Our Place Magazine, 32, Centre for Appropriate Technology AU

8/9/2019 Our Place Magazine, 32, Centre for Appropriate Technology AU

1/11BUSH TECHS: how to get a satellite internet connection l removing scale

PeoPle working with technology in remote communities

Number 32

Paticipatoy

tchnology dsigno sstainal

livlihoods in Npal

Wat on Conty

Th t oIndignos hosing

aboriginallandcareeducation

Program


2/11

Number 32

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3 bushlie

Lachlan Thompson: Mechanic and Mentorl tp py d

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5 news

7 education and training

Aboriginal Landcare Education Programg au n ty ab ld edu P

(aleP) upp ab u tp ed d

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10 livelihoods

What next for CDEP?t rudd y d cDeP n ty d

cDeP p b pd Juy 2009. m Yu y

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12 Projects

Water on Countrysj P k u juy fd u bu d

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bush tech lit-outs

Removing scale from household fittings

and appliances How to get a satellite Internet connection

14 outlook

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17 international

Participatory technology design for sustainablelivelihoods in Nepalt k xp ngo, id Dp sy

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19 book review

Neil Willmetts guide: How to Start a SuccessfulAboriginal Business in Australia. r by m Yu

Lachlan Thopson is a lly qalifd Atootiv mchanic and Tain woking with Th Cnt o

Appopiat Tchnologys (CAT) Tchnical Skills Gop. In 2003 h was awadd Indignos Appntic

o th Ya at NAIDOC wk in Alic Spings. H cntly copltd a Spvisos cos, and his

achivnts in his atootiv ca hav ld hi to co a nto to yong Indignos popl

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THe JOurNeY TO CAT

Lachlan looks up to his ather as a rolemodel with a strong work ethic. Hisather worked all his lie rom the ageo twelve and was never without a job.Lachlan is ollowing in his ootsteps.

Lachlan was born in Mount Isa butwhen he was three years old his am-ily moved when his ather got work in

South Australia. Lachlan did most o hisschooling there.

Being an adventurous person, aterleaving school Lachlan travelled aroundAustralia doing a wide variety o jobsincluding seasonal work, working as aplant contractor, encing work, andstation work to name a ew.

He did a pre-apprenticeship inAutomotive or Indigenous people at

AFE and was oered an apprenticeshipbut let to take up a well-paying job inCooper Pedy. He still had a love omechanics and kept his skills up workingon his own vehicles and private mechani-cal jobs. He again worked in a var ietyo jobs beore going to the NationalRailways as a Plant Operator or ten

years. He let the railways and headed upto Alice Springs to visit amily and endedup staying.

Lachlan rst came to CA to do theCerticate I and Certicate II coursesin Automotive in 1998. Ater complet-ing both courses he gained employmentas a rades Assistant in the angentyeremechanic shop, then became a CDEPsupervisor. Later he completed his

Automotive apprenticeship as a matureage student and became Fleet Managerat angentyere. Due to amily problemsLachlan let this position to move toAdelaide, but ater a short period o timehe came back to Alice. Hearing that there

was a Mechanical rainers position avail-able at CA he applied or the job, andthree years later is still here.

TrAINING AND mOTIVATION

Lachlan really enjoys training youngIndigenous people in automotive skills,and knows what it takes to keep theminterested in learning.

I like training young ellas. Even backwhen I was with angentyere I used to

get school guys wanting work experienceand I enjoyed training them, showingthem new skills and how to save money.

I praise them up, when they are doingsomething good, they like that, they liketo hear it and it gets them motivated orthe next day. Tey come back the next dayall smiles.

I try to give the trainees stu thatthey are interested in, and make it as

hands on as possible so we dont losethem. I you give them too much pa-perwork they eel like they are back atschool again. So we give them a varietyo projects to work on, and when theyget a car xed and its up and runningtheyre real proud. Tey think we havedone that, and you give them that edge,then theyll go out and work on theircar and their amilys cars. Tey think:we have got a car going beore wecan do t his!

Lachlan wants to pass on good workethics to his trainees. Working in anautomotive workshop can be dangerousand he impresses upon his students howto use the tools and equipment properly.

He also shows them how to save

Lachlan

Thopson:meCHANIC AND meNTOr

3

7

12

BUSHLIFE 3

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3/11

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Aworkshop with members o outstation communitieswas held on 31 March1 April 2008 at the Centreor Appropriate echnology. Te workshop was part o theevaluation o the work IS did during 20072008 withcommunities along the Plenty Highway region north o AliceSprings. Five o seven communities were represented at the

workshop and they gave voice to lively and robust opinionswhen asked or eedback about the IS eng agement processand negotiated work plans.

For these very remote outstation residents, some o whomlive nearly 600km rom Alice Springs, the IS engagement

style o taking several sta into a community and staying or aew days, enabled community members to eel very comortabletalking about the community issues that they could discuss onthe spot, and the added benet o having more than one contactperson in the oce. Tey agreed that it took time to begin totrust the IS program, as they had oten allen through thecracks when their requirements were supposedly being attendedto, and people who had promised to do something or them

were never seen again. Community members assessed the ISinormation posters, community newsletters and communityproles as being resources they really liked to have, especiallycommenting that the newsletters, which listed uture work,as well as recording work already done in the community, keeps you honest! Central Desert Shire and N LocalGovernment and Housing and Sport representatives who at-tended also commended the resources IS had developed.

Outstation residents have impressed IS sta as beingvery committed to staying on their homelands and planningor the uture, a act that was emphasised with the inclusion onext-generation community members at this workshop. Tey arealso knowledgeable about the inrastructure on their homeland,

very skilled at making do when breakdowns occur and only askor help when they need equipment, extra hands and technicaladvice. At the workshop, the outstation residents endorsed theIS Mobile Service eam, which worked alongside residents toupgrade and improve their inrastructure and check on workdone by contractors, and agreed that they wanted to continue tobe consulted and involved in working out a maintenance plan ortheir outstations, so they could look condently towards the uture.

w spp r i

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Water Quality Research Australia Ltd (WQRA) has beencommissioned by the National Water Commission(NWC) to lead a project that aims to improve the inormationand communication processes or remote Indigenouscommunity water management. Te project, Guidelines andBest Practice Documentation Water Supplies in RemoteIndigenous Communities, is under the water planning andmanagement theme o the NWC Raising National WaterStandards program.

Te project aims to address the challenges to improving wa-ter supply management in remote areas by developing tools andresources to assist service providers, including governments andutilities, to develop water management plans. Te developmentand implementation o Community Water Plans are vital to thenew national ocus on planning and eectively risk managing

water supplies.Te Centre or Appropriate echnology (CA) is a member

o WQRA and will be the hub or the development and trial-ling o the resources.

Te tools, together with a project approach that includesthe involvement o a wide range o stakeholders such as healthproessionals, water service providers and Indigenous repre-sentatives will support a consistent basis or communication andimplementation o water management planning with remoteIndigenous communities. Te inormation package will beadaptable to the highly variable remote Indigenous communitycontexts throughout Australia.

