Non-Timber Forest Products, NTFP, is a local Non-Government Organisation based in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. Since their establishment in 1996 they have played a critical role in helping indigenous people secure their rights to their land and natural resources. NTFP also recognises the vital importance of preserving the cultural heritage of indigenous people, often inextricably linked with their lands and forests.
Effective engagement with indigenous communities, developed over a considerable time, is now a particular strength of NTFP. They target rural indigenous ethnic minority villages which do not have other organisations to support them on natural resource management and who, because their different culture and practices, different social institutions, beliefs and values, are not understood by outsiders. These communities are currently not able to defend their interests for themselves because they cannot speak the administrative language, Khmer, and they lack the technical skills and technology to support their claims. They are not empowered to stand up for their rights because they do not know what their rights are. They are also not aware of the legal instruments enacted by the country and need help to include their concerns in the formulation of legal instruments.
Therefore, NTFP envisions Indigenous peoples in Cambodia to exercise their rights and effectively participate in the development of national society; using and managing their land and natural resources toward improving their families’ economic well being and maintaining their cultural identity.
In cooperation with DVV International, NTFP is working to provide improved non formal education and training for educational staff working in this field in Ratnakiri province. These offers are designed to help the participants to cope and to use for themselves the radical change to which their region has been subjected due to the rapidly advancing plantation economy. The project furthermore works towards creating a dialogue and advocacy work at sub-national level to recognise the value of adult education in Cambodia.
Target Groups and Beneficiaries
More information available at www.ntfp-cambodia.org
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