NP - Jane Goodall in Nepal - Roots & Shoots: Engaging Youths

[Guest guest]

*Roots & Shoots: Engaging youths *

 

RUPAK D SHARMA

 

http://myrepublica.com/portal/?action=news_details & news_id=1740

 

 

 

LALITPUR, Feb 7: Toward the end of a talk program held Thursday at Patan

Museum, Jane Goodall, a renowned primatologist, called all Roots & Shoots

volunteers on stage. After around 30 young boys and girls -- mostly high

school and college students -- gathered, she turned to a crowd of around 100

and said: " This is my family. These people up here are my hope for the

future. "

 

 

 

UK-born Goodall, a vocal environmentalist who was twice featured on the

cover of National Geographic magazine, established Roots & Shoots with a

group of young Tanzanians in 1991.

 

 

 

Prior to this she was traversing around the forests of Tanzania studying

chimpanzee population, which she did for 45 years and discovered that the

chimpanzees have distinct personality, mind and emotions like human beings.

 

 

 

She also found out, chimps hug, hold hands and gently pat each other to

express their affection just like humans. These discoveries catapulted her

to the limelight but did not make her truly happy.

 

 

 

" I realized chimp habitats were being destroyed and chimps were being

hunted. I was also worried about the extent of pollution and the unequal

distribution of wealth, " the 74-year old activist said.

 

At around same time she was also meeting angry youngsters who were

frustrated with the way the world was handling the environment,

poverty-related issues and wildlife habitats. " This made me desperate and it

was this desperation that led me to found Roots & Shoots, " said Goodall, who

some years ago was named one of the 10 most influential women of all times

by the New York Times.

 

After its opening in Tanzania, her organization has picked up pace in which

roots and shoots grew and has expanded its network in 100 countries. " Almost

all of our members are youngsters, who work as a family toward making

positive change to communities, animals and environment, " Goodall said,

during her 5-day visit. Through initiatives taken by Manoj Gautam and other

like-minded youngsters, Roots & Shoots made its way to Nepal in early 2003.

 

" Like elsewhere, it has not been a smooth journey for us. But we have

managed to form 69 groups across the country and have brought around 1,000

youngsters under our umbrella, " said 23-year-old Gautam, the country

coordinator for Roots & Shoots in Nepal.

 

The undergraduate student of Pokhara University said all people affiliated

with Roots & Shoots Nepal are volunteers and " are free to design their own

programs, which they think can bring positive change to society. "

 

The organization is currently engaged in vulture conservation project,

rehabilitation of wild animals, anti-poaching and hunting initiative and

tree plantation projects. Roots & Shoots Nepal is also running classes to

educate domestic child laborers.

 

Said Goodall: " I am very impressed with the Roots & Shoots group in Nepal,

what they have done and how they've spread the network around the country.

They give me hope that this planet will one day be a better place to live

in. "

 

Asked whether the organization could lose focus due to involvement in

diverse sectors, Goodall said: " No. "

 

" Say, when we are working on environment, we don't try to fix everything, "

she went on. " We just take a piece of the environment and say I'm going to

try and fix this little piece of wetland or say I will do what I can to

clean up this stream. You can also say I can't do all that but make sure the

area around where I live is free of trash. "

 

One of the reasons why people do nothing, she said, is they think of the

bigger picture. " They then feel depressed to do anything. "

 

Her advice: Just take a little piece and carry on with it until it is done.

" That's success. "

 

 

--

Lucia de Vries

Freelance Journalist

Bagdol, Patan, Nepal

Wijk 4-47, 8321 GE Urk, Holland