A two-member team consisting of Dr. Suman Sachdeva and Mr Sebastian Mathew visited Leh Nutrition Project to include it as partner NGO for Bal Vikas Bank project in J & K. The visit had followed the preliminary identification of the NGOs based on through understanding of the NGO, the key role of Children's participation in its programme and commitment to child rights.

Profile of Leh Nutrition Project                                                                                  Picture Gallery

· LNP was established in 1978 by SC, UK, one of the longest serving NGO in Ladakh.
· Started with supplementary Nutrition Programme,
· Diversified its activities in Health care, Education and Rural Development till 1996.
· LNP became an independent NGO in 1987.
· Current projects are children and Development and watershed development Programmes.
· LNP is only NGO in Ladakh dedicated to working for children rights and involved the children's participation as the key to its programmatic activities.
· LNP believes strongly in Children's Participation
The manifestation of children's participation is through sensitisation/awareness of children and community on child rights and the formation of Children Committee for Village Development (CCVD-30 CCVD)

Brief Profile of Leh District

44,000 sq. kms of Leh district has population of 117637 (Male -65166, Female -52471) with sex ratio of 929 male (Source: Census of India 2001). The child population in the age group of 0-6 is 7241 (Male - 3788, Female -3488). The literacy rate is 62.44%. Geographically the region has extreme and harsh climatic conditions with temperature dropping to -30 in winter.

Profile of proposed Target Community for the BVB (CDB).

The Buddhist society in Ladakh has a specific section of the society viz; Beda, Mon and Gara who are socially discriminated. For these communities, intercaste marriage is prohibited especially with higher caste people. In social gatherings, the Bedas and Mon perform as musicians (drummers and pipers) and Garas practice as blacksmith. The numbers of families belonging to the Mons and Garas are one to three families in each Buddhist populated villages/hamlets. People belonging to the Beda community are very poor, deprived illiterate and deprived socially and economically.

They do not hold any agriculture land and are dependent on the income acquired out of performance as drummers and pipers. Very interestingly the population of the Beda community are concentrated in Leh and around. Beda community is now addressed as "Nyamchung". The first ever door to door survey of the families of "Nyamchung" community has recently been conducted by LNP and the following data collected: -

S.No.	Name of the location/village when the Nyamchung population are concentrated	No. of families	Population	No. of Children 0-18	No. of Child 6-18 years out of Schools
1	Chushot Yogma	25	116	57	15
2	Choglamsar	92	92	36	12
3	Maney Sermo, Leh	52	232	105	25
4	Spituk	22	104	60	18
	Total	118	544	258	70

The social and economic status of the Nyamchung community can be summated as below:

1. They are totally dependent on the income accrued from the money they get in marriages, and other functions, where they perform as a musicians.Neither are they interested in working as labourers, skill workers or farmers.
2. Another source of their income is begging from households.
3. They do not hold any agricultural land.
4. They use to live in tents but today they have constructed bricks structures.
5. As they are socially considered to be low caste, their social interaction with others is minimal.
6. All adults males and females both indulge in alcoholism.
7. Children are the most uncared for in this community and trained to be traditional musicians as drummers and pipers earning meager income for their families.

BVB project intends to target specifically the children of this community along with CCDV children involved in village development activities. These collections raise social, educational and environmental issues for the community and work for the betterment of their society. BVB also purposes to work with these children.

Discussion with Executive director and Team.
A presentation on LNP activities was presented to the team along with a film on watershed programme. This was followed by a meeting with children and adults of Nyamchung community. For the first time, BVB concept was shared them. While adults were concerned about it (as they had previous experience of losting money) children seemed motivated and interested in the project which would give them a ray of hope beyond their traditional profession of singing and dancing in marriages to earn money . Most of these children are dropouts and lived in extreme poverty condition.

A separate meeting was held with the LNP team in which a presentation on CDB concept was shared along with clarification on its process and modalities of operation.

The monitoring and evaluation aspects were explained and monthly/quarterly formats shared along with specific dates for reporting back to Butterflies. A set of brochures on CDB was shared along with a sample of passbook and stationary with the understanding that seed money for one bank will be released shortly. The MOU was signed by the LNP director. It was agreed to launch BVB formally on December 20th in the presence of media and politically personalities along with the children and community.

A proposed training schedule was agreed and shared with LNP and will be implemented. The first training is proposed in March. The role of LNP as key NGO in J & K was agreed with the understanding that it will give a state strategy on CDB by Jan 05 cleanly proposing the way forward. It was understood that LNP would partner with other NGOs in the state with an MOU signed with Butterflies. Training and evaluation for those NGOs will be Butterflies responsibility.

Fund raising for the project will also be undertaken by LNP keeping Butterflies informed. LNP will be regularly sharing photos and materials for website and e-newsletter.

The field visit to Achila village involved visiting the middle school and interacting with CCDV in that village. This was an interesting meeting wherein a strong element of children's participation in social and educational development of village was visible. Beginning from the improvement of school environment to raising the issues of teacher vacancy and their own space for interaction CCVD also took up serious issues on drive against smoking to the extent that all the shops near the school which sold cigarettes were shut down . The collective is also involved in raising funds and deposited in the bank. Children put up an appreciative performance of traditional music and dance for the team.

In conclusion BVB family has grown with the new addition of LNP. LNP is now in the process of identification of a focal person for BVB from its team.