Te project was initiated in April 2008 and will develop andtrial the products over 12 months in collaboration with at leastour remote communities located in Queensland, Northern

erritory, South Australia and New South Wales. Te productswill be nalised by the projects conclusion in August 2009. Itis intended that the products will supplement the AustralianDrinking Water Guideline documents to ensure the uptakeo improved management systems or sae water supplies inremote Indigenous communities.

themselves and their amily money bybeing able to x their own cars ratherthan spending money paying a mechanic.

Lachlan also stresses that mechani-cal skills are essential to sustainablelivelihoods or people living in thebush. When you are a long way romthe nearest town you need to be able tomaintain your own vehicle, and somecommunities dont have a workshop orthe right equipment.

Tere is a great resource out in thebush with dumped cars that can bestripped or parts i you have the know-how to do it. I not only teach them whatthey can do in a workshop, but bushmechanics as well. How you can impro-vise and use something else i you donthave a part a tyre leaver, a bit o wireor wood, and tweek something up to getyou out o a j am. Just to get you homewhen you are stuck out somewhere, andno one else is going to be coming alongto help you out. Teres a way around aproblem even i you dont have the rig httools, equipment or parts.

meNTOrING AND THeWOrKPLACe

Lachlans enjoyment o training youngIndigenous people led him to do amentoring course to improve his skillsin supporting his trainees and others intheir early working careers. He knowshow important it is to communicate withthem to resolve issues that come up, tokeep them in the workorce.

Indigenous mechanics are great withthe hands on stu, but things like tradebooks can be a dicult part o the jobor some and can become a real barrier toprogressing in this eld. Tere might bea small issue thats stopping one o themrom going to work, and its great when

you can resolve it and get them back intothe workorce.

Lachlan doesnt enjoy paper workanymore than his trainees, but his persis-tence and eort in taking on the lessonsthat lie and work taught him, has seenhim progress a long way in his career.

Lachlan believes that hiring Indig-

enous workers will be o great benet toemployers. Indigenous young people aregreat with hands on mechanical work.

Employers need to be fexible, andhelp Indigenous people into employmentby being considerate, and to understandthat we do have our culture and havecultural and amily obligations.

We are brilliant with hands on work,but dont knock us just because we cantll a bit o paper out. Paper work yes

we have to do it, but it s not crucial.Whats crucial is getting the job doneand thats the hands on stu, so give the

young ellas a go beore you knock them.We are not all the same and we all

have dierent issues so dont tarnish us allwith the same brush. Just treated us likeanyone else, just give us a go a air go.

Ive got a couple o guys at themoment that are work ready. Te onlythings holding them back are numeracyand literacy. Its pretty sad to see guys youknow who are brilliant hands on but theirdownall is literacy and numeracy.

Lachlan believes that there are veryew vocational ocussed literacy andnumeracy courses available these days, andthose that do exist have long waiting lists.

Lachlan gets a lot o pleasure romseeing his trainees go on to get work. Tebiggest satisaction I get is when I see a

young guy get into the workorce. Teresrevor, hes now doing an apprenticeshipwith Oasis Motors.

Lachlan continues to keep in touchwith revor and helps him out with anyproblems he might be having.

And theres erry Abbott. Hecompleted Certicate I at CA and isnow one o our co-workers. He was myapprentice back in angentyere days. I

was his boss or two years and now he is aqualied mechanic. It gives me a big highthat Im doing something positive or mycountrymen.

THe FuTureLachlan is looking orward to thetime CA relocates to the DesertPeoples Centre.

He would like to keep movingorward in his career and take up thechallenge o being a training coordinatoror in a managerial role. He eelsIndigenous sta and trainees wouldrelate easily to an Indigenous manager.

He also wants to continue mentoringyoung Indigenous people and keep themin the workorce, which, as he says, is

what its all about. nMembers of outstation communities meet at the Centre for

Appropriate Technology to evaluate the program ITS implemented

with them during 20072008.

BUSHLIFE NEWS

ABOVE: left to right

Joseph, Robert,

Roy, Terry Abbott,

Rowan, Edward,

Callam, Blair and

Lachlan.

RIGHT: Lachlan

(centre) instructs

some of his students:

(from left Roy,

Callam, Rowan,

Jason and Blair).

5


4/11

w o

d r

CA employee Willie Orr participated in this yearsattersalls Finke Desert Race which was held over theQueens Birthday weekend, 69 June. Te race is an o road,multi-terrain two day race through desert country rom AliceSprings to the small Aputula (Finke) Community. Te racecrosses the Finke River.

Willie has always had a passion or motorbike racing andthis is the ourth year he has competed in the Q uad bike race.He was the only Indigenous Quad rider, and his mates assistedhim as a backup crew, helping out with mechanical checks,repairs and reuelling during the race.

Willie was coming second at Deep Well, but ater someminor problems nished tenth. He is happy with this result.He has been tenth in his class two years in a row but has beensteadily getting higher results every year. Willie ocuses on racingthe clock and doing his personal best times, rather than trying tobeat the other riders.

Willie has opportunities to train when he is at his parentsoutstation, by riding his bike chasing kangaroos or dinner orhelping with the mustering.

It costs Willie approximately $5000 per year to maintainhis bike and participate in the Finke race. A new bike can costaround $16,000, so getting sponsorship or this sport is vitalor him.

A reasonable level o tness is required or motor racing.Working out bush with CAs Integrated echnical Servicesteam (IS) has helped Willie to keep in shape. Willie rides apush-bike to work which helps keep him t as well. He willkeep competing as long as he is physically able.

Willie hopes to have a chance to compete in interstate racesin the uture, in the meantime he continues to train or the nextFinke Desert Race.

a

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An innovative approach to implementing sustainable,reliable and aordable renewable energy supplies in remoteIndigenous communities will soon be adapted or use in theelectrication o villages in rural India.

Te Centre or Appropriate echnologys Bushlight Projectsupports Indigenous livelihoods through the implementationo renewable energy systems, support services and associatedcommunity engagement, demand side management planningand capacity building. Bushlight has worked with 120 remotecommunities in central and northern Australia.

Te Centre or Appropriate echnology (CA) has received$2m unding through the Australian governments commitmentto the Asia Pacic Partnership Program to work with a range

o partners in India to adapt the Bushlight renewable energyimplementation model or use in rural Indian villages.

Te CA Indian APP project will be run by CAs subsidi-ary company, CA International Projects. It will tailor the suc-cessul Bushlight model to suit the rural Indian village context,develop relevant community education and training resourcesand ultimately construct a well documented, tried and provenmodel or the widespread electrication o rural villages inIndia using renewable energy.

In 2006 the Bushlight Project was awarded a NationalEngineering Excellence Award by Eng ineers Australia. TeIndia project strengthens the acknowledgement o the Bush-light model as international best practice or rural electricationusing renewable energy.

Te CA Indian APP project will provide energy or liveli-hood activities such as irrigation or agriculture and four mills,as well as domestic lighting, battery charging stations, streetlights and communications.

