals Court favours Orang Asli, stop order against Iskandar developer stays – The Malaysian Insider.

Help Communities in Borneo Protect their Heritage

Community conservation in Sabah Malaysia occurs at different levels of intensity. Active participation, a conservation approach that gives power and responsibilities back to local communities, is a core element of Indigenous Community and Conserved Areas ICCAs.

The Sabah ICCA Review: A review of Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas in Sabah states that the concept of ICCAs is second nature to most ethnic communities in Sabah, and takes on a variety of forms.

We continue to support community conservation in two of the eight communities highlighted in the Review – the communities of Bundu Tuhan in Ranau and Ulu Papar in Penampang. Faced with diverse threats including plans for the development of a mega-dam that would flood Ulu Papar villages and destroy their history, biological and cultural diversity, and, protected area regulations that do not recognise indigenous governance of community forests in Bundu Tuhan, both communities have been working closely with a consortium of partners to protect the areas they call home

READ MORE at: A Call for Support: Help Communities in Borneo Protect their Heritage | Global Diversity Foundation.

Dealing with Indigenous Communities through ABCD in Australia

Community ownership

Works with Indigenous communities that request  support to improve health, wellbeing and self-sufficiency. Not solicit for project work. Main role is to support communities in their own initiatives, with skills and resources not usually available. Shall advocate for community leadership, participation and ownership.

Relationship-Driven

Helps connect and strengthen relationships and local resources that are integral in community and human development. These relationships can be between community members, government, businesses, and non-government organisations. Appointed  Community Development Officers and volunteers work in the field to build meaningful and respectful relationships with communities.

Asset-Based development

Takes an ‘asset’ rather than ‘deficit’ approach to development. Work with communities to enable them to recognise and develop their existing skills, resources and knowledge.

Long term sustainability

Many challenges communities face are complex, trans-generational and take time to address. Facilitate long term commitments when partnering with communities, which may involve developing multiple projects over many years. Each activity is designed to ensure it meets long term, overarching objectives of the community.

Reconciliation in action

Connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, providing a platform to share cultural knowledge and skills. The projects promote two-way cultural understanding and respect.

Read more: …….HERE

ABCD – An Overview

By: Gord Cunningham and Alison Mathie, 2002

What Is ABCD?

1. It is an approach to community-based development, based on the principles of:
2. Appreciating and mobilising individual and community talents, skills and assets rather than focusing on problems and needs Community-driven development rather than development driven by external agencies

It builds on:

1. Appreciative inquiry which identifies and analyses the community’s past successes. This strengthens people’s confidence in their own capacities and inspires them to take action
2. The recognition of social capital and its importance as an asset. This is why ABCD focuses on the power of associations and informal linkages within the community, and the relationships built over time between community associations and external institutions
3. Participatory approaches to development, which are based on principles of empowerment and ownership of the development process
4. Community economic development models that place priority on collaborative efforts for economic development that makes best use of its own resource base
5. Efforts to strengthen civil society. These efforts have focused on how to engage people as citizens rather than clients in development, and how to make local governance more effective and responsive.

How Is ABCD Facilitated?

ABCD is a process of self-mobilisation and organising for change. This process has happened spontaneously in many communities. The challenge for an external agency, such as an NGO, is to stimulate this process in other communities without having the opposite effect of creating dependency. There are a set of methods that can be used, but it is important not to consider this a blue-print, but more as guidelines for achieving community-driven development. We are already seeing variations in how ABCD is facilitated by different NGOs. Collecting stories Organising a core group Mapping the capacities and assets of individuals, associations and local institutions Building a community vision and plan Mobilising and linking assets for economic development Leveraging activities, investments and resources from outside the community

via Asset-Based Community Development — An Overview.

Harvesting Bamboo According to Moon Phase

This is a controversial topic, and many scientists still argue over the truth behind this “peasant knowledge”. However detailed studies in Colombia show remarkable differences with untreated bamboo, when harvested at specific hours and moon phases. The starch content is lowest between waning gibbous and last quarter between the 6th and 8th day after full moon due to the higher gravitation of the moon.On the basis of photosynthesis, in the course of the morning, bamboo starts transporting starch from the roots into the leaves.

During the height of the day this process is at its peak making this the least ideal time of day to harvest. Therefore the best time to harvest bamboo, is before sunrise between 12pm and 6am, when most of the starch is still in the roots.Bamboo harvested in this manner has 3 advantages: they are less attractive to insects, are less heavy to transport and will dry faster.

via When and How to Harvest Bamboo — Guadua Bamboo.

Regional Conference on Local Knowledge 2013 – RCLK 2013

Regional Conference on Local Knowledge 2014
“Local Knowledge : Synergy – Sustainability – Dynamism “

12^th – 13^th October 2014
Riverside Majestic,
Kuching,  MALAYSIA

Local knowledge refers to knowledge and expertise which originate from local and indigenous cultures that have developed over time and from which practices that are absorbed naturally and effortlessly into the local communities. It is an accumulation of collective knowledge from lived experiences over long periods of time. Such wisdom traces its origins from local Malaysian cultures specifically, and cultures of the Malay Archipelago in general. The study on local knowledge is aimed at enabling social transformation through a paradigm shift that forefronts local epistemology.

via Regional Conference on Local Knowledge 2013 – RCLK 2013.

Coastal Dynamics

http://www.townplanning.sabah.gov.my/…/Shorelin…/mst.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove