Live&Learn

Environmental Education

Annual Report

www.livelearn.org
Partners
With great appreciation The Board
of Trustees and the staff of Live
& Learn Environmental Education
wish to acknowledge the support
and valuable partnerships shared
with organisations, Governments
and communities in fulfilling the
commitments of our work.
In particular we thank our Children’s Fund, Macarthur
major donors; European Union. Foundation, Packard Foundation,
Australian Agency for International Marisla Foundation, Global Green
development, New Zealand Agency Grants and Vodafone.
for International Development,
Asian Development Bank, World
Bank, United Nations development
Programme, United Nations

Live&Learn
Environmental Education

Australia Fiji Islands Solomon Islands

International Office Country Manager: Doris Ravai Country Manager: Jacob Zukuli
Executive Director: Christian Nielsen 87 Gordon Street DSE Building –Lombi Crescent Street
Ross House - 4th Floor Private Mail Bag New China Town
247-251 Flinders Lane Suva – Fiji PO Box 1454
Melbourne 3000 Victoria, Australia P: +679 3315 868 Honiara – Solomon Islands
P: +61 3 96501291 F: +679 3305 868 P: +677 23697/24453
F: +61 3 96501391 E: fiji@livelearn.org F: +677 24454
E: livelearn@livelearn.org E: solomons@livelearn.org
Maldives
Northern Territory Country Manager: Vanuatu
Manager: Robbie Henderson Fathimath Shafeeqa Country Manager: Kali Vatoko
PO Box 1444, Katherine H. Huba 1st Floor Fres Wota Four
Northern Territory, 0850 Medhuziyaaraiy Magu (opposite Fres Wota School)
Australia Male’ Republic of Maldives PO Box 1629
M: +61 437 683 929 Tel: +960 330 3585 Port Vila - Vanuatu
E: robbie.henderson@livelearn.org E: maldives@livelearn.org P: +678 27448
F: +678 27455
Cambodia Papua New Guinea E: vanuatu@livelearn.org
Regional Advisor: Jady Smith Country Manager: Ben Ngava
Talesea Local Level Government Vietnam
Country Manager: Bunthan Keat
MRC Building, 3rd Floor, Room 303 Offices Country Manager: Do Van Nguyet
#364, Preah Monivong Blvd PO Box 844 32 Xuan Dieu
Sangkat Phsar Domthkov Kimbe, West New Britain Province Hanoi
Khan Chamkarmorn Papua New Guinea Vietnam
GPO Box 91, Phnom Penh P: +675 983 4716 M: +844 371 901 09
Cambodia P/F: +675 983 4237 E: vietnam@livelearn.org
T: +855 23 997 753 E: png@livelearn.org
T/F: +855 23 224 053
E: livelearn@online.com.kh

www.livelearn.org

Partners & Offices 31

 Annual Report 2008

Contents

Vision & Guiding Principle 4

Executive Director Report 5

Organisational Structure 6

Regional Manager’s Report 7

Avoided Deforestation 8

Regional Projects 10

Australia 12

Cambodia 14

Fiji 16

Maldives 18

Papua New Guinea 20

Solomon Islands 22

Vanuatu 24

Finances 26

Board of Trustees 30

Partners 31
Vision & Guiding Principles
Live & Learn
Environmental Education’s
mission is to reduce
poverty and foster greater
understanding and action
towards a sustainable
future through education,
community mobilisation
and supportive
partnerships.
4 Vision & Guiding Principles
Our Purpose and Aims
• Develop and implement projects
and programs for teachers, schools,
communities and other target
groups in the field of environmental
and development education.
• Encourage individual and
community attitudes, values
and actions that are ethical and
environmentally sustainable.
• Share knowledge, skills, learning
experiences and resources with
others for the benefit of the
physical and human environment.
• Promote the integration of
environmental, human, cultural and
peace concepts in all education
projects and programs.
Guiding Principles
We believe that local knowledge
and global understanding are the
starting points in developing an ethic
in environmental and development
education. Local ownership of
environmental and development
education programs, open participation
and equality remain the foundation of
our organisation. We aim to strengthen
this foundation through the following
guiding principles:
• Live & Learn seeks to establish
action-based, effective and creative
learning models and teaching
methodologies of environmental
and development issues in the
developed and developing world.
• Live & Learn emphasises the
importance of linking schools,
school managers and teachers
with the community, chiefs,
elders, parents and NGOs so that
communities in their entirety are
involved with environmental and
development education.
• Live & Learn promotes attitudes,
policies, institutions and practical
actions that support community-
based education and sustainable
development.
• Live & Learn advocates
and promotes peaceful and
humanitarian activities and actions
in recognition that peaceful and
cooperative partnerships are a
fundamental foundation for building
sustainable futures.
• Live & Learn strives to work in
appropriate partnerships with local
teachers, communities, NGOs, and
government agencies, respecting
their position and addressing their
needs.
• Live & Learn shares knowledge,
information and lessons learnt with
national partners and colleagues
along with the wider regional and
international community.
• Live & Learn does not discriminate
between gender, race, political
opinions, age, sexual preferences
or religion and does at all times
promote equality and fairness
among staff, beneficiaries and
partners.
Executive Director’s Report
Building on strengths and commitment
This past year Live & Learn
has focused on diversifying our
support base and networks while
continuing to ensure our work is
grounded in community-based
institutions and organisations.
The expansion of many local
economies has seen an increased
interest for natural resources, in
particular; timber, fish and palm oil.
This–often unsustainable–extraction
of resources, especially forest
resources, has escalated risks
associated with climate change
and provision of safe drinking water.
Communities need to be able to
continually assess the broad range
of risks that large-scale developments
can bring and–based on such
knowledge and analysis of those
risks–be then able to take charge
of their own development.
Live & Learn has continued to
advocate and provide support
for organising and mobilising
communities towards counteracting
increased pressure on natural
resources. This includes aligning
community structures and
processes with participatory
principles, transparency and
accountable leadership alongside
empowering all groups within
communities, especially women, to
be advocates for action and change.
In the context of Live & Learn’s work
this particularly relates to mobilising
sustainable livelihoods, providing
sound environmental management,
construction and maintenance of
water and sanitation infrastructure,
and developing youth leadership.
One of the most significant
achievements of the past year was
the provision of safe drinking water
and sanitation to more than 30,000
people in rural island communities
in Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Trials
on the development of composting
toilets, both in PNG and in Cambodia,
were also carried out with promising
preliminary results.
2007 has also seen a wealth of
education resource development;
significantly strengthened by our
use of local artists to ensure relevant
and familiar illustrations, coupled with
professional graphic design to ensure
that Live & Learn is at the forefront
for meeting high standards and
expectations for education materials.
All our education resources, research
findings and technical reports are
available via our website www.
livelearn.org and we welcome their
use to support other programs and
organisations in their work.
Climate change, water and forests
are three big thematic areas for the
year ahead. New programmes will
commence on sustainable livelihoods
and rural learning on the Tonle Sap
in Cambodia; community-based
environmental management and
gender training in the Maldives;
protection of forest and reef systems
in Papua New Guinea and the
Solomon Islands; climate change
and avoided deforestation in
Vanuatu and peace building and
waste management in Fiji.
The most valuable asset of Live &
Learn is the immense commitment
from our staff and network partners
towards improving living conditions
for thousands of people living in poor
and resource-constrained areas.
This commitment has strengthened
with new realities of climate change,
lack of food security and conflict
and my greatest acknowledgement
goes to our staff and managers
that are working and living many
hours in the field with communities
facing difficult challenges. This
commitment will pave the way for
further achievements in the coming
years and we will continue to put
communities and people at the centre
of everything we do.
Christian Nielsen
Executive Director
Executive Director’s Report 5
Organisational Structure

