Livelihoods – Women in Water Governance

Empowering Women, Protecting Lahu Traditions

“Na Teh Kha Village” (in Lahu) is located in the headwaters of the Mae Taeng River, within the area of Pha Daeng National Park and Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary. Located next to the border between Thailand and Myanmar, Na Teh Kha Village is a cluster of Kae Noi Village, Moo 2, Mueang Na sub-district, Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai province, and approximately 80 kilometers away from Chiang Dao district.

“Nanoo” is my name, given by my grandmother. It means “a girl born in the Year of the Ox” or alternatively “a gentle and delicate woman.” I am of a Lahu ethnic group and currently serve as the President of Na Teh Kha Village Women’s Group (Kae Noi).

Na Teh Kha Village has faced significant challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic from March to May 2020. During this time, there was a severe outbreak of forest fires, resulting in heavy smoke and affecting the health of villagers, especially children, women and elderly people. The community had to divide into teams to carry out various tasks, including COVID-19 screening at the checkpoint and firefighting. The villagers faced great hardship and felt very exhausted. When an elderly person returned from the city and was found to be infected with COVID-19, the team had to suddenly announce a lockdown of the community. It greatly increased the difficulty in the villagers’ lives especially for those who relied on daily wage labor and had not prepared food reserves, leading to food shortages. With stores closed and unwilling to accept cash, the situation became even worse.

As the President of the women’s group, I discussed with community leaders and members to mobilize funding from non-government organizations (NGOs) and individuals both within and outside the community, to urgently assist the villagers. Later, we developed project proposals to manage forest fires and smoke, establish food sources in kitchen gardens, farming lands, and watershed forest areas, and engage villagers in activities to conserve natural resources and the environment, such as firebreak construction, check dam construction to retain moisture in the forest area, and tree planting and cultivation of food crop native to the area.

This year (2024), with the government policy prohibiting burning for 60 days from March to April, the community has organized patrols to monitor and prevent forest fires, despite the absence of actual fires. However, dust and smoke from neighboring areas still pose a threat, exacerbating drought conditions. Due to the impacts of global warming, streams and ponds are drying up. This has caused hardship for farmers who have to seek alternative water sources to water their crops. The community therefore has begun exploring the cultivation of crops that have high water holding capacity, such as wild bananas, in the watershed forest area to supplement food sources.

The Doi Thuai waterways are vital to the community’s livelihoods, serving both consumption and agricultural purposes. In May 2024, after six days of rain, only small puddles remained in the waterways, indicating a severe drought during the dry season.

Over the past 20 years, water levels in the once abundant water sources have steadily decreased, leading to prolonged droughts and worsening severity. Despite this, the community has continued agricultural activities, relying on small water sources along the river waiting until the rainfalls occurred in mid-May. However, a community survey conducted in late May reveals that only small puddles remained, highlighting the impact of climate change on water sources.

Community members have collaborated to conserve water resources for future generations. I want to remind the new generation that, “Water is important to everything because rivers are the source of all life on earth. Everyone, especially the younger generation, must appreciate and recognize the value of rivers and help to preserve them in any way so that the river will remain and be fertile forever.”

The Na Teh Kha Village (Kae Noi), predominantly inhabited by the Lahu Nyi (Red Lahu) ethnic group, has a total population of 331 people, consisting 151 males and 180 females from 72 households. The majority are engaged in agriculture, including rice farming, gardening, and general labor. They are Buddhist, Christian, and upholding traditional beliefs, with various activity groups such as savings, pig farming, and women’s empowerment groups.

Community members are very collaborative. When there is a call for meetings, community representatives always analyze problems and find solutions together in various aspects, including cultural, economic, social issues, basic infrastructure, public health, disaster, and natural resource management. A community development plan was formulated in September 2020, and the community’s customary rules, including natural resource and environmental management regulation, were reviewed and approved in October 2020. The plan is to have periodic reviews every 3-5 years or upon changes in community leadership.

Each year, representatives from each household, both women and men, participate in fire protection activities. Women are responsible for preparing food for the men who perform as guards and patrollers. When forest fires break out, strong women assist in firefighting when necessary. In 2020, I coordinated with NGOs to provide funding for food supplies for the firefighting efforts.

“Living in a secure home, ensuring food security, promoting women’s roles in the community, and developing women’s skills, and contributing to the well-being of themselves, families, and the community have been significant. Most importantly, women now have a safe space.”

I am proud of women’s empowerment and the achievements made in community development. Activities over the past five years have laid a solid foundation for sustainable community development.

In 2020, the community’s customary rules were reviewed and approved. Additionally, I collected data on disaster occurrences in the community over the past 30 years and gathered knowledge on forest fire management from various sources, including community members, government agencies, Pha Daeng National Park, and Mae Tia-Mae Tae River Basin Conservation Group in Chom Thong District. These led into a community development plan.

In 2021, the community established food sources in the backyards, agricultural areas (rice fields and gardens) and in the watershed areas, and invited external speakers to provide knowledge to the villagers.