Te project will work in partnership with Indian governmentagencies, industry, NGOs and village residents and other stake-holders. A urther $1m has been committed by project partners.Up to eight ull time and part time Australian based sta andup to teen people rom Indian partner organisations will beinvolved in the project over the next two and a hal years.

1400 residents o rural Indian villages will be providedwith access to energy services and supports, included targetedcapacity building to manage and maintain the renewable energysystems.

Willie Orr inaction at theFinke Desertrace.

Intodcing th Aoiginal

Landca edcation

Poga

Established in 1994, GreeningAustralia (N)s Aboriginal LandcareEducation Program (ALEP) supportsAboriginal communities across the

op End. Te program has threepermanent Aboriginal sta (DonDuggan, Lorraine Williams and Rita

ingey) and has employed up to sixAboriginal sta at times.

Te ALEP team provides:

help with planning landmanagement projects;technical advice or vegetation

related projects;on-ground training and

workshops;links to government and otherlandcare agencies;education and awareness.

ALEP has become an importantvehicle or delivering social outcomesby directly engaging communitymembers through projects such asUseul Plants, Healthy Yards, Com-munity Parks and Green Cadets.

usl PlantsTrough the support o the NaturalHeritage rust and the NaturalResource Management Board (N),ALEP is working to assist Aboriginal

groups in the op End to developbusinesses using products based onnative vegetation.

Te project:

assists groups to investigate andplan business opportunities basedon native vegetation;provides training and technicalsupport or harvesting, storing,processing, packaging andmarketing products;provides a central collecting pointincluding weighing, payment,storage and transport to marketor native plant products (orexample by continuing the

erminalia erdinandiana harvest);assists with accessing larger

Aoiginal Landcaedcation Poga

NEWS EDUCATION AND TRAINING 7

cu p 8 >

Lorraine Williams

and Rita Tingey are

permanent staff

members of ALEP.


5/11

Green Cadets are an integral part o allALEP projects. Trough education andtraining the program engages youngAboriginal people in community-basedprojects with the aim o empoweringthem to build their local communitysland management capacity.

Green Cadets:gives young people a new ocus in lieand options or the uture and helpthem take control o their lives;raises awareness about looking atercountry;improves environmental health incommunities;develops leadership skills in youngpeople;encourages sel esteem, sel respect,sel discipline and sel control;addresses substance abuse and youthat risk;provides career paths leading toincreased employment opportunities;has a long-term aim to reduce socialproblems such as amily violence andchild and substance abuse.

Green Cadets has two arms, GrinwanGeingworking mainly with young adultsand Lilwan Geingworking with children.

Grinwan GeinG

Te Grinwan Geing aims whereverpossible to deliver training in a contextthat it will meet accredited trainingrequirements according to the National

raining System ramework.Where groups are interested in

acquiring ormal qualications ALEPwill work with Registered rainingOrganisations to achieve this. Teteam is in the process o developingtraining resources or the ormal trainingcomponents through the assistance o theNational Landcare Program.

LiLwan GeinG

Te lives o Aboriginal people across theop End are strongly connected to theplants, animals, seasons, land and water,

which provide a wealth o resources orrelevant learning in schools.

By including elders in environmentaleducation, students will learn theimportance o traditional knowledgeand responsibilities. Te Lilwan GeingHandbook assists this to happen. It aimsto provide relevant contexts or the NCurriculum Framework in a remoteAboriginal environment.

Te Lilwan Geing also links childreninto the community projects. Te Lilwan

Geing activities are delivered througha series o practical workshops withparticipants moving into the GrinwanGeing when they are older.

ALeP woksTe longevity o ALEP is testamentto the passion and commitment o theteam. ALEP plays an integral role inachieving the Greening Australia missionthrough holistic projects. ALEP is asmall but vital part o the wider landmanagement network and its success canbe attributed to:

Working in partnership withAboriginal communities;Providing employment or Aboriginalpeople;Helping communities build theircapacity to run their own landmanagement programs.n

GreeNING AuSTrALIA

3/21 Gregory Terrace

Alice Springs NT 0871

08 8953 2882

wholesale markets and opportunities

through local markets and events;provides training or extraction olarger plants such as cycads whichhave landscaping potential;establishes and supports plantnurseries with a commercial aim.

Halthy yadsWorking with communities to createhealthier living environments has been acore part o ALEPs work. Te HealthyYards concept works with individual

amilies within communities with a ocuson the immediate amily yard.

A planning stage precedes allhealthy yards work. ALEP assists theparticipating amilies to map out theirgarden by discussing the technicaldetails. ALEP Sta also participate inthe implementation o their garden plan,oten with assistance o local council orresource centre sta.

Te National Aboriginal HealthStrategy recently unded house yard

work at the Lajamanu community. Tecommunity got right behind the work

with the store running a gardeningcompetition as an added incentive.

Conity paksTe ALEP team assists communities

to plan and build community parks.Te participation o the wholecommunity in the landscaping givesthe people ownership o the workand a sense o pride in the nishedproduct. Community parks provide acommunal meeting place or communitydiscussions.

Lajamanu

ALEP has worked on two communityparks at Lajamanu with nancialassistance through the Lajamanu

Progress Association. Te parks werewelcomed by the local residents andare now a central meeting place or thecommunity, with the rst park nownamed the Rex Patterson MemorialPark.

DaGuraGu

ALEP assisted the local community tomake the Daguragu Hand Over Park orthe 40 Years Freedom Day Festival. Teestival marked the 40th anniversary othe Wave Hill Walk O.

Te old partiki (nutwood) tree atthe park is where planning meetings

were held beore the walk o, and wherethe Gurindji returned to ater the walko. Te stone plinth and plaque in thepark is at the site where Prime MinisterGough Whitlam symbolically returnedthe soil by pouring it into V incent

Lingiaris hand.Te park is part o the Gurindji

Heritage and ourism Project supportedby N ourism.

ALePs Gn CadtsGreen Cadets address the need orincreased employment and healthy lieoptions or young Aboriginal peoplein the remote op End and ocuses onthe social and health outcomes thatenvironmental work can provide. Te

Don Duggan, ALEP Coordinator.

Children at Lajamanu

Photoby Don Duggan

Photoby nick Smith

EDUCATION AND TRAINING EDUCATION AND TRAINING 9


6/11

Th Conity Dvlopnt eploynt Pojcts(CDeP) sch was fst intodcd into otIndignos conitis in 1977 as a pogssivand id conity dvlopnt, ployntcation and inco sppot sch. Sinc thSpic viw in 1997 th hav n a sis ochangs to th poga clinating in th ogovnnts dcision to a th sch. Th rddgovnnt has cntly instatd CDeP in th30 ot conitis in th Nothn Titoywh it had n sht down as pat o th NothnTitoy egncy rspons. It is also ndtaking aviw o th poga in association with th cntviw o ainsta ploynt svics sch

as Jo Ntwok, with a nw CDeP poga to iplntd o Jly 2009.