of Trustees
Board

VANUATU

MALDIVES NAURU

CAMBODIA AUSTRALIA FIJI

Asia Regional International Pacific Regional
Office Office Office

VIETNAM PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

AUSTRALIA SOLOMON
Indigenous ISLANDS
Programs
Tec
ees nica h
l Advisor y Committ

Regional Office Country Office In-country Program

6 Organisational Structure
Regional Manager’s Report
Growing in a Sustainable Way
Live & Learn’s long-term goal is to
establish Regional Management
Teams to encourage greater regional
co-operation, networking and the
conscious development of a regional
identity and focus. The Asian regional
program has a focus on Cambodia
and the Maldives. Over the past
12 months both country programs
have grown exponentially, now with
more projects and larger teams of
skilled and committed staff that will
continue to work on a range
of challenging issues.
The Live & Learn Strategic Vision
2020, completed last year, has helped
to coordinate and focus our approach.
The Maldives and Cambodia Live &
Learn teams have made significant
progress on developing their individual
country strategies that complement
and build upon the organisations
Strategic Vision. The thematic areas
of priority in the Asia program
include: water sanitation & hygiene,
sustainable use of biodiversity,
environmental governance, natural
resource-based conflict management,
sustainable energy options, and
waste management.
Live & Learn strives to work in
appropriate partnerships and we
are working with a wide range of
partners including: Government,
non-government organisations,
community-based organisations,
communities, special interest
groups, and students. Our Strategic
Vision covers a very diverse scope
of thematic areas and to effectively
cover these we have developed
strong partnerships to strengthen our
approach rather than to duplicate the
work of others. Ultimately we hope
that through such partnerships the
communities we work with can gain
increased benefits as the activities of
different organizations become more
coordinated.
In the Maldives we have formed
some mutually beneficial corporate
partnerships such as with ecotourism
resorts where we work with their
staff and local communities on
environmental management issues.
One of our larger organizational
partnerships has developed for
the specific focus of developing
a ‘Floating Latrine Design’ in
collaboration with Engineers Without
Borders (EWB) as well as other
partners. This partnership helps us
to maximize the use of action-based
approaches: merging the technical
engineering skills of EWB with Live
& Learn’s education and community
mobilization skills.
Live & Learn is expanding in
response to interest from individuals,
government and organizations in
other countries that are seeking
a more sustainable quality of life.
Over the past year the first steps
towards setting up Live & Learn in
Vietnam were taken and potential
opportunities in South Asia,
particularly in response to specific
requests from Sri Lanka, Bhutan and
India, will be pursued.
From its early Pacific focus Live &
Learn now truly has an Asia Pacific
focus, but it is not just geographical
–it is philosophical: we are unified
by a desire to work toward reducing
poverty and fostering greater
understanding and action towards a
sustainable future through education
community mobilization and
supportive partnerships. It is certainly
challenging work but it is important to
remember that you are part of a large
and growing team of like-minded
people who are there to support
you. I wish you all lots of success in
your activities for the future and look
forward to continuing to strengthen
Live & Learn through our collaboration
with all the offices.
Jady Smith
Regional Manager: Asia
Regional Manager’s Report 7
Avoided Deforestation
Protecting livelihoods and tackling climate change
T
hose working in the climate
change arena are looking at
ways of mitigating dangerous
climate change through curbing
the manner in which we treat our
forests. There exists a key relationship
between forests and climate change.
Deforestation and degradation
accounts for approximately 20% of
global anthropogenic greenhouse
gas emissions (Mollicone et al., 2007).
While this loss of forests contributes
to emissions, forest ecosystems
are also important for sequestering
and storing carbon. Forests, as large
stores and potential emitters of
carbon are therefore a key element
of the climate change debate.
Among the many and varied tools
for mitigating climate change is
that of Avoided Deforestation. The
central idea is to create an economic
incentive to curb the need for
deforestation by forest dependent
people. For each tonne of carbon
not released through avoiding
deforestation and degradation of
the world’s forests, one carbon
credit (equivalent to one tonne) can
be produced and sold into the ever
growing carbon market.
This idea is gaining increasing
attention in both voluntary carbon
markets and in mandatory schemes.
These projects, otherwise
known through the Reduced
Emissions through Deforestation
and Degradation (REDD) policy
mechanism, are on the table for
implementation within the post-
2012 Kyoto Protocol framework.
8 Avoided Deforestation
Governments, NGOs and international
organisations are turning their
attention to Avoided Deforestation
as a way to speed climate change
mitigation, conserve forest
ecosystems, pursue sustainable
development objectives and involve
developing nations further in the
climate change agenda.
While Avoided Deforestation projects
provide an avenue for climate change
mitigation, few examples of their
implementation and overall success
are currently available. Current
debates about how to structure
and manage these projects focus
on technical, political and financial
issues. The involvement of local forest
dependent people is, however, one
of the most important but under
emphasised issues in this debate and
deserves much attention.
If locals do not understand why international investors are sending
money, or even what the climate change issue is, it will be very difficult
to ensure that deforestation and degradation are avoided.
Much of the world’s remaining
forests exist in developing nations,
especially tropical forest ecosystems.
The numbers of people dependant
on these forests for their livelihoods
is immense. A report by the World
Commission on Forests and
Sustainable Development states that
over 350 million of the world’s poorest
people rely almost entirely on forests
for their subsistence and survival
needs (Salim & Ullsten, 1999).
These least developed communities
face continuing challenges as
their access and rights to forests
become increasingly restricted by
ranchers, loggers, public and private
expansion. Poorly managed Avoided
Deforestation projects could continue
this pattern of disenfranchising and
further marginalising local, forest
dependent communities. There is the
possibility that once large amounts
of money become available through
these projects, corruption and abuse
of community rights will increase as
land speculation, land grabbing and
increased state and expert control
over forests ensues.
Conversely, well managed Avoided
Deforestation projects can
recognise the important role of local
communities in sustainable forest
management by providing an avenue
for their continued or increased
stewardship. A well managed project
will create income generation, social
capital and raise living standards
through generating meaningful
involvement with local communities.
Involvement needs to start very early
on in the process where land rights
and general project viability is being
discussed. Conflicts over land to be
used under these projects can only
be resolved with the consultation and
involvement of locals.
An important aspect of the
involvement issue is that of
knowledge transfer. If locals do
not understand why international
investors are sending money, or
even what the climate change issue
is, it will be very difficult to ensure
that deforestation and degradation
are avoided. This knowledge
transfer to local communities
is especially important where
contracts will be signed between
local communities and companies.
Without education and involvement
of local communities, these projects
could produce extremely negative
outcomes.
High level involvement from local
communities will provide greater
opportunity for communication
and information exchange. In less
successful Avoided Deforestation
projects, there has been a large
communication gap between
local communities and other key
players such as project developers,
governments and international
investors. This gap is often seen
through power imbalances translated
through language, knowledge and
information. In failing to address
this inequity, these projects have
produced poor outcomes for local
communities and have damaged the
project overall.
NGOs can play an important role
in generating and supporting local
community involvement. Donor
agencies and NGOs may be central in
ensuring that the benefits of Avoided
Deforestation projects reach local
peoples. These organisations are
often highly experienced in projects
within the developing world and bring
high-level experience and technical
knowledge. In addition to this, they
are generally not seeking large profits
for projects and come with a pro-
sustainable development mandate.
As project developers, they can
represent the rights of locals and in
cases be objective intermediaries.
Avoided Deforestation projects
address real and very necessary
environmental needs. Whether these
needs are effectively responded
to requires an understanding
that environmental, social and
economic issues are intrinsically
linked. By ensuring the meaningful
involvement of local forest dependent
communities, Avoided Deforestation
projects may be highly successful.
This meaningful involvement will
require trust, responsibility and
partnership on behalf of all players
but the projected outcomes more
than justify this commitment.
References
Mollicone, D. et al., (2007) Elements for
the expected mechanisms on ‘reduced
emissions from deforestation and
degradation REDD’ under UNFCCC,
Environmental Research Letters, vol.2,
pp.1-7
Salim, E. & Ullsten, O., (1999) Our
Forests, Our Future, Report of the World
Commission on Forests and Sustainable
Development, Cambridge University Press
Written by Anjali Brown
Avoided Deforestation 9
Regional Projects
Biodiversity Conservation Project
T
he Education for Biodiversity
Conservation Project is a
European Union funded
regional project that aims to
strengthen the capacity of teachers
and educational institutions to deliver
quality education about biodiversity
conservation to communities across
the Pacific.
The major achievement for
the Education for Biodiversity
Conservation Project for this year
was the completion of the teaching
and learning resource to support
the integration of Biodiversity
Conservation Education across the
region. ‘Discovering Biodiversity –
An Educators Guide to Exploring
Natures Variety’ provides teachers and
students with an opportunity to learn
about, investigate, and take action to
conserve the amazing variety of life in
the Pacific.
The resource was developed to fulfil
the following criteria;
• Complement existing curricula,
• Challenge educators to adopt
student centred methods of
teaching and learning,
• Be relevant to address the National
Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan
priorities, and
• Be conducive to increasing
youth participation in sustainable
biodiversity management.
10 Regional Projects
The completed resource contains:
• A teachers guide including a ‘How
to Use the Resource’ section; an
introduction to student centred
learning; Teaching Techniques
and definitions of best practice;
Environmental Education; and key
biodiversity conservation concepts
• Teacher’s pre-reading, a short text
that introduces the concept of
each learning outcome in detail for
preparation for each of the learning
activities.
• 35 learning activities following the
Inquiry Learning Model, designed
to teach the key concepts and
learning outcomes in each module.
