Community Initiative

ECONET’s community based work is predominantly with and towards two groups – Tribal and NT & DNT.

Nomads Initiative

Nomadic communities consolidated under one common identity despite their diverse social, cultural and political roots.

Focus Areas

Working on identity and citizenship rights of Nomadic communities (NT & DNT) towards inclusion – social, political and economic Addressing issues of human rights violations through legal empowerment, legal analysis and strengthening access to justice of NT & DNT Promoting gender justice and substantive equality to women and girls from the nomadic communities, within and outside Education – working on access to education and Right to Education of nomad children through bridge schools, engaging with various actors and stakeholders in the education system at local level Exploring livelihood alternatives considering traditional skills, working towards physical and skills asset creation by linking schemes, and mobilising and engaging with nomadic neo-farmers towards food security using LIFS (Lo Input Intensive Farming System) Mobilising and organising nomadic communities through local CBOs/NGOs & networks to draw and advocate for a common minimum agenda of nomads.

Tribal Initiative

Self governed tribal communities in the Scheduled Areas (under the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution) in the matters of legal rights, control and access to natural resources, livelihood and energy security.

Focus Areas

Building community capacities towards tenure security and food security, including conservation of indigenous forest species including wild food and their indigenous knowledge around it Ensuring recognition and exercise by the community of their collective rights over natural resources (forests, mines and water bodies) including minor forest produce, fishing rights etc Strengthen Gram Sabhas and village panchayats towards building local governance Ecological monitoring focusing on bio diversity, NTFPs as a step towards developing community based forest management practices along with the traditional systems Engaging with the community on traditional and alternative avenues of livelihood e.g. eco tourism through critical assessment and capacity building of youth and women Addressing energy deficit in the tribal areas through exploring alternative and renewable energy sources and developing community models of energy security

Capacity Building & Knowledge Resources

Focus Areas

As a learning organisation ECONET is committed towards creating Knowledge Resources reflecting the issues, contexts and learning aspirations of people and communities through Analysis and Action.

Building basic understanding and knowledge of communities and people on laws and legislations related to ecological rights and environmental justice e.g. forest rights, PESA, bio diversity, etc
Conducting action research on issues and themes in relation to entitlement and sustainable development of tribal and NT & DNT
Exploring opportunities for use & promotion of bio and renewable energy sources to address the energy deficit experienced by tribal and other marginalised sections of the society

Bridging the gap between the practice and text of law and policies through promoting paralegal work and law based capacity building of CBOs and NGOs.

Human & Institutional Development

Organisations and institutions are made of and built by individuals, and only progressive and empowered relationships contribute to sustainable processes. ECONET believes investing in individuals (team, community, partners and stakeholders) and processes (partnership, people participation) pays much higher and long term dividend than anything else.

Focus Areas

Grooming young boys and girls by building their expertise through work on knowledge and skill development Empowering institutions by building institutional systems and processes
Nurturing and shaping women leadership in CBOS, NGOs and organisations to address the gaps & dilemmas of Gender@Work

Engaging with inter/intra organisational processes towards building effective collectives.

Law & Policy Advocacy

Institutions, processes and people involved in law and policy making must respect, respond, reflect and remedy the lived realities of people by allowing them voice and space of participation.

Focus Areas

Promoting implementation and monitoring of laws and policies, for example, Forest Rights Act, 2006, PESA 1996, Bio Diversity Act 2002 related to environmental justice

Establishing organic relationship between laws and policies with community focusing on self governance, protection/conservation and control over natural resources, social inclusion and sustainable development
Engaging with government on drafting and/or changes in laws and policies with specific focus on tribal and NT & DNT
Capacity building through legal literacy for simplifying laws and policies for empowerment

A rights-based orientation for research and knowledge building around laws and policy.