Over the past ten years the CDEP scheme has been steadilyrecongured into a labour market program tasked withmoving Aboriginal people into real jobs in the real economy.Tis has led to a de-emphasis o the community developmentand employment creation aspects o the scheme. Against abackdrop o signicant skills shortages across the country andespecially in resource rich remote areas, relentless revelationso the dysunction, corruption and disadvantage in remotecommunities, persistent policy and program churn and themobilisation o interventions to stabilise and normalise theoutback, what may be next or CDEP?

d cdePCritics o CDEP argue that the program is much more ahindrance than help to Indigenous people. Tey highlightthe use o CDEP schemes to prop up government services ina range o areas such as essential ser vices, health, child careand education, the schemes poor record in providing qualitytraining and skills development and the ineectiveness oCDEP in moving participants on into real jobs (Hudson 2008,CYI 2007). Te latter is a particularly resonant issue given the

resource boom and the availability o jobs in the private sector atclose proximity to many Indigenous communities. Proponentso CDEP emphasise the reality o the hybrid economyo remote Indigenous communities and the importance oCDEP in enabling the combination o customary, state andmarket economic activities in a manner that enhances culturalmaintenance, mainstream engagement and local and legitimategoverning and service delivery institutions (Altman 2006,Morphy 2008).

Pp Te Northern erritory Government recently released adiscussion paper on CDEP arguing or the programs activitiesto be adjusted according to an assessment o the proximity oexisting, emerging or non existent labour markets. Much othis has now been incorporated in the Australian Governmentsown discussion paper on reorms to CDEP. Te papers suggestthat schemes deemed to be near existing markets are to ocusexclusively on employment transitions, largely replicatingthe mandate o mainstream services such as Job Network;those near emerging markets will mix training and personaldevelopment programs with employment transitions; andthose near no markets are to ocus on community and personaldevelopment.

A reality check o Indigenous unemployment statistics acrossurban, regional and remote areas (Productivity Commission2007) highlights that that there are no statistically signicantdierences between the localities. Tis suggests that actorsother than proximity to labour markets are likely to explain theemployment disadvantage o Indigenous Australians. Both thecritics and proponents o CDEP articulate some o these actors.Examples being poor outcomes rom school education; thesubsidisation o government services in health, education andessential services by CDEP; and the importance o innovation,fexibility and job creation schemes such as Ranger programsand the Indigenous Art industry that support local aspirationsand the continuance o cultural commitments stemming romLaw, ceremony and identity. In essence the v arying perspectiveson CDEP swing between its need to address individual capacitydecits and enable economic trajectories, and its need to sup-port community development and cultural activities as well as

economic activities. Tis is a tall ask or one program, despiteits unique longevity as a program in Indigenous Aairs policy.

Years o under investment in education and the lack o physicaland service delivery inrastructure necessary to sustain settle-ments across the Outback are not ailures that can be laid at thedoor o the CDEP scheme.

cdeP A key issue aecting the current CDEP scheme has been thelack o consistent and quality skills development ormal,inormal and work based training to support transition romCDEP into the jobs that do exist on communities or nearby, theones emerging, and the ones that occasionally surace throughcontract work. However, it is extremely dicult or Registered

raining Organisations (ROs) operating in what is a highlyregulated mainstream education sector, to leverage the fexibilityand innovation required to deliver programs that eectivelyrespond to the learning and locational issues in remoteareas. ROs struggle with small numbers o trainees whohave complex learning needs (English as a second language,limited literacy, high rates o hearing and other disabilities),the high transaction costs or remote delivery, limited traineraccommodation or learning acilities, sporadic attendance andhigh sta turnover. Indeed recent gures rom the NationalCentre or Vocational Education research highlight a 12.7%decrease in VE programs in very remote areas in the Northern

erritory in 2007 (NCVER 2008). Tose Indigenous peoplewho are participating in VE programs across remote Australiaare much more likely to be undertaking subject only coursesat pre-vocational Certicate levels and there is some ev idenceo churning through successive low level courses. Withoutsignicant policy and program changes to the training systemthat will enable providers to respond eectively to the skills andpersonal development needs o CDEP participants and manage

the resource and inrastructure limitations that characteriseremote delivery, the problems experienced to date will simply berepeated regardless o the reorms mooted.

a ppSome o the clear successes o the CDEP scheme haveemerged rom its community development activities. Landand sea Ranger programs and the Aboriginal Art industry areexamples where unique and internationally recognised economicactivities have been ostered and nurtured through CDEP.Similarly the successes o many other programs targeting thehighly disadvantaged have ocused on community and socialenterprise initiatives as a pathway or improved economicand social participation. A reormed CDEP would thus needto unction substantially dierently to mainstream labourmarket programs i eective economic and social inclusion is

to be achieved. CDEPs need to be styled toprovide incentives to address the multiple

issues experienced by Indigenous as wellas targeting investments towards localenterprise opportunities (both extant andemerging) where available and which align

with local aspirations. Te complexity o theemployment disadvantage experienced byIndigenous people requires a sharpened ocuson the structure and purpose o a reormed

CDEP at the same time as additional investments in bothreducing disadvantage and building a sustainable network osettlements across the outback are rolled out.

Te crisis in remote Australia is not just an Indigenous crisis.Much o remote Australia, Indigenous and non-Indigenous,could be easily described as a ailed state where social tensions,economic disengagement, ineective mainstream service provi-sion and inadequate special Indigenous arrangements, erraticand complex governance, ever changing policy platorms and en-

vironmental vulnerability are escalating. With Australias currenteconomic prosperity riding on the back on the resource boom inremote Australia, the need to align program and policy invest-ments with a vision built on revitalising and reconstructing theOutback is pressing. Reorming the CDEP scheme to build thehuman and social capital development capacities o people andtheir communities, and resourcing it to broker and partner in lo-cally responsive training, mentoring and enterprise developmentinvestments, rather than ocusing on quick-x individual welareto work transitions might be a worthwhile next step.n

meTTA YOuNG

Centre or Appropriate Technology

reFerences:

a, J 2006. t idu hybd y: a ub p

u. caePr, anU.

cp Yk iu, 2007. F hd ou hd Up. cp Yk w r Pj,

D d

mpy, F, 2008. r- . a ub d p

au g i idu e oppuy du pp.

ncver 2008. au du d : sud d

u 2007

Pduy c, 2007. o idu Dd: Ky id.

LIVELIHOODS LIVELIHOODS 11

Land and sea Ranger programs and the Aboriginal Art

industry are examples where unique and internationally

recognised economic activities have been ostered and

nurtured through CDEP.

WHAT NexT FOrPictured hereare DhimurruSea RangerPatrick Whiteand Paul Younger(Batchelor Institutefor IndigenousTertiary Education)securing a crocodilewhich has beencaught in a trapclose to theNhulunbuyTownship.

Photoby Phil WiSe(national ParkSanD

WilDlife Service).


7/11

Taditional wat socs

Local Aboriginal knowledge othe locations and characteristicso arid zone surace watersources such as soaks, rockholes, cave pools, river pools

and seepages all o which are

potentiallyderived romground water,exceeds thatdocumentedby agencies.