• Schools Action Project section
designed to give teachers
inspiration and clear instruction as
to how to carry out focused action
projects to complement their
students learning.
Along with Live & Learn’s Biodiversity
Education team, this resource was
developed with assistance and
support from many organisations,
teachers, government departments
and individuals. Considerable effort
has been made to ensure the final
resource is effective, appropriate and
adequately reflects the educational
needs, practical constraints and
biodiversity issues, which exist across
the region.
The ‘Discovering Biodiversity’
resource was launched in Vanuatu,
Solomon Islands and Papua New
Guinea on May 22nd to coincide with
local celebrations for the International
Day for Biological Diversity.
The next phase of the project will
see the Biodiversity Education team
running training workshops across
the region aimed at strengthening the
capacity of teachers and educators
to use the resource and become
effective facilitators of action based
and critical biodiversity education.
Another significant achievement for
this year was the regional project
being showcased at the 8th Pacific
Islands Conference on Nature
Conservation and Protected Areas,
in October 2007, in Alotau, Papua
New Guinea. The Conference is a
key regional meeting of government
agencies, NGOs, community based
organisations, and donor bodies to
discuss and develop a joint vision for
conservation in the Pacific islands.
At this conference Live & Learn’s
Biodiversity Education project was
selected by the conference drafting
committee as one of the success
stories of biodiversity conservation
projects in the whole Pacific Region.
This acknowledgement in front of
regional biodiversity conservation
peers will contribute significantly to
the success and acceptance of this
project across the region.
Building a Sustainable Future
B
uilding a Sustainable Future
is a regional project funded
by NZAID, which aims to
promote education for sustainable
development (ESD) within learning
institutions and communities in the
South Pacific.
Communities in Vanuatu, Fiji,
Solomon Islands and Papua New
Guinea have been involved in pilot
activities since the beginning of 2007,
and will continue into 2008. The
pilot activities are designed to test
different and innovative approaches to
sustainable development using ESD
as a central activity.
Pilot activities have included
establishment of a Catchment
Group in Vanuatu, which mobilises
community learning and involvement
in land and water management
using principles of integrated
water resource management
(IWRM). In the Solomon Islands
and Fiji, communities have explored
sustainable development concepts,
good governance and taken action
to develop alternative and more
sustainable ways to earn income.
Innovative actions initiated by
communities have ranged from
soap making, to establishing a
native tree nursery, and creation
of ‘compost piggeries.’ In Papua
New Guinea, communities have
explored development issues
through ‘inquiry learning,’ and have
established sustainable development
committees, which have focused their
activities around improving water
and sanitation, including building pit
latrines.
The lessons learned from the pilot
activities are being developed into
toolkits, which provide opportunities
for replication. The willingness and
interest of government, NGO’s and
communities to continue with the
programs beyond the project cycle,
has been a major outcome and
success of the project to date.
As part of the Building a Sustainable
Future project, Live & Learn also
aims to develop a module for
teacher training institutions that
focuses on Education for Sustainable
Development. The ESD module will
give pre-service teachers (student
teachers) an understanding of ESD
goals, and provide them with the
knowledge and skills to deliver ESD
in schools when they enter the
workforce. Live & Learn staff from the
four target countries are working in
partnership with education ministries
and teachers colleges to develop the
ESD module, which will be available
for use in 2009.
Regional Projects 11
Australia
The international office, Melbourne provides a base for technical skills,
organisational governance and managerial support.
D
uring 2007 the International
Office, Melbourne team
have continued the focus
on strengthening organizational
governance including full revisions of
the Live & Learn Best Practice Manual
and Finance Procedures Manual
(FPM). Managerial and finance
support visits have been conducted
in each country where Live & Learn
has a presence. In addition two
Australian Volunteer International (AVI)
accountants have assisted in the roll-
out of the FPM in Papua New Guinea,
Solomon Islands and Cambodia.
In November 2007 the Melbourne
office hosted the International
Forum on Climate Change 2007: a
stimulating two weeks, full of energy,
passion, debate and laughter: a time
to be remembered by all and to guide
and strengthen the work of Live &
Learn throughout the Asia Pacific
region. In addition to the core Live &
Learn participants, we were delighted
to welcome representatives and
input from International Women’s
Development Agency (IWDA),
International Development Support
Services (IDSS), Australian Volunteers
International (AVI), Melbourne
University and Oxfam. Of particular
note was the excellent management
skills based training provided by
David Fair which will undoubtedly
support our move towards rising
to the challenge set down by
12 Australia
Steven Andrews of Carbon Balance
Consulting who guided us through the
technical terms of climate change and
led discussion on our direction and
vision for pioneering climate change
mitigation activities through Live &
Learn programmes. The final day at
CERES (the Centre for Education
and Research into Environmental
Strategies) provided a timely practical
demonstration of climate change and
environmental education in action.
The closing ceremony held in a
traditional aboriginal meeting place
reminded us all of the importance of
our work; to maintain and strengthen
the environment of our forefathers
for the nurture and benefit of future
generations.
Research, Monitoring and Evaluation
have taken a leap forward. A majority
of Live & Learn programmes
commence with community
consultation and participatory
research in order to ensure our work
‘starts where the community is at’.
Whilst all research is conducted in the
field through the individual country
offices, having a central research
advisor to ensure rigour in study
design, develop detailed facilitator
guides and support the analysis and
reporting of findings ensures Live
& Learn maximizes the time and
energy given by the community
members who participate in research
activities. In the forthcoming
year our research capacity will be
expanded to incorporate monitoring
and evaluation, and in particular
to strengthen the use of Most
Significant Change methodology,
which collect stories straight from the
intended beneficiaries of Live & Learn
programmes.
The production of tools and resources
continues to be a growing area
of expertise for Live & Learn. The
graphic design team has been
hard at work designing numerous
manuals, toolkits, posters and other
resources for all the country offices
to use in the field. It is important that
these materials are relevant for their
intended audience and are robust
for the environment where they are
being used. The aim of the centralised
graphic design team is to provide
a consistent and ongoing technical
capacity supporting the production
of high quality materials that provide
clear and effective communication
whilst being inspiring and informative.
The international office maintains
the Live & Learn website, an integral
component for communicating the
outcomes of our work to the global
community. Live & Learn maintains
a policy of broad dissemination of
our resources and these are made
available for download via the website
www.livelearn.org
Live & Learn, Northern Territory
In May 2008, Live & Learn
established an office in Katherine in
the Northern Territory (NT), which is
approximately 320km south of the
state capital, Darwin. The Northern
Territory is a vast area of Australia
with a very low population density
and a significant proportion of the
population living in remote areas.
The NT office has been established
primarily to provide services and
opportunities to the Indigenous
(Aboriginal) people, who constitute
approximately one quarter of the
NT population, and make up 44% of
Australia’s indigenous population who
live in remote communities.
Aboriginal people are Australia’s
first people, and represent a wide
diversity of different cultures.
However, Aboriginal people are also
Australia’s most disadvantaged, with
much lower levels of education,
healthcare, employment, economic
opportunity and life expectancy than
the Australian average.
Live & Learn was established in the
NT to assist indigenous communities
to become more sustainable and
self-reliant, and in doing so improve
well-being and opportunities for
community members. In order to
achieve this aim, Live & Learn has
developed a sustainable development
model, which provides an alternative
to the dominant and failing ‘service
delivery’ led approach to provision of
basic services such as water, energy
and housing. Our approach is ‘people-
centred’ and focuses on empowering
communities to be actively involved
in education, decision-making,
planning, and actions for sustainable
development. Development of
livelihood opportunities is also a
core focus of our work. Live & Learn
NT draws from experiences and
approaches successfully implemented
in Papua New Guinea, Solomon
Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji to guide
innovation.
Initial work undertaken in the
Northern Territory has included
establishing networks and
partnerships with government and
indigenous organisations. Progress
has been made toward establishing
pilot activities with several remote
indigenous communities. The project
involves a partnership between Live
& Learn, local communities and the
Australian Government to establish
community development plans. The
plans aim to mobilise community
activities and to provide guidance to
Government on community needs for
resources and services.
Live & Learn’s commitment to the
NT will be long term, and we expect
our projects and reach to grow in the
coming years.
Australia 13
Cambodia
Environmental Education, Human Rights and Sustainable Development
O
ver the past 12 months,
the Cambodia program has
nurtured a strong place as
a national NGO working towards
sustainable development. The focus
has been on the development of the
National Human Rights Education
Campaign, promoting Community
Fisheries through investments,
developing community-based
ecotourism, and most recently
working with upland communities
on the development of Learning
Community models. Geographically
our coverage is becoming quite
comprehensive with work in 10 of the
21 provinces in Cambodia, including
the lowlands, uplands protected areas
and work with fishing communities,
agricultural communities, vulnerable
groups and ethnic minorities.
It has been an important year for
strengthening Live & Learn at an
international and national level. In
November 2007 key members of
the Cambodia team attended the
Live & Learn Management meeting
in Australia. More recently in April
2008, the national Cambodia country
team had a staff retreat in Ratanakiri.
During the staff retreat, we discussed
14 Cambodia
our vision for the country strategy.
Through group discussion, key issues
were highlighted and a common
vision for Live & Learn Cambodia
was drafted: “Education and Action
for Empowerment: Environmental,
Economic and Social Well Being in
the Sustainable way”.
Human Rights Education
Campaign
This project aims to heighten national
awareness of the links between
human rights and safe access to
land and forests. During the last
12 months the focus has been in
4 specific areas: community, women,
schools and journalists. Many
Human Rights based materials have
