The Growing Healthy Families Project aims to help families relocated to the Sadiya area of Assam, India gain skills and knowledge around nutrition, agriculture, and financial management. The project partners with local organizations to establish community gardens and school playgrounds to educate families and children on health, food security, and sustainable livelihoods. Over 1,400 families from 28 villages will benefit from initiatives to improve soil quality, introduce irrigation, and teach better farming practices to increase crop yields and income in the nutrient-deficient region.

1. Growing Healthy Families Project

2. PROJECT GOALS to offer the knowledge and skills they need to meet nutritional needs of their family members to educate families about health risks associated with pesticide use to provide the means to cultivate and sell agricultural crops as a potential source of income to ensure families have the information they need to avoid taking on debt and loans that they can’t manage

3. WHO? Families previously living in areas along the Brahmaputra River who have been affected by flooding and relocated to the Sadiya area

4. Partners in the project NEADS (North East Affected Area Development Society, Jorhat, Assam) Fertile Ground: East/West Sustainability Network (Courtenay, B.C.) with the support of

6. Burma China (formerly Tibet Project Location SADIYA State of Assam In northeast India

19. NUTRITION LIVESTOCK REARING INCOME/LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION FOOD SECURITY

20. Chutia Bodo Ahom NepalI 1. Number of villages: - 28 2. Number of families:- 1493 3. Number of population: - 8347

21. “ The Sadiya area, located in the remotest corner of the North East is one of the most neglected areas of Assam. Govt. has not expended a single penny for infrastructural development. All the schools are having teachers under the management of village committee. Shockingly, no school is having even a low cost toilet.”

22. “ “ NEADS is committed to working for socio economic betterment of the down- trodden communities in Upper Assam. A few years back we made an extensive fact finding tour to Sadiya and felt strongly the need for doing something for the poorest of the poor. This is how we have chosen Sadiya for intervention."

23. “ Soil is sandy and devoid of humus so crops production is low. Regular application of compost and better farming practices will help. Tube wells for irrigation may be required in future.”

24. 1998 Fertile Ground’s presence in Assam….

27. Small growers require commitment, time and resources to learn about and implement different cultivation and labour practices

30. INDIA’S ORGANIC CERTIFICATION AGENCY TEA BOARD UNIVERSITIES & COLLEGES NGO’S

31. 2005

32. 2006

52. …… back to Sadiya

60. Phase I Nov. 2010 – April 2011

61. establish a community garden in Ambikapur village, Assam

62. develop a school playground adjacent to the resource centre

64. Disabled Village Children A guide for community health workers, rehabilitation workers, and families by David Werner Published by The Hesperian Foundation P.O. Box 11577 Berkeley, CA 94712-2577 “ I am of the firm believe that playground and kitchen gardening would be most ideal as teaching learning tools for the children of Sadiya. Please convey our heartiest thanks to the enterprising children of Projimo Mexico. We may be far away from them, but we shower them with blessings. For this marvelous concept, our thanks also are due to the organizers.”

65. NEXT STEPS…. Next steps…. a network of community gardens and playgrounds adjacent to schools in villages in Ambikapur area

66. Monitor and evaluate progress of the phase I Work with NEADS staff and village-level animators to develop a plan for implementing similar but more rudimentary centres at schools in the Ambikapur area Provide ongoing training and support to teachers, NEADS’ staff and village-level animators Research & source curriculum materials (science, history, nutrition, ecology) Continue to develop a volunteer program and to provide internship opportunities for students at Canadian and Indian post-secondary institutions Work with NEADS and Rotary Clubs in Assam to help them identify and access required funding

68. Assam Village School Project kell aru barh (Play and Grow)