Many o the traditionalsites have signicant

ceremonial, economicand social signicance.(Alice Springs WaterResource Strategy,2006-2015, NREA

2006)Water is an essential

part o traditional cultureas well as or contemporary

living. Te knowledge o where watercan be ound is highly regarded or

many reasons. Te managing andmaintaining o these water

sources on country is botha traditional privilege aswell as a responsibility.Continuous access to goodquality water is essentialor living in communitiesand outstations.

raditional water sourcesare: a) surace water which is

water pooling ater rain, otenin fat country, rock shelves or be-

tween sandhills; b) soakages whichare rainwater pools under ground; and

c) Permanent water sources such as springs.Plants and trees can also provide water.

Oten these water sources are sacred sites that havecreation stories and ceremonies associated with them.

o nd out more about traditional water sources,their importance to Aboriginal people and how thatknowledge is relevant to contemporary living, sta romIS decided go on three journeys. wo with the womenrom Bonya, and one with Allan and Shirley romUrlampe, to explore their knowledge o water and watermanagement.

engagnt pocss

Focusing on water was not only continuing theengagement process started by other members o IS, andalso acknowledging and valuing indigenous knowledgeas being a vital part o understanding the sustainability ocommunities and outstations. As the engagement processdeveloped, the ocus unolded and evolved into a more

broader context, that o being on country.During one o the visits by IS sta to evaluate com-

munity sustainability and livelihood, three women romBonya (Georgina, Natalie and Minni), told about a time

when the communitys bore ran dry. Tey travelled to asoakage in a nearby creek which they dug out and lledtheir bottles rom the soak.

At Urlampe outstation, Allan Rankine who is one othe traditional owners, told Kate rom IS while recordinga community members skills audit, that he knows how tond water. Allan said he not only knows how to nd waterbut can also tell the water quality in the ground.

We asked the Bonya women as well as Allan and Shirleyrom Urlampe i they were happy or us to record our tripsby video and photography. Tey all gave their permissionand it turned out that the videos not only became a directrecord o the journeys but also assisted Allan Rankine inproviding his grandson with a DVD or a show and tellabout what his granddad did at his school in Mt Isa.

Journey one was to the Bonya soakage on 22August 2007. Robyn Grey-Gardner, a water expertassisting IS with water quality testing in communities,presented the Bonya water test results to communitymembers. Ater the meeting we asked about the soakagethey had mentioned previously as a source o water atthe time their community bore ran dry. Te next day AdaBlue and Nita Ringer took us to the soakage.

When we arrived at the area where the soakage wasto be ound, the women located the exact spot wherethey wanted to dig. Everyone worked on digging out thesoakage: Nita, Ada Blue, Robyn and mysel. It was a hotday and we dug a hole about 1m deep but unortunatelyound no water. At this time, the water would be muchdeeper in the ground as it has not rained or a long time.Nita Ringer and Aida Blue suggested we visit a perma-nent spring in the area. We decided to undertake a second

journey at another time.

Journey Two was to Jinka Springs on 9 October2007. Ada Blue, Nita Ringer and illy Madrill directedthe journey while Nadine, an IS colleague and I droveto a permanent water source Jinka Springs to investigatethe water there. Ater driving through dry county wherethe women took the opportunity to hunt or goannas, we

arrived at Jinka Springs. Te spring is a ver y tranquiland cool place that is surrounded with bush medicineplants. Even though illy, one o the woman, tastedthe spring water and said it tasted good, the waterquality was obviously aected by cattle drinking romit. Additionally, the station owner had directed someo the spring water to the nearby cattle yard.

Journey Three was to Alcoora Springs on 10October 2007. Allan Rankine, and his wie Shirley

Dempsey, took Karl Micek, a member o the ISMobile Service team and mysel to a permanentspring that Allan Rankine used to go to as a child

with his amily. It is a traditional water place withinhis country. Allan remembered it always ull o cleanrain water and he was surprised to nd ar less waterthan he remembered rom a previous visit a ew yearsago. Te springs water was too green and yucky todrink, as it had been disturbed by cattle drinking outo the spring. A big concrete water trough had alsobeen placed in the middle o the spring. Allan alsoremarked how the bush ood was aected by cattlegrazing. He said that Alcoora Springs is part o theRain Dreaming or his country.

So thoghtsOriginally, each trip to the water source was aboutnding out, rst hand, i the water source indeedhad water, and the quality and quantity o the

water. Te trips evolved into journeys to country,and the journeys were as important as reaching thedestinations. People were happy to visit their countryand tell stories as they condently displayed theirenormous knowledge o the land, plants and animals.

Te journeys provided access to traditional ood,plants and bush medicine.

I observed that being on their country, peopleappear to gain strength and vitality and they seemedto eel relaxed and condent to engage on their ownterms. Once we had reached the water source area,people knew exactly where the water was to be oundand how to access and evaluate it. Tey had memorieso past experiences at each site and elt ve ry condentbeing there. Teir knowledge o the land and how tolive on it was evident.

raditionally, Aboriginal people are either owners,managers or workers in relation to land ownershipand ceremonies, including special water sites. Terights and responsibilities o each individual andgroup is clearly dened and ever yone understandsand respects this.

It seems that Allan places a high value on the wa-ter sources within his outstation, Urlampe and looksater them. Allan is a decision maker in Urlampe. He

decides what waterthe communitypumps rom the boreand how it gets distrib-uted. Allan and Shirley havecontrol over the water supply o Urlampe and have agreat knowledge o their inrastructure.

Ada, Nita and illy greatly value having accessto good drinking water, but they are not directly in-

volved in looking ater the water in their commu-

nity, Bonya. Bonya is a large community andtheir water supply is managed byArramwelke Aboriginal Corporation,so the women in Bonya dont have thesame level o decision making powers orthe Bonya water supply that Allan andShirley have at their outstation.

raditional water sources have becomemore unreliable, not only because o recentlack o rain, but also the lack o controlAboriginal people have over their watersources. Station owners, or example, createaccess and redirect water or their cattle. How-ever, the Aboriginal people with knowledge o the

water source, would appreciate consultation.Access to traditional country by Indigenous

people is vital to ensure the maintenance o the watersources as well as updating their knowledge o waterquality and quantity.

For example, it was important or the Bonyawomen to know that the water in the soakage is verydeep in the ground and thereore not really accessibleat all times.

Te older Aboriginal people in particular havetraditional knowledge that can enhance contemporary

water management, especially traditional supplies suchas soaks and rock holes. In addition, someone likeAllan, who has a high level o understanding o his

water supply, is well positioned to participate in theeveryday and long term management o his watersupply.

Understanding what knowledge and skills com-munity members have about water, both traditionalsources and supply systems, is important in terms oeective engagement and in supporting peopleto make decisions and manage their sup-plies sustainably into the uture. n

SONJA PeTer


Alice Springs

acKnowleDgement: tk yu ad Bu,

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PROJECTS 13PROJECTS

urney1:BonyaSoakage

Journey2:JinkaSprings

Journey3:AlcooraSprings


8/11

or Indigenous People in RemoteCommunities.