been developed: A curriculum for
women and schools, fact sheets and
media guides for journalists, land
law publications and a community
flip chart. We have also conducted
training on Basic Human Rights for
80 teachers and 162 women, and
training on child rights, gender
concepts and domestic violence for
160 women. Journalist training has
included 4 field trips for 59 journalists
resulting in 64 articles and 39 media
broadcasts through TV and radio.
The project is successfully moving
towards its aim and strong networks
have been formed with other Human
Rights NGOs.
Domestic NGO Services
This project aims to establish relevant,
practical and benefit-generating
community based natural resource
management (CBNRM) activities in
community fisheries organizations
(CFOs) around Tonle Sap Lake, the
project has worked closely with
NGOs and CFOs. An Inception Report
has been developed including the
selection of 5 Subcontract Provincial
NGOs and 25 CFOs. A CFO Appraisal
Report and field awareness raising
for the selected NGOs and CFOs
has been completed. We also
developed the CFO Investment
Manual and conducted training
on it which consists of four main
themes (infrastructure, conservation
and natural resource management,
livelihoods and social). The Project
Implementation Unit (PIU), 5 NGOs
and 25 CFOs were given skills to
develop CFO Investment Proposals
to support natural resources
management around Tonle Sap.
Moreover we also developed the CFO
Management Guidelines to manage
the CFO investment activities.
Community Based
Ecotourism
Live & Learn has ventured into
supporting ecotourism initiatives with
an innovative IUCN-funded project to
deliver ecotourism and mountain bike
training to a small commune located
in the Cardamom Mountains, in south
west Cambodia. The Cardamoms are
a global biodiversity hotspot, being
one of the last remaining elephant
corridors and large predator ranges in
the region. They host more than half
of Cambodia’s 2300 bird species and
are home to 14 globally threatened
mammal species. The Cardamoms
comprise nearly 20,000 km2 of
contiguous forest cover including a
vast rainforest ecosystem and 16
different vegetation types, ranging
from dense evergreen rainforest to
lowland forest to coastal mangrove
ecosystems. The mountains are a
mountain-biking and hiking paradise.
They are criss-crossed with trails and
tracks, numerous rivers and streams,
waterfalls and caves and cultural
artifacts such as funerary jars and
coffins.
The ecotourism project is an initiative
to provide an alternative livelihood
option and reduce the destructive
commercial exploitation of forest
products. Our training program
covers the areas of eco-awareness,
hospitality, first aid, eco-guiding,
and mountain biking. A total of 76
participants, 26 of whom are women,
are currently involved in training.
We are developing and trialling an
innovative two-way communication
tool to assist non-Khmer speaking
tourists to communicate their needs
to their home-stay and guesthouse
hosts. A fleet of 12 good quality
mountain bikes have been purchased
and delivered to site. These bikes will
be used for training and will become
the fleet that can be hired by tourists.
The project is a collaboration
between Live & Learn and Wildlife
Alliance, who have a long-term
Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET)
development commitment at
Chi Phat.
Learning Community
Development Project
The LCDP project aims to develop
innovative models for learning
communities from six pilot
communes in three targeted
provinces in Cambodia: two in Preah
Vihear, two in Ratanakiri and two
in Kratie. During the last 4 months,
we developed and published the
Inception Report including detailed
workplan and travel schedules to
present and distribute to the board
members of the project (UNDP,
MAFF-PSU and Live & Learn). We also
developed RAP tools and conducted
the first RAP in 2 communes in
Ratanakiri province. The innovative
nature of the project requires an
adaptive management approach,
resulting from ongoing negotiation
with the donor to allow for such
freedom.
Live & Learn staff have been involved
in some short term consultancies.
They have worked on the promotion
of the Community Livelihood Fund,
development of project information
centres and coordination with other
projects. They have also trained
Bunong Facilitators on how to use
the Community Environmental
Awareness Flip chart. These
facilitators will incorporate the
different modules on environmental
awareness in their literacy program in
different villages in Mondulkiri.
In the year ahead we will continue to
focus on our current projects, start
new work on protection of natural
resources; a component of the Tonle
Sap Sustainable Livelihoods Project.
This project includes working with
Engineers Without Borders on latrine
design. The Cambodia office is
working toward producing a country-
specific strategy following from the
organisational Strategic Vision 2020.
Cambodia will also be working closely
with the new Vietnam office to assist
in its establishment in the region.
Cambodia 15
Fiji
Live & Learn Fiji team has had a busy year with our schools and community
education programs. We saw the completion of a 12 month project and the
beginning of another that takes environmental & development education to
the outer islands, a first for Live & Learn Fiji.
Developing Sustainable
Communities
T
he Developing Sustainable
Communities project, funded
by Fiji Forum of Non State
Actors (FFONSA), was designed
to support the needs identified by
the communities to strengthen
and build the capacity of the
Turaga- ni- koro (Village Headman)
as village administrator, initiate
actions to address their limited
sources of income and address
poor management of resources and
particularly, waste disposal practices.
It complemented the integrated water
management approach that was
undertaken as part of the Governing
Water Programme in over 45
communities. The project began with
a rapid assessment of perceptions
(RAP) that established community
attitudes towards sustainable
development, opportunities and
constraints. It also identified the
role education played in sustainable
practice, and how this practice should
16 Fiji
be sustained. The identification of
the roles of various groupings in
the community in promoting and
mainstreaming sustainable living also
took place. The RAP informed the
development of learning tools and
formed the basis for evaluation.
Extensive training programs
delivered to target communities saw
the establishment of Community
Administration Centres for the
administration and coordination
of community-directed projects.
These centres also provide a focal
point for coordination of further
training programs; documentation
of village affairs and; dissemination
of information and the Community
Handbooks that were developed
on village health, micro-finance and
village administration.
RiverCare Fiji
RiverCare Fiji is funded by Vodafone
ATH Fiji Foundation. The last year
has seen progress with student
and teacher training workshops,
community outreach sessions and the
strengthening of district networks.
Schools have received training in
water quality monitoring and have
adopted waterways within their
schools locality and also together
as a network of schools. In Suva,
schools have adopted the Nabukalou
Creek and have been active in raising
public awareness on the importance
of maintaining the health of this
waterway through improved waste
management practices. Research,
regular water quality monitoring
and awareness campaigns with
communities along the adopted
waterways have been initiatives led
by students throughout the year.
RiverCare schools are also engaged
in addressing waste management
issues together with reforestation
and beautification of their school’s
environments. In Sigatoka, the
establishment of the “River to Reef”
Network has involved schools along
the Sigatoka River and coastal area.
Imagining Tomorrow:
HOPE for Peace
The Imagining Tomorrow: HOPE for
Peace project was launched in 2006
and funded by the European Union.
The last year was an eventful year
with a mobile team of educators
traveling on the Peace Bus. The
colorful bus carrying the message
of peace has caught the attention
of many. Games and puppet
shows, in addition to peace and
environmental education activities,
have been undertaken in over
100 schools focused on building
peace and multicultural dialogue.
Community outreach sessions were
also facilitated and this ensured links
were made between schools and
communities.
HOPE for Peace teacher training
workshops held during the year
focused on the theme of “Weaving
in Peace” echoing the importance
of peace education woven into
environmental sustainability.
Students from HOPE for Peace
schools participated in Student’s
Peace Painting Workshops. The
paintings showcased the students’
perception of peace. Schools in
Suva also celebrated World Peace
Day. The annual Peace Camp –
which is a celebration of peace –
involved youngsters congregating
and participating in peace and
environmental awareness raising
activities.
Districts networks have been
actively involved in setting up whole
school initiatives which include
peace gardens, peace tokens,
complimentary quilts and peace
ambassadors. The highlight of peace
initiatives and an outcome of the
Imagining Tomorrow: HOPE for Peace
project was the formation of a group
of peace ambassadors, a group of
students trained by the HOPE for
Peace team. The Peace Ambassadors
use peace and environmental
activities to empower their peers.
Water Education for
Teachers (WET)
The goal of Project WET Fiji is to
facilitate and promote awareness,
appreciation, knowledge and
stewardship of water resources in Fiji.
Project WET is currently being funded
by AusAID.
Project WET promotes critical
thinking, learning through
participation, and creating a sense
of ownership and values toward the
importance of clean water sources,
sanitation and sustainable livelihoods.
Activities for the year included the
development of WET resources,
WET training forums for a variety of
stakeholders and conducting Water
Education Student Fair Days.
World Water Day 2008
The International theme for World
Water Day 2008 was “Sanitation”.
In partnership with the Pacific Islands
Applied Geo Science Commission,
Live & Learn Fiji developed
educational and awareness resources
promoting hand washing based on
the regional theme of “Sanitation
for Healthy Pacific Communities”.
This was promoted on radio, the
children’s television program, Get
Set, in the newspapers and in
school materials. The “Wash Hands”
resource pack with stickers, posters
and a Sanitation Fact Sheet have
been distributed regionally and many
schools participated in the water
and sanitation activities (many from
Project WET) during the celebrations
organized on World Water Day, 22nd
March, in Suva.
The year ahead will see us continue
our work and also begin work
on the Improving Drinking Water
Quality in rural schools in Fiji project,
funded by the Fiji Education Sector
Program – European Union (FESP-
EU). This project aims to improve
living conditions for students and
community members in resources-
constrained rural and remote island
communities.
It is set to be another busy yet
rewarding year.
Fiji 17
Maldives
The Maldives office has had a busy and productive year whilst also reflecting on
their approaches. The staff constantly strive to improve community engagement
and empowerment.
Mobilising communities
through community based
facilitators
L
ive & Learn Maldives, through
the Environmental Awareness
component of the Regional
Development Project (phase 2), is–for
the first time–trialing community
based facilitators to mobilise the
communities into action on issues
regarding water and sanitation, waste
and land and beach management.
Live & Learn discussed the approach
with stakeholders and considered
the proposed approach for a number
of reasons. Reflection on past
activities identified some weaknesses
in previous approaches centered
on using only trained, employed
facilitators. Whilst there are benefits
to using trained and experienced