In 2022, the community began to expand cultivation of local, rare, and long-preserved crops. Discussions were held within the community to create communal plantation plots for conserving Indigenous plants in one area.

In 2023, the collection of local plant species and seeds of Lahu that exist and used to exist, was initiated. The community is able to collect more than 130 species of local plants. A community food bank, a community agricultural fund to grow local plants, a collection of local seeds that are still available, and from neighboring Lahu communities have been established.

In 2024, the community began efforts to store seeds in a local silo in their own home following the local wisdom, and attempted to establish a Lahu seed collection center.

######

Storyteller: Kulsuwarak Puyee (Nanoo), Chiang Mai, Thailand

Nanoo is a Lahu, and is currently the president of the women’s group of Na Teh Kha (Kae Noi), a village in Ban Kae Noi, Village No. 2, Mueang Na Subdistrict, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai Province.

Empowering Women’s Leadership and Climate Resilience in Koh Sneang, Cambodia

In the remote villages along the Mekong River in Stung Treng province, Cambodia, the impacts of climate change have been devastating. Extreme floods, debilitating droughts, and relentless storms have battered these communities, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

For the people of Koh Sneang village, the struggle to adapt has been constant. Floods in 2019 forced the evacuation of over 3,500 residents, while a 2016 drought killed hundreds of precious livestock. The village’s isolation, located 35 kilometers from the nearest town, has only compounded their vulnerability.

Women’s rights have been promoted for gender equality as an effective adaptation strategy. In this, two women leaders in each village were formed to play leadership roles in mobilizing women members and building their capacities. Two community-based research activities were conducted and led by women leaders in Koh Sneang village, in cooperation with other women in Krom and Turnsong villages.

The first research focused on the cross-boundary impacts of ecological changes on the livelihoods of communities in three villages in Stung Treng province, Cambodia. The second was a feminist participatory action research on the flooded forest species and habitat in Koh Sneang village. All research works have identified the impacts on women when river resources change.

Capacity building program has been provided to empower communities and local authorities on disaster management, Vulnerability Reduction Assessment (VRA) tool, and Early Warning System 1294.

Community engagement to foster active participation in climate change decision-making. Women leaders in Koh Sneang village collaborated with local authorities to set up tools for monitoring water levels, and the water level information is always updated on the information board that community members can access to prepare before flooding. The 1294 app has been promoted to community members because it can alert them when a disaster happens in their communities. Women leaders also engaged with the PCDM (Provincial Committee for Disaster Management) to develop a contingency plan for Koh Sneang commune.

Women solar group has been formed in Koh Sneang village with 11 members to promote renewable energy and generate income.

In the face of mounting challenges, the resilience of the women in Koh Sneang shines brightly. By amplifying their voices, harnessing their collective strength, and forging partnerships with local authorities, they are leading their community towards a more climate-resilient future.

For example, Ms. Na Osaman, 62, the first deputy of Koh Sneng commune council said that, “Their communities have limited the capacities to adapt to climate change issues and even now. My role is CCDM focal point but I am not clear what climate change is.”

Under funding from Oxfam and technical support from MVi, Ms. Na Osa has received the capacities building on disaster management, VRA tool, and early warning system (1294). Through the capacity building, Ms. Na Osa has joined and provided the inputs in community meetings to identify the climate change issues and planning.

“Climate change once seemed distant and incomprehensible, but now, armed with knowledge and support, I stand alongside my community, ready to confront the challenges ahead. We may have limited capacities, but our determination is limitless.”

######

Storyteller Name: Touch Chanthorn, MVi, Cambodia

Chanthorn actively involves with MVi in various communities, including supporting women’s group to involves in management fishery and natural resources, and biodiversity along the Mekong River. What Chanthorn want to see is local community, women, youth, People with Disabilities, LGBTIQ, Indigenous People has rights and freedom and ownership over the natural resource management; that they could adapt to the changing climate.

Co-creator and Protector of the Mangrove Forest of Khlong Prasong

Kanit Sookdaeng or Pi Nid (In Thailand ‘Pi’ is used to refer to an older person, it translates as ‘older sister’), a strong 65-year-old woman, is a single mother of five children, of about the same age for over 30 years. Pi Nid is originally from Uttaradit province. She is a considerate person who enjoys helping others; no matter what she does, she always thinks of others before herself. Pi Nid is a hardworking person of the type that is hard to come by. She tells us that when she was young, she did every job a man also does. She proudly tells us many times that the floor of the Khlong Prasong Mosque building was her own work.

“No matter if it’s public work or personal work, whether there’s payment or not, just do it all.” We often hear this statement from Pi Nid.

Currently, Pi Nid’s main income is from selling porridge and deep-fried dough sticks in the morning. Every day, she makes a small booth in front of her house to serve as a porridge shop. She wakes up at three in the morning to make preparations and to start selling from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Her customers are members of the community who come back from night fishing and crabs hunting, and stop by for breakfast before going home.