Te report documented essentiallessons rom the history o Indigenoushousing provision and argues that aocus on housing systems or housingprovision is necessary because many highcost actors and inadequacies in housingprovision can be ound or caused bymatters beyond the mere construction oa physical dwelling.

It concludes alternative systems anddesigns or housing should be adequate(in terms o health and saety outcomes);appropriate to the context (physically,culturally and socially) and aordable(cost eective) in order to support the

wellbeing o Indigenous people andcommunities.

In June 2007 the Australian Housing

and Urban Research Institute (AHURI)released a paper, Flexible guidelinesor the design o remote IndigenousCommunity Housing. Te paper revealsthree distinct approaches to designpractice:

T Cltal Dsigappac :based on the belie that the study oAboriginal behaviour underpins anyunderstanding o Aboriginal housingneeds;

T evimtal haltappac: based upon the needto address the problematicenvironmental health impactstypically associated with poorlydesigned and constructed Indigenoushousing and associated issues oovercrowding and poor sanitation;

T hsig as Pcssappac:extends on Cultural Design to alsotake account o a communityscapacities in housing managementand views determining an appropriatedesign process or Indigenous clientsas part o a larger cyclical processrom consultation to housing delivery.

TodayTese issues can be expressed dierentlyin dierent places, though this articlelooks specically at the implications indesert Australia.

The reGion of DeserT ausTraLia

Te environments o outback Australiaare characterised by climatic, temporaland social eatures which are highly

variable and unpredictable and demandexplicit attention in design, managementand policy.

Aboriginal settlements in this regiono Australia experience an extremeeconomic context, arising rom a lacko economic opportunities in remotesettings, the small size o settlements andlarge distances between them, the lacko human and institutional capital, andthe high level o mobility between and

within settlements.

reGionaL CapaCiTy in

The ausTraLian DeserT

Whilst acknowledging the workundertaken nationally on alternativehousing systems and fexible designguidelines, two reports on the desertregion suggest the real housing challenge

is reliant on regional capacity amongprivate sector contractors and thetechnical capacity o local and regionalcommunities.

A recent study conducted by CAsought the views o the constructionindustry, predominantly in CentralAustralia, about their perceptions andpractices o dealing with planning,costing, logistics and risks, andcomparisons o building technologiesused in community housing. Inparticular, the study set out to explorethe regional drivers o the cost o remoteIndigenous housing.

O the 96 currently registeredbuilders in Alice Springs only eight ornine are working in remote communitiesregularly. Te yearly average number oIndigenous houses delivered to remotecommunities in Central Australia hasbeen around 2225 or the last ew years.

In the ace o a requirement or3300 houses across the N and at leasta trebling o unds available, this is astriking capacity shortall.

Current and planned constructionactivity in the Northern erritory exceedsthe available workorce and will continueto place upward pressure on wage costs.Further, the construction o new housesis not keeping up with the deteriorationo the housing stock.

Anecdotally many builders let theIndigenous housing eld because theygot badly burnt, having been lockedinto unrealistically low prices. An AliceSprings builder reported their bush workhas decreased by 3040% over recent

years. Te biggest issue is that trade skillsare increasingly poor, there are qualityissues not because they want to cutcorners but because they are unable to doit well; most work is done by unskilled

labour with minimum trade supervision.People do not want to work in remotesites, and they do not have to as there istoo much work in town (builder).

human anD soCiaL CapiTaL in

DeserT ausTraLia

A report rom the National Centre orVocational and Educational Research(NCVER) highlights the state oIndigenous human and social capital inthe desert.

At a time when people are beingurged by a carrot and stick approach toaccess greater mainstream opportunity

we nd participation in vocationaleducation and training across the deserthas experienced a downward trendsince 2002. In 2005 the labour orceparticipation o Indigenous people in the

N ell by 16%. Nationally the numbero remote Indigenous people not in the

workorce has doubled since 2002.Te downward participation trend

in training has been accompanied by aprogressive demoralisation a numbero community based Indigenousorganisations who would normally haveprovided support or community basedhousing operations and contributed tomentoring support as people engage

with the new welare reorm and workopportunities.

Without a serious alignment oincentives and a vital community sectorthe private sector will nd it dicultto respond in a way that will impacton the numbers o people seekingto employment nor will the marketopportunities develop in the time ramethat has been set.

Te third area o regional capacityshortall surrounds the policy shit romcommunity housing today to publichousing tomorrow. It is questionable

whether the public housing sector isequipped to deal with the specic issuesraised in the Indigenous housing sector.

In summary, industry is drasticallyunder capacity at a time when betterpaying projects pull people awayleaving new and inexperienced playersto produce hundreds o housesin dicult and risky conditions.Indigenous people are least preparedat this moment to take advantage othis recent increase in attention andunding to housing.

Unortunately this is not a airy talewith a magic ending, but it does shape thevalues and nature o the response requiredor tomorrow. It also calls into questionthe context in which the new IndigenousHousing agenda might be ramed.

We stand at a cross road in In-digenous housing. Ultimatelythe choice o which way depends onperceptions o what the problem is ormore correctly what the options are.Indigenous housing is viewed dier-ently depending on your place withinthe housing system.

Choices oten lead to questionssuch as:

Is it public housing orprivate housing?Is it a house or a home?Is it about access to servicesand security o goods?Is it merely about overcrowding, to bereduced by increasing the numbero bedrooms?Is it about Australian-ness andequity o access to housing?

Is it about providing remoteAustralia with a stable constructionindustry base?Is it the largest training andemployment opportunity in acommunity?

Unortunately it is about all o theseand more. Tese are complex choices.

Over the years housing choice hasbeen impacted by prevailing philosophieslike assimilation or improved health orsel determination etc.

odays mantra is normalisation,although it is dicult to know whatmight be regarded as normal in remoteAustralia where the very nature o thelocation is dened by extremes andsignicant variability and unpredictabilityacross a range o measures.

YstdayIn March 2006 the Department oFamilies, Community Services andIndigenous Aairs commissioned astudy o Alternative Housing Systems

Tooow istoday

y, t ttd d 2007 au iu a

d idu u d

Which Way-Directions in Indigenous Housing.

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OUTLOOK OUTLOOK 15


9/11

Thoghts oTooow

whaT Do we know abouT

Tomorrow?

I we were building or tomorrowwe would no doubt be concernedabout capacity, sustainability, training,development and maintenance, securityo income and management systems tosupport inrastructure and livelihoodsand importantly models o investmentthat lead to a better tomorrow.

whaT DonT we know

abouT Tomorrow?

How will people respond to the welarereorm agenda, changes to CDEP andthe introduction o work activity tests.Will demand or housing fuctuateas people move chasing temporaryemployment opportunity and move againwhen skills and capacities dont align withthe local labour market?

How will people negotiate thebarriers and pressures that are related tothis increased mobility?