Live & Learn staff to conduct training
sessions there are also some
disadvantages; namely high travel
costs and lost time through travel,
but most significantly there is the
methodological weaknesses of
reduced sustainability and potential
18 Maldives
disempowerment of the community.
This is of particular concern when
community mobilisation is a key goal
for the actions. The new approach
involves community facilitators,
trained as a core group of personnel,
to deliver training in the respective
communities and report back to
Live & Learn.
Two Community Facilitators have
been resourced by Live & Learn on
each island to deliver training. The
criteria used to select facilitators
were; having a teaching and
facilitation background; being well
respected by the members of the
communities in which they work
and live and their motivation and
enthusiasm to conduct training
in their own communities. These
community facilitators will receive
intensive training on how to deliver
and effectively use the training
materials and resources. This
approach is considered to be much
more aligned with the aspirations of
‘regional development’ with multiple
benefits, including:
1. strengthening capacity at Atoll
level (capacity),
2. benefits would be sustained
at local level (sustainability)
3. links the community and trainers
(empowerment) and
4. significantly reduced travel costs
(time & money).
While the field time of the Live &
Learn team will be slightly reduced,
the support role to the community
facilitators will significantly increase.
In terms of quality, Live & Learn
will ensure that they up-skill the
facilitators and also monitor their
performance. This approach will
require increased monitoring and
evaluation to ensure quality control
but the sustainability of such an
approach is higher as more skills are
developed within the community
and there is less reliance on external
inputs.
The modified approach is strongly
linked with adaptation of materials
and specific development of skills
in local community facilitators
and is aimed to increase the local
capacity and support community
empowerment.
Training materials will be developed
based on the community toolkits from
the TA 4614-MLD Promoting Sound
Environmental Management in the
Aftermath of the Tsunami Disaster.
Overall the programme incorporates a
wide variety of methods for planning,
action, record keeping, reflection
and monitoring and evaluation–from
the beginning of the project to the
end. The methodology itself has
application in project implementation
as well as management.
National Environmental
Studies curriculum
For the latter half of 2007 Live
& Learn staff in the Maldives
concentrated on finalising the
curriculum materials developed for
the Educational Development Center
under the UNICEF funded project. The
materials have been finalised with the
support of the respective staff from
the Educational Development Center
and other stakeholders.
An e-learning course has been
developed by Live & Learn for
the teachers in the outer island
communities to familiarise
themselves with the approaches used
in the materials developed for the
Environmental Studies curriculum.
Web and CD-based-courses have
been developed for teachers who
teach environmental studies in
primary schools.
Chilli project
The chilli project is a joint venture
between the International Women’s
Development Agency (IWDA)
in Australia, the Live & Learn
Environmental Education Maldives
(LLEE) and Soneva Fushi Resorts.
This project, officially titled “Towards
Environmentally Sustainable Equitable
and empowered communities” is
funded via IWDA Board Member
Trisha Broadbridge’s annual Tsunami
anniversary fundraising event and
donations made to IWDA’s tsunami
appeal from the Australian public.
The purpose of the project is to
enhance the strategic development of
women through capacity building in
livelihood opportunities and increasing
participation in decision making
through gender and environment
training. The livelihood opportunity
comes in the form of chilli cultivation
and the development of chilli sauce
which would be the first of its kind
in the Maldives as chilli sauce is
imported from other countries rather
than processed locally. The island of
Kelaa in H. A Atoll has been selected
for the pilot phase of the project. The
activities of the project for the years
2008 – 2009 will be based on the
following objectives.
1. Provide sustainable opportunity
to women farmers in target
communities in Maldives;
2. Increase Women’s participation in
decision making and leadership
and increase awareness and
understanding of gender and
environment issues in target
community.
The activities looming ahead in
this “Hot Project” includes among
others, a recipe competition for the
chilli sauce, development of the
chilli production facility, training with
women’s group on processing chilli
sauce and community training on
environment and gender.
National Public Awareness
Campaign on Waste
The National Public Awareness
Program has successfully utilized
print and electronic media to convey
messages about waste management.
Furthermore sectoral and community
training were also conducted.
During 2008 we will concentrate
on monitoring and evaluating the
campaign through training and other
mediums.
We have recently signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with
the Ministry of Information Arts and
Legal Reform and have embarked on
a joint venture of producing a weekly
TV program called “Asseyri” which is
aired on the local Television channel.
The year ahead looks promising and
the team is very much inspired by the
work carried out in the Live & Learn
Maldives Office.
Maldives 19
Papua New Guinea
Live & Learn PNG has continued to raise awareness of local and regional
environmental and social issues amongst the communities where we work.
It has been a very challenging but productive year.
Our staff and partners
O
ne of the pioneer members
of our staff, Mrs. Elyne
Jonda, has returned to
secondary school teaching. We
would like to extend a warm thank
you for her contribution towards
the establishment and expansion of
Live & Learn PNG, since it started in
2004. A smooth transition took place
in January as the reigns of Country
Manager were passed to Ben Ngava.
During 2007, the PNG office has
been fortunate to have had the
support from several volunteers.
Robert and Kate, (Australian
Volunteers International (AVI)) have
provided immense technical input
and capacity building in the areas
of finance and administration. The
Rural Water Supply and Sanitation
Project (RWSSP) is greatly assisted
by “Engineers Without Borders” and
also New Zealand Volunteer Services
Abroad (VSA) volunteer, Paul, who
will assist our national engineer with
project implementation.
20 Papua New Guinea
RiverCare
The current RiverCare program was
successfully completed this year. We
plan to continue the work in our pilot
schools together with the Education
for Biodiversity Conservation project.
There is interest and desire to extend
the program into other schools in
the province and indeed throughout
PNG, however, such expansion is
dependent on funding.
Community-based Water
Management and Education
To date this programme has seen the
completion of 20 tanks and over 66
youths from the target communities
trained in the construction and
maintenance of ferro-cement tanks.
To record the success, a film crew
from Asia Works Television visited to
make a documentary of the project.
In addition we were delighted with an
invitation for Ben Ngava to attend the
13th Poverty Environment Partnership
Conference, Manila and share
experiences and lessons learned
with people from organizations
from other parts of the Asia Pacific
regions funded under the Poverty
Environment Partnership Program.
This project is due to be completed
in mid-2008, however, we would
like to see it expanded into other
communities.
Education for Biodiversity
Conservation (EBC)
This has been a very busy and
exciting year for the project in PNG.
Siwa Kupe and the PNG EBC team
have worked tirelessly over the past
year in a coordinated effort with EBC
officers from Vanuatu and Solomon
Islands and the regional coordinator
to develop and produce the Education
for Biodiversity Teachers Manual
which is now completed and printed.
Awareness workshops and meetings
were held between stake-holders,
partners and teachers from our pilot
schools throughout the period.
The EBC Teachers’ Manual was
officially launched in PNG on the 22nd
of May, International Biodiversity
day, at the Independence Park and
involved students and teachers from
pilot schools and our partners; The
Nature Conservancy, Mahonia Na Dari
and New Britain Palm Oil Company.
It was a great success.
Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD)
PNG is part of the regional Education
for Sustainable Development project.
Following on from workshops held
last year–and the results of the survey
carried out by the ESD committee–
training workshops were held to
address identified needs and issues
faced by communities. Two of these
involved demonstrations and training
conducted by our engineer, Peter Pak,
in the construction of VIP latrines and
the third was a training workshop on
how to write project proposals and
make submissions for funding to
government agencies for community
projects. Another important activity,
led by Clarence Burain, was the
development of a traveling story
book based on the pilot community’s
experience. This will be used as a
case study when the project moves
into its replication stage. With the
project ending in early 2009, we
are making arrangements with the
Education Department, partners and
stake holders to develop an ESD
course for student teachers in teacher
training colleges.
Rural Water Supply and
Sanitation Project (RWSSP)
This has been one of our most
challenging projects though we
have managed to meet many of our
targets. Funded by EU under the
PNG Department of Health Rural
Health Improvement Program and
coordinated by the EU agency, Rural
Water Supply and Sanitation program,
the project aims to improve health
and living conditions of people in rural
communities. It has two components.
Through this project we have been able to deliver health, hygiene and
sanitation education to more than 2500 people in four communities and
trained 35 HIV/AIDS community trainers.
The education component aims to
provide educational training and
awareness on health and sanitation
issues and HIV/AIDS. The technical
component is responsible for the
construction of water supply systems
and sanitation facilities (VIP toilets)
in target communities. Through
this project we have been able to
deliver health, hygiene and sanitation
education to more than 2500 people
in four communities and trained 35
HIV/AIDS community trainers. We
have also completed one gravity feed
water supply system, 24 rainwater
catchments and tanks, 8 bore wells
and 360 VIP latrines.
Five year Strategic Plan
This year marks another milestone
for Live & Learn PNG. With the
assistance and guidance of our AVI
volunteer, Kate Mutsaers we have
been able to develop our 5 year
strategic action plan which sees us
through to 2013. The strategic action
plan covers 6 main thematic program
areas which we hope will shape our
work and priorities through to the year
2013. These thematic program areas
are consistent with the Live & Learn
2020 vision. The Live & Learn PNG
team would like to extend our sincere
thanks to Kate for her assistance.
Papua New Guinea 21
Solomon Islands
Imagining Tomorrow:
Peace Building Education
in the Solomon Islands
T
he ‘Imagining Tomorrow: Peace
Education project’ in Solomon
Islands has expanded its peace
education network program through
linking and working with partner
organizations and schools. This was
done through several joint activities
with other partner organizations,
stake-holders and schools. In July
2007, a Youth Quake Cultural Festival
activity for the young people was
jointly conducted with Honiara
City Council in Honiara. The Youth
Cultural Festival is part of the local
government’s youth development
