Coastal Community Resource Center: An Open Education Platform

Abstract

After the Super-cyclone in 1999, the coastal people in Orissa, who were hit hard, received a valuable lesson in the uncertainty of nature. Our Coastal Community Resource Center (CCRC) project, since then, has introduced a good number of people friendly programs to inform, educate and equip them to wise use the coastal wetland and marine resources, more particularly the mangroves. The mangroves protect the people from the harmful effects of cyclones, tsunamis, crocodiles, and flooding. They help to build up soil and stop coastal erosion as well as providing a safety net and food security. Our CCRC project experiments and provides opportunities for communities to voice their observations, experiences and concerns to support community-level research and educational activities related to climate change, highlighting the role of local knowledge, practices and coping strategies to achieve the goals of the Forum to build recognition of their unique knowledge and expertise. // The actions include: 1. Expanding access to knowledge using ICT/ ODL on health education and care. 2. Making education and adequate nutrition a priority so that children can grow up to lead healthy and productive lives. 3. Providing skills training and support for small entrepreneurs to increase opportunities for employment and income generation. 4. Protecting the environment, to ensure that natural resources are conserved and renewed for future generations. 5. Addressing gender inequality, to increase opportunities for women and to ensure that they have a say in decisions that affect the lives of themselves and their children. 6. Strengthening the role and capacity of local organizations, to make communities more self-sufficient. 7. The practiced strategies are to educate the coastal-poor on the wise-use of natural coastal wetland –marine resources. 8. The CCRC translates the missions with a slogan “connecting community with knowledge” // Paper ID: 90