Given community housing wasorganised around cultural groupings, theshit away could be problematic. Publichousing models do not have a strongtrack record o targeting culturally andlinguistically diverse groups. How willa public housing model cope with theregional dynamism o mobility, unstabletenancies and the increased need orsupported tenancy arrangements?

Te recent announcement o anincreased ocus on Indigenous housingprovides the basis or a signicantinvestment in response to the housing

shortage aced by Indigenous people. Iwe want this investment to count, thenknowing where people will choose to live,to earn the money that they will need toown and maintain their home, is criticalinormation.

Assuming we got the design rightand that there was sucient money toconstruct and maintain housing stock, thetwo signicant limiting constraintsremain with the capacity o industry andthe users o the end product.

Te challenge in my mind is to posi-tion housing in a regional developmentcontext and make investment decisionsaround the capacity o the industry todeliver and the capacity o the users tomanage and sustain the service theyobtain through the house. Tis should bethe most important decision that a gov-ernment could take to secure their utureinvestment in the health, education andsaety o Indigenous people.

In addition to understanding thepattern o settlement across outbackAustralia this task will entail ndingalternative procurement models thatmatch the broader regional developmentpolicy ramework. It will also be drivenby the choices consumers take, ratherthan plans remote governments make.

It will require a shit rom a primaryocus on normalising services andminimising disadvantage to a processthat is principally driven by investmentpotential in a regional economy.

Bedrooms built in the wrong placewont refect well on todays policy.

In summary, in the past we haveallowed design and technology o houseto dominate what I have argued isincreasingly an issue o regional capacity.

I believe we are entering a new phase

o our experience where the dominantdrivers will not be culture, health,technology, or cost. All will be necessarybut not sucient. But choosing a location

where you can have the economicreedom to pursue livelihood optionsthat allow you to live well in your house

will be the signicant driver o choice. Ihasten to caution against any assumptionthat this equates with urban drit.

We are now entering an era whereinvestment in livelihood opportunity willbe the main driver o Indigenous housingdesign and supply.

Te house will increasingly be aninvestment in livelihood. Tis willnecessarily bring an increased ocus onsettlements and regional development.

It will no doubt also refect the desire oa great number o Indigenous people toinvest in social capital and social assetsand may result in counter-intuitiveoutcomes.

o invest in tomorrow we need toknow how the total regional system

works including the infuence o theexternalities across a region.

We need institutions to broker andmanage human capital with new orms oengagement and a reormed communitysector.

We need Indigenous entrepreneurso social capital to manage and exploitopportunity and drive the dialogue oncultural change and collective reorm.

We need new investment modalitiesthat are inclusive o regionally resilientresponses.

And nally we need a range o newpolicy rameworks that enable peopleto make the adjustments and trade-osthat contribute to an aordable and

viable livelihood wherever they choose topursue it.

Tese are the drivers o tomorrowsIndigenous housing agenda.

We might have the political will andsome technical ability to deliver changein Indigenous housing, but do we havethe breadth o understanding to choosehousing options that creatively invest insustainable livelihood opportunities orIndigenous people?

Tese are the decisions or today, or abetter tomorrow. n

Dr bruCe W WALKer

Chie Executive Ofcer


Alice Springs

cu p 18 >

Paticipatoy tchnology dsign osstainal livlihoods in

OUTLOOK 17INTERNATIONAL

c np

pp

p i ?

Ayear in Nepal as an AustralianYouth Ambassador orDevelopment working witha Nepali non-government

organisation (NGO) highlighted somekey elements to ensure that technologycould support the livelihood goals andstrategies o the community.

Te NGO, Integrated Develop-ment Society (IDS)-Nepal was usingthe sustainable livelihoods approach toassist sustainable and equitable develop-ment o community inrastructure andimprovement o livelihoods. Key projectsincluded water quality and supply, sanita-tion, alternative energy (including solarpower, micro-hydro and biogas) andskills training, with minor ocuses on

the environment, micro-irrigation, wastemanagement and rural reconstruction.

Tis article looks at two experienceswith IDS-Nepal which lend insightinto the use o livelihoods approachesand how to maximise the benet romtechnology development.

Povty and inastctin Npal

With a population o 25.2 millionpeople (Department or InternationalDevelopment 2007) and a gross nationalproduct (GNP) o US$260 per capitaper annum, nearly two in ve Nepalisare living below the national povertyline (Department or InternationalDevelopment 2004). One in ve does

not have access to an adequate drinkingwater supply and nearly 80 percento the population do not have accessto improved sanitation (DFID Nepal2005). Adult literacy is at 56 percent and

women and men have, on average, 2.25and 4.45 years o schooling respectively(National Planning Commission 2002).92 percent o Nepalis still rely ontraditional uels or things like heatingand cooking.

Poverty in Nepal is exacerbated bythe diversity o castes and nationalities,each with dierent cultural identities,strengths and needs. Whilst some castegroups have easy access to resources, op-portunities and support networks, manygroups, particularly the untouchable caste


10/11

h uu ab Bu au by n w. B Pub Py ld mbu au 2008.

.bpub..u

As the title implies NeilWillmetts book is to providea practical guide to establish-

ing an Aboriginal Business.He believes that the impor-tance o Aboriginal busi-ness is directly linked to theimportance o Aboriginaleconomic development and

is one way to increase thecondence, wealth, socio-economic status andcommunity empowermento Aboriginal people.

Te book is a concise,plain English guide to theins and outs o establishinga business, whether that beas a sole trader or a company,in the Australian context.It covers all standard topicsrelating to business opera-tions such as business plans,easibility studies, SWOanalyses, nancial inorma-tion, marketing, managementand stang. Where this book

diers rom other businessdevelopment resources readilyavailable is the inclusion o arange o other importantinormation, not your stand-ard are or business texts,

such as good governance,understanding leases, net-

working, managing businesslie and looking ater yoursel.

Whilst the authoracknowledges that the keyor success or Aboriginalbusinesses will be largely thesame or small business inAustralia, he has packageda suite o inormation thatspecically targets emerg-ing Aboriginal entrepre-neurs. From getting to know

yoursel and how to balanceamily obligations withbusiness necessities, to clearexplanations o accessing and

managing nances, the rangeo resources and supports orsmall business and Aboriginalbusiness, and how to net-

work with and market acrossthe Aboriginal business and

industry sector.Tere are around 3000

Aboriginal businessescurrently in existence acrossAustralia. Tere are alsoindications the sector is grow-ing strongly and branchingbeyond the cultural and eco-tourism and arts and cratssectors and into knowledgebased industries such as man-agement consultancy,engineering, and graphicdesign. Te largest numberso sel-employed Aboriginalpeople are ound in theconstruction industry.

Tis is a worthwhile

resource or any buddingbusiness entrepreneur andAboriginal readers willnd the inclusion oIndigenous specic resourceso particular value.