policies for young people and is aimed
at providing opportunity for young
people of different ethnic groups to
interact, share their experiences and
cultures. It also aimed to promote
indigenous Solomon Island cultures
and traditions and provide the
opportunity to compare changes
and to build understanding among
different ethnic groups through
interaction, dialogue and experiences.
During the youth festival week,
Live & Learn conducted peace
education training sessions for young
22 Solomon Islands
people. A total of thirty students
including teacher guidance staff from
Malaita and Guadalcanal provinces
participated in the training.
We were delighted to support
Nguvia Community High School of
Guadalcanal Province in organizing
a ‘Peace Education Club’ Speech
competition. The competition, based
on the theme ‘With Peace We
Achieve The Best’, drew more than
sixty students of different ethnic
backgrounds to participate.
More village women and men in rural communities of Solomon Islands
have taken an interest in acquiring knowledge and skills that would
support their livelihoods.
As well as the student networking
activities, ongoing school based
peace education teacher training
forums were conducted by teachers
trained using the Peace Education
Modules.
Communities Learn
Livelihood Skills
More village women and men in rural
communities of Solomon Islands
have taken an interest in acquiring
knowledge and skills that would
support their livelihoods. This came
about after several Education for
Sustainable Development (ESD)
training activities conducted by
Live & Learn in Makina and Aola
communities, in Guadalcanal
Province.
In Makina and Aola, Live & Learn
conducted a series of Pilot
Demonstrated Activities (PDA) for
communities on a range of priority
issues surrounding sustainable
development. Reforestation, soap-
making, kerosene and starting your
own business are some of the PDA’s
introduced to the communities.
The reforestation training has focused
mainly on native forest governance,
reforestation of cleared lands and
planning and reservation of natural
forests. Most importantly, it aims
to help communities say no to
logging. In soap and kerosene making
training, women and men in target
communities have the opportunity
to learn skills on how to produce
these products using their available
resources such as coconuts.
With growing inflation and
increasing cost of goods in rural
areas, communities are unable to
meet some of their needs. Thus,
communities have acknowledged
and appreciated that the appropriate
technology skills training provided
will help use their environment in
a sustainable way.
Women have attended many of
these workshops funded by NZAID.
The ESD PDA training activities
also had officers from government
departments and NGOs to
participating and providing expertise
in the field of forestry governance
and business. More ongoing PDA
activities and partnerships are planned
for coming years.
Communities Participating
in Research
Participatory research introduces
communities to the concept of–and
engages people in the process
of–developing a project. The activity-
based approach of the research
encourages participants to explore
and share experiences, ideas and
opinions, question and clarify
environmental problems, their root
causes and their links to people’s
wellbeing.
Six communities in Choiseul province,
Solomon Islands participated in
research activities looking at peoples’
thoughts towards natural resource
based conflict. This research sought
to provide an understanding of the
perceptions held by community
members regarding their needs,
problems, opportunities and capacity
to undertake projects associated
with sustainable development. Over
135 men and women of various
ages, including youth participated.
Analyses of the findings have been
Six communities in Choiseul province, Solomon Islands have
participated in a RAP research activities looking at peoples’ thoughts
towards natural resource based conflict.
documented into a report which is
available through the Live & Learn
Solomons Islands office or our
website. The research undertaken
was part of the main activities
on the project ‘Managing Coastal
Community Conflict and Advancing
Marine Conservation’.
AVI Volunteers, Perfect
Combination
Two volunteers from Australian
Volunteers International (AVI) joined
Live & Learn’s staff in late 2007 to
implement the East Rennell World
Heritage site (ERWHS) management
plan on the island of Rennell. The
two volunteers, Mike Heywood and
Kasia Gabrys have wide experience
in conservation management and
ecotourism and have been working
in African and Australian wildlife and
tourism projects.
The ERWHS project was originally
initiated from the conservation and
resource management planning and
awareness programmes supported
by UNESCO and New Zealand’s
Overseas Development Agency
undertaken in partnership with East
Rennell communities in the late
1990s.
Mike and Kasia’s involvement with
Live & Learn will help build the
capacity of the rural communities in
Rennell. Community members will
acquire basic skills and knowledge to
be used together with their traditional
practices and current community-
based resource management
practices to manage their natural
resources.
Since their arrival, the two AVIs
have had first hand experiences
participating in several Live & Learn
community outreach programmes
before they head to the remote
island of Rennell in early 2008. They
will settle in Rennell where they will
be spending the remainder of their
eighteen months assignment.
Solomon Islands 23
Vanuatu
Commitment to communities and resource development have been the mainstay
of activities in Vanuatu over the last year, providing strength and sustainability to
already well-established projects.
Sustaining forests through
improved decision making
T
his project focused on
improving the capacity of
communities to conserve
forest resources through sustainable
use, funded by Canada Fund, IWDA
& Global Green Grants. Education
tools, namely a Forest DVD, Forest
Education Manual, poster and
brochures were developed and
used to reach over 160 community
members, including 63 women.
The project assisted community
leaders to make informed decisions
about how they use their land,
particularly forest areas. Communities
identified Oil Palm development on
Santo as a potential issue: Live &
Learn was able to mobilize quickly in
response by bringing the experience
of a Live & Learn, PNG staff member
to Santo to share her extensive
knowledge and experience of Oil
Palm impacts in PNG. Community
workshops and forums held in Santo
and Vila raised awareness of the
issues and of sustainable alternatives.
24 Vanuatu
Monitoring of community reactions
to the program demonstrated a
positive impact.
Education for safe drinking
water, hygiene and sanitation
Through education and awareness,
Live & Learn (with funding from
SOPAC and WHO) aims to support
the implementation of the Water
Safety Plan project in Vanuatu through
provision of education and awareness
for safe drinking water supplies,
hygiene and sanitation.
Thirty water ambassadors have been
trained in the pilot communities
of Luganville, Espiritu Santo and
Mele village, Efate. These water
ambassadors have completed 90
water safety surveys in households
around Luganville and 64 in Mele
village. The surveys were used to
develop local solutions to water
safety problems for households and
to identify broader issues requiring
community level solutions.
Media was an important project
component completed during the
year. Posters conveying the message
of clean water being everyone’s
responsibility were designed,
printed and distributed in the two
pilot communities. Stickers, with a
message that prompts the audience
to think about the water they are
drinking before they drink it and
mugs with the same message,
were also distributed. Brochures
were designed to convey information
on river care, well hygiene, caring for
water tanks, taps and hygiene in the
house, and water conservation. All
the media items were printed in the
local vernacular of Bislama. Two radio
slots and one TV advert continue to be
aired on “Television Blong Vanuatu”
and Radio FM 98, Vanuatu.
A teacher’s resource is currently being
produced and will be used as part of
the project next year.
Promoting Waste
Minimisation
This project is being carried out in Port
Vila and Luganville and is scheduled
for completion in December 2008.
School workshops, held in Port Vila
and Luganville, highlighted the issues
of using and burning plastic bags as
well as the separation of rubbish.
Students were involved in building
and maintaining low cost compost
heaps. Planning of new commercial
initiatives that use ‘rubbish as a
resource’ such as using bottle
cutters to make drinking glasses and
commercial composting for women in
local markets have also commenced.
These activities have been trialed and
will be rolled out to the community in
the future. Shop assistants have been
trained on how to serve customers
with the idea of reducing the number
of plastic bags: they wear a green
ribbon to show that they are “going
green” and care for the environment.
Media releases in the local
newspaper and television and radio
adverts are now being developed to
expand the reach of the program.
RiverCare
RiverCare teacher training workshops
(funded by AusAID) were conducted
on five main islands of Vanuatu.
The workshops focused on
training teachers on best practice
environmental education techniques
and how to use the RiverCare
Teaching & Learning Resource
(developed with funding by NZAID).
Collaboration with teachers and the
Peace Corps program saw resources
distributed to several other islands
not reached with these workshops.
Nearly 200 teachers at 40 schools
have been reached through the
past year through this project and
we anticipate a much broader
reach through making RiverCare
resources available to other NGOs
and stakeholders who share the same
vision and goals.
Education for Sustainable
Development
This past year saw a variety of
activities carried out to assist in
setting up the Sarakata Catchment
Group, commencing with a meeting
and workshop to get the group
together and to identify objectives
and priority actions for the group.
The vision developed and agreed
to by the group was: “Our vision is
to work with our communities and
stakeholders to create a better future
for our people and our environment.
Our communities take responsibility
to conserve and protect our precious
clean freshwater and natural
resources”
The Catchment Group participated in
numerous training workshops during
the year, which provided opportunities
for the committee to practice their
roles and work towards empowering
their communities to make positive
changes and take action to address
catchment management issues
and protecting water sources.
Live & Learn also established a
partnership between the group and
the International Water Centre to
provide further training opportunities.
The lessons learned from the
Catchment Group were used to
create a Pacific Catchment Group
Handbook, which will allow the
project to be replicated elsewhere.
This programme is funded by NZAID.
Education for Biodiversity
Conservation
Much of our work in this EU funded
regional project has centered on
producing the resource “Discovering
Biodiversity”.Through a commitment
from the Vanuatu and the other
Live & Learn Pacific-based offices,
the resource was completed and
launched on International Biodiversity
Day, May 22nd. We are looking
forward to taking it out to schools
and communities next year.
Live & Learn Vanuatu has seen a
change of management this year.
We said goodbye to our acting
Manager Robbie Henderson, who left
us to concentrate on climate change
and indigenous programmes and
establish the Live & Learn Northern
Territory (Australia) office. We thank
Robbie and Emily Findlay for all their
assistance over the past two years
and warmly welcome Kali Vakoto
as the new Country Manager for
Vanuatu.
Vanuatu 25
Finances
Income Statement for the year ended 30 June 2008
Live & Learn Environmental Education: ABN 44 945 150 299