Pi Nid’s house is located on the banks of the estuary of the Krabi River, living right on the edge of the rising seas, in Khlong Prasong village, which is a community situated on Klang Island. The island is located in the middle of the mouth of the Krabi River Estuary, in Mueang district, Krabi province. She told us that her first house was located next to the beach, about 500 meters away from her current house. In the past, every monsoon season, her house would be hit by waves, sometimes even destroyed beyond repair. Many times, she had to rebuild her house with the assistance of neighbors in the community. She had to relocate her house further inland several times until now, where it stands at its fifth location.

“After this, there’s nowhere else for me to move onto the land because it’s the edge of my land. The next land is already owned by neighbors.”

Even though Pi Nid’s life journey may not be comfortable, having to face the hardship of raising children alone, and fighting against natural disasters, she has never thought of giving up or moving away to another place. Pi Nid says she enjoys the lifestyle here, living close to nature and learning to coexist with it throughout her life. She points out that houses near a mangrove forest will be safe from natural disasters. She has taken it upon herself to plant trees in the mangrove forest behind her house, starting with one or two plants each time. Although there are only a few trees, they serve as a shield, making her house well-protected.

Kanit Sookdaeng (or Pi Nid) participated in the data collection meeting of the Ban Khlong Prasong community.

Whenever there is an approach to Disaster Risk Reduction Using Mangrove Ecosystems initiated by an external agency coming into the community, Pi Nid never misses the opportunity to participate and even encourages others to join. Pi Nid says that we, as a community, have made a lot of mistakes before achieving the current lush forested area like today. This is because learning takes time. Previously, rushed planting, focusing on quantity over quality, and using inappropriate tree species for the area resulted in stunted growth, and sometimes growing slowly. By dedicating her free time away from daily responsibilities to inspecting, caring for, and personally repairing the trees, Pi Nid observes significant improvements in tree growth due to past mistakes. She learns about the natural process of the mangrove forest, gradually fostering tree growth by itself with minimal human intervention but necessary assistance.

“After planting trees, we naturally want to get results. Even though others may come to help plant, the ones who benefit are us. If we do not take care of it, who else will help us take care of it?” Having a lifestyle that is closely connected to, and dependent on, the mangrove forests has instilled Pi Nid with a deep love and commitment to the mangrove forests that she has played a part in creating. Sometimes, she even confronts those who come to cut down large trees without sufficient reasons. There have been instances where negotiations had to take place with relevant government agencies. “We plant, we care for it. Now they come to cut it down to sell. How is that fair? I am not afraid although I am a woman,” she said in a firm voice.

Every time there is an activity related to reforestation, Pi Nid is one of the first key persons to be contacted by both government and private organizations to coordinate with the community. With her strong and influential voice, everyone listens and cooperates when she speaks. Pi Nid is truly committed to public work. Rarely does she refuse requests from others. She often accepts and offers help without hesitation. Therefore, Pi Nid is frequently contacted for training sessions and seminars. Although Pi Nid does not hold an official leadership position in the community, over the years, she has been significantly involved in every stage of the development of the Khlong Prasong community. Pi Nid takes part in presenting ideas and participating in every activity. This has earned her acceptance and respect from the community people without any doubt.

Photos of Pi Nid taken by Leo Thom, Mangrove Action Project

Currently, Pi Nid holds several leadership positions within the community. She is the head of the natural dyeing group, which uses natural dyes from mangrove bark. She also serves as a village committee member, the Chairperson of village health volunteers group, and a school committee member. In addition, Pi Nid was recently elected as the Vice President of “Khlong Prasong Community Forest Group” which is a community organization established by the community for the community, focusing on activities to conserve the community’s mangrove forest. Pi Nid believes that if the group can advocate for the official registration and recognition of Khlong Prasong’s mangrove forests as a community mangrove forest by law, the Khlong Prasong villagers shall have the right to apply the community forest rules and regulations to manage, oversee, and protect the community forest from those seeking to exploit it for logging or unsustainable harvesting. Pi Nid and every community member are devoted to protecting this mangrove forest because they have been working together to create and safeguard it for a long time. Pi Nid always emphasizes that the benefits of forest restoration are not limited to her generation, but will extend to future generations. She envisions a future where every resident of Khlong Prasong can thrive, have access to mangrove resources, and live safely without fear of coastal erosion, an issue she has faced in the past.

“Looking back on my life, I’m proud of it. I don’t need much of it. Even though I was not born here, this will be the last chapter of my life,” Pi Nid concluded.

#######

This article was written by Jaruwan Enright, Mangrove Conservation Coordinator of the Knowledge Foundation for Development. It was first published in Thai language in Medium.com.

The Knowledge for Development Foundation (K4D) is a non-profit organization, registered in Thailand since 2023. Its main objective is to empower marginalized and underprivileged communities with the skills and knowledge necessary to foster an inclusive environment social coverage, not discriminating against sex and create a sustainable data ecosystem. K4D Foundation’s vision is to be a source of knowledge and practices, using a data-driven approach to build community capacity, improving access to information, and developing digital skills and knowledge in order to create a collaborative data ecosystem.