How to stat a sccssl Aoiginal bsinss in Astalia y Nil Willtt

INTERNATIONAL 19REVIEW

r Indigenous groups have little. Tis canmean, or example, incomes, schoolingnd literacy rates hal o national averagesor the more disadvantaged groups.

o f icks to school sn bishankanaayan

Te Community Briquette Program,mplemented in 2004 in theishankanarayan V illage Developmentommittee area, neighbouring Kathmandu,

ntroduced beehive re briquettes asplacement uel or wood or cooking andeating res. Te program, through theaining o re briquettes manuacturingnd enterprise development, aimed tomprove livelihood goals such as:

employment and income-generationwithin the community;

reduced time and hardship orirewood collection, particularly or

women;improved indoor air quality romutilisation o briquettes; andmore sustainable use o local naturalresource base, especially orest and

vegetation cover, by the community.

A ocus on energy sources provided anentry point or a livelihoods interventiono the Bishankanarayan community, wherethe community was using various tradi-tional sources o energy in combination.Firewood, kerosene, gas and electricity

were key sources. Kerosene cost approxi-mately 80 cents per litre, which providedsucient heat to boil 21 litres o water.In contrast, one briquette, at a cost o 16cents, was able to boil 7 litres o water. Tekey use or the briquettes proved to be in

the external market. Te Bishankanarayancommunity supplemented their more tra-ditional, and cheaper uels with briquettes,thus making a prot overall in uel use.

Te additional household income wasused to buy ood items, pay school eesand contributed to the community devel-opment and inrastructure und.

Impacts on the livelihoods and assetso the community however, extendedto beyond the energ y sector. Te bri-quettes were made rom banmara, a weed

harvested by the orest users group romcommunity orests, the removal o whichenhanced the viability o the land orother uses. Te ability to use the weed oruel also reduced time needed to collectother uel materials, leaving more time orother livelihood activities. For examplein the domestic market the briquettes

were used to maintain the body heat ochickens when raising them, instead oelectricity.

Problems were experienced in usingthe briquettes or cooking, where theyburned too slowly or cooking needs inthe morning. Additionally, the cook-ing stove was too high or warming eet.Further eedback about the briquettesincluded the need or a wider variety osizes and shapes to suit dierent cookingneeds and greater compaction methodsto increase ease o production and longerburning time. For example, a smallerbriquette would be better suited to boilinga cup o water, and a larger briquette orcooking large quantities o ood.

Ho-ad toilts in Npalgnj

With ew sanitation systems across Nepal,the provision o toilets was the ocus omany government and internationallyunded programs, with varying degrees osuccess. In an IDS-Nepal project however,community expertise was harnessedto improve the rate o coverage and toenhance the sustainability o their use.

wo aspects were incorporated into

this project:

the sotware component, includingawareness raising, skill development,community empowerment orimproved water and sanitation

activities to improve health; andthe hardware component, whichconsisted o the construction oschool, amily and public latrines,tubewells and incinerators and water-quality testing.

wo phases o the program showedthe benet o demand-based approachesand community expertise in guarantee-ing the sustainability o the inrastruc-ture. Te provision o the hardwarecomponents in the initial phase o theprogramme was developed aroundbaseline data and standardized designsin a supply-led approach. A subsequentphase moved towards blanket cover-age o tubewells and latrines, directedby demand rom the community. Tedesign o these latrines was developed inconjunction with community u sers, wherethe rst three eet o the latrines were astandardized design. Above this, indi-

vidual users contributed design sugges-tions and locally availably material. Basedon previous programmes, demand waspredicted to be 3,000 latrines. In the earlystages o project design, demand rom thecommunity had already ar exceeded this.

Whilst monitoring the acceptance andlong-term use by the community had not

yet been conducted, program implement-ers already elt that the project, with the

communitys emerging technical role andexpertise increasing, was gaining wideracceptance.

What can w lan oth Npali pinc?

As we continue to develop expertise inusing the sustainable livelihoods approachto build a picture o the Indigenouscommunities with whom we work, theNepali application o the rameworkoers some valuable lessons:

assets can be developed andstrengthened and substituted ortraded or enhanced livelihoodstrategies and outcomes; andsustainable livelihoods can be usedin one sector or an entry point andthen work across sectors or holisticdevelopment in supporting thelivelihood strategies o a community.

With respect to the development anduse o technology to support livelihoods:

appropriate technology depends onthe assets and circumstances o thespeciic community. A design process,thereore, relies on communityparticipation throughout the process;engineering expertise serves only toprovide technology to people at a

particular place and time. Engineeringin community development isbetter served by a participatoryprocess which leaves a communityempowered to develop its owntechnology over time to relect thechanging livelihood assets, strategiesand goals; andmonitoring and subsequent eedbackrom the uptake and eectiveness otechnology over time can improve itssuccess, at the technology level and ata livelihoods level. n

HeLeN SALVeSTrIN

Research Engineer/Scientist (water)


Alice Springs

reFerences

Dp i Dp (2004). np:

cuy a P 20042008. DFiD. Kdu.

Dp i Dp. (2007).

cuy Pf: a: np. rd 9 my, 2008,

p://.dfd..uk/u//p.p.

DFiD np (2005). DFiD np au rp. Kdu,

DFiD np.

n P c. (2002). t t P

(Py rdu sy Pp). 20022007. rd

6 Ju, 2004, p://.p..p/p/

__p..

LEFT: An elderly Nepalese man carries

water in two metal containers from a well

at Jawalakhel near Kathmandu.

Photo courteSy afP/ DevenDra m. Singh


11/11

CAAMA 8KIN FM (100.5 FM),Alice Springs

Radio Larrakia (93.7 FM),

Darwin

Walpiri Media, Yuendumu

Nggaayatjarra Media, Wingellina

Mulba Radio, Port Hedland

6GME (99.7 FM), Broome

6FX (936 AM), Fitzroy Crossing

6PRK (98.1 FM), Halls Creek

6WR (693 AM), Kununurra

3CR (855 AM), Melbourne

3KND, Melbourne

Gadigal Information Service

(93.7 FM), Sydney

4AAA (98.9 FM), Brisbane

4CLM (98.7 FM), Cairns

4K1G (107.1 FM), Townsville 4MOB (100.9 FM), Mt Isa

5UV Radio Adelaide (101.5),

Adelaide

5UMA (89.1 FM), Port Augusta

5NPY Media Umuwa (101.3

FM), Pitjatjantjara Lands

RIBS stations in the Top End

via TEABBA (Top End Aboriginal

Bush Broadcasting Association);

in the Pilbara and Kimberley via

PAKAM (Pilbara and Kimberley

Aboriginal Media Association);

in the Torres Strait Islands on

Moa Island, Yam Island and via

TSIMA (TSI Media Association).

o P r

a t

s i.

Tune into

Our Place RadioWITHADRIAN SHAW

32 pest Steet, Alce Sgs nT 0870

po BoX 8044, Alce Sgs nT 0871

phe: 08 8951 4311 Fax: 08 8951 4333

Emal: [email protected] vst www.cat.g.au

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Documents

Our Place Magazine, 32, Centre for Appropriate Technology AU