2008 2007

Revenue $ $
Donations and gifts - monetary and non monetary 48 -
Legacies and bequests - -

Grants
AusAID 189,109 77,343
Australian other - -
Overseas grants 1,823,611 2,550,337
Investment income 15,679 12,531
Other Income 30,345 35,009

Total revenue 2,058,792 2,675,220

EXPENSES
Overseas projects
Funds to overseas projects 1,877,252 1,849,101
Other project costs 213,228 166,617
Domestic projects - -
Community education - -
Fundraising costs
Public - -
Government, multilateral and private - -
Administration 174,460 115,785

Total EXPENSES 2,264,940 2,131,503

Excess of revenue over disbursements (shortfall) (-206,148) 543,717

before extraordinary items.
Extraordinary items. - -
Excess of revenue over disbursements (shortfall)
from continuing operations. (-206,148) 543,717

26 Finances
 Finances
Balance Sheet as at 30 June 2008

2008 2007

ASSETS $ $

Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents 790,853 1,154,733
Financial Assets 794 794
Non-current Assets
Property, plant and equipment 87,824 94,114
Other 238,080 3,476

Total assets 1,117,551 1,253,117

current LIABILITIES
Trade and other payables 242,067 154,753
Provisions - -
NON-current LIABILITIES
Payables - -
Other 28,231 44,962

TOTAL LIABILITIES 270,298 199,715

Net assets 847,253 1,053,402

EQUITY 1,053,402 1,053,402

Reserves - -
Funds available for future use 847,253 1,053,402

EQUITY 847,253 1,053,402

Statement of Changes in Equity for Year Ending 30 June 2008

Retained Earnings Reserves Total

$ $ $
Balance 1-Jul-07 1,053,402 - 1,053,402

Excess of revenue over expenses -206,148 - -206,148

Amount transferred (to) from reserves - - -
Balance 30-Jun-08 847,254 - 847,254

Finances 27
Finances
Cash Movements for Designated Purposes for year ended 30 June 2008

Cash available at Cash raised Cash disbursed Cash available

beginning of year during year during year at end of year

01-Jul-07 30-Jun-08
Public Fund 60 1,000 - 1,060
Project Suport - All Offices 14,700 727,308 734,672 7,336
Governing Water 224,945 413,873 381,901 256,917
Solomon Islands Community Capacity 26,601 223,690 179,156 71,135
& Sustainability Development
Cambodia - Asian Development Bank 112,155 437,592 452,215 97,532
& European Community -
New Zealand (1) River Care 99,195 203,131 278,319 24,007
Maldives - Asian Development Bank 91,026 309,469 299,657 100,838
Maldives - UNICEF 3,432 25,338 28,523 247
Fiji - European Community - Regional 264,201 317,778 549,345 32,634
Papua New Guinea - Asian Development Bank 29,397 46,659 73,591 2,465
Education for Sustainable Development - Regional 63,775 140,231 198,683 5,323
General Reserve 3,137 44,542 47,596 83
Solomon Islands - MacArthur Foundation. 123,335 23,656 145,026 1,965
Vanuatu Global Green Grants (10,000) 47,494 29,017 8,477
Solomon Islands - Imaging Tomorrow 92,639 164,812 186,398 71,053
Cash on Hand 6,162 6,274 - 12,436
Cambodia Domestic NGO Services - 97,345 - 97,345
1,1154,733 3,230,192 3,584,099 790,853

28 Finances

Independent Audit Report to the members of
Live & Learn Environmental Education: ABN 44 945 150 299
Report on the Financial Report
We have audited the accompanying financial report
of Live & Learn Environmental Education Inc which
comprises the summary balance sheet as at 30 June
2008, and the summary income statement, statement of
changes in members’ funds and table of cash movements
for designated purposes for the year ended on that date.
We expressed an unmodified auditor’s opinion on
that financial report in our auditor’s report dated
1 December 2008.
Board of Trustees’ Responsibility for the
Financial Report
The board of trustees of the association are responsible
for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial
report in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards
(including the Australian Accounting Interpretations) and
the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (Victoria).
Hayes Knight Audit Pty Ltd G.S. Parker
Dated this 1st day of December 2008. Director
Melbourne
Finances
Auditor’s Responsibility
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the
summarised financial report based on our procedures,
which were conducted in accordance with Australian
Auditing Standards. These Auditing Standards require that
we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to
audit engagements.
Auditor’s Opinion
In our opinion, the information reported in the summarised
financial report is consistent, in all material respects, with
the financial report from which it was derived. For a better
understanding of the scope of our audit, this auditor’s
report should be read in conjunction with our audit report
on the financial report.
Finances 29
Board of Trustees
Our Board of Trustees exists to ensure good governance, financial integrity
and that the Organisation’s focus remains true to its intended purpose.
The Trustees provide their time and expertise on a voluntary basis.

Christian Nielsen Jai Prakash Narayan of the Solomon Islands curriculum.

Australia & Executive Director
Christian has an extensive background
in educational management and
research in developing countries
with both government and non-
government organisations. Christian
has a practical background in learning
methodologies and has applied these
skills in the NGO environment across
the South Pacific and in Australia.
Nikki Parker
Australia
Nikki is an environmental consultant
and a board member of the Australian
Conservation Foundation. A keen
campaigner, she has spearheaded
successful campaigns for protecting
areas of ecologically important
bushland and also has particular
interest in innovative community
education platforms, including
web-based tools.
Fiji
Jai is an active member of the Labasa
community as a teacher and a Vice
Chairman of the Fiji Teachers Union
Labasa Branch. Jai brings a wealth
of grass-roots knowledge about the
teaching culture in Melanesia.
Waheed Deen
& Abdullahi Majeedh
Maldives
Waheed, Bandos Islands Resort and
Abdullahi, Ministry of Environment,
Energy and Water joined our Board
in 2007 and reflect two focus areas
of work in the Maldives; Government
partnership and collaboration and also
working with the main industry
of tourism.
Franco Rodi
Solomon Islands
Rodi is from Vella lavella in the
Western Province of the Solomon
Islands. He is currently the Director
of the Curriculum Development
Centre in Honiara where he oversees
the management and development
Rodi holds a Masters Degree in
Science and has more than 10 years
experience in curriculum development
in the Solomon Islands. He is a strong
advocate for environmental education
locally and regionally.
Morgan Wairiu
Solomon Islands
Morgan studied at the Ohio State
University where his research of soil
and water quality in the Solomon
Islands earned him his Phd in Soil
Science. He has longstanding
involvement in peace education and
reconciliation, including advising
Marau leaders in the implementation
of the Marau Peace Plan.
Edward N. Molou
Vanuatu
Edward has worked in the Supreme
Court in Vanuatu in civil and criminal
law. He has also been providing
legal advice to landowners regarding
logging agreements.

Live & Learn Environmental Education is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) Code of
Conduct which defines minimum standards of governance, management and accountability for non-government development
organisations. Adherence to the Code is monitored by an independent Code of Conduct Committee elected from the NGO
community. Our voluntary adherence to the Code of Conduct demonstrates our commitment to ethical practice and public
accountability. More information about the ACFID Code of Conduct can be accessed at www.acfid.asn.au

30 Board of Trustees
Partners
With great appreciation The Board
of Trustees and the staff of Live
& Learn Environmental Education
wish to acknowledge the support
and valuable partnerships shared
with organisations, Governments
and communities in fulfilling the
commitments of our work.
In particular we thank our Children’s Fund, Macarthur
major donors; European Union. Foundation, Packard Foundation,
Australian Agency for International Marisla Foundation, Global Green
development, New Zealand Agency Grants and Vodafone.
for International Development,
Asian Development Bank, World
Bank, United Nations development
Programme, United Nations

Live&Learn
Environmental Education

Australia Fiji Islands Solomon Islands

International Office Country Manager: Doris Ravai Country Manager: Jacob Zukuli
Executive Director: Christian Nielsen 87 Gordon Street DSE Building –Lombi Crescent Street
Ross House - 4th Floor Private Mail Bag New China Town
247-251 Flinders Lane Suva – Fiji PO Box 1454
Melbourne 3000 Victoria, Australia P: +679 3315 868 Honiara – Solomon Islands
P: +61 3 96501291 F: +679 3305 868 P: +677 23697/24453
F: +61 3 96501391 E: fiji@livelearn.org F: +677 24454
E: livelearn@livelearn.org E: solomons@livelearn.org
Maldives
Northern Territory Country Manager: Vanuatu
Manager: Robbie Henderson Fathimath Shafeeqa Country Manager: Kali Vatoko
PO Box 1444, Katherine H. Huba 1st Floor Fres Wota Four
Northern Territory, 0850 Medhuziyaaraiy Magu (opposite Fres Wota School)
Australia Male’ Republic of Maldives PO Box 1629
M: +61 437 683 929 Tel: +960 330 3585 Port Vila - Vanuatu
E: robbie.henderson@livelearn.org E: maldives@livelearn.org P: +678 27448
F: +678 27455
Cambodia Papua New Guinea E: vanuatu@livelearn.org
Regional Advisor: Jady Smith Country Manager: Ben Ngava
Talesea Local Level Government Vietnam
Country Manager: Bunthan Keat
MRC Building, 3rd Floor, Room 303 Offices Country Manager: Do Van Nguyet
#364, Preah Monivong Blvd PO Box 844 32 Xuan Dieu
Sangkat Phsar Domthkov Kimbe, West New Britain Province Hanoi
Khan Chamkarmorn Papua New Guinea Vietnam
GPO Box 91, Phnom Penh P: +675 983 4716 M: +844 371 901 09
Cambodia P/F: +675 983 4237 E: vietnam@livelearn.org
T: +855 23 997 753 E: png@livelearn.org
T/F: +855 23 224 053
E: livelearn@online.com.kh

www.livelearn.org

Partners & Offices 31

 Live&Learn
Environmental Education

Annual Report

www.livelearn.org