The group has specifically being selected for this years’ outreach programme because they have direct access to local communities especially the youth and the audience can be attribute to creating awareness further among the communities where they belongs to on IWRM. The programme held on 8 June 2019 at Punakha Central School, Punakha Dzongkhag. Six NFE Instructors and 19 ECCD Facilitators from 19 different villages participated the sensitization programme, and all were women.
GWP Bhutan decided on few objectives based on the knowledge gaps specified at previously conducted surveys on water availability and climate change in the area.
- To promote the principles, values and policies of GWP
- Create awareness on IWRM that BhWP is striving on, at the ground level
- Creating awareness on IWRM among the members of marginalised educational sectors.
- Empower women on IWRM to act proactively on water resources management
- Fostering the participatory approach between the local community and BhWP in addressing IWRM and information-sharing
After the introductory sessions, the participants were made aware of IWRM and using Hydraulic Ram Pump (Hydram) to address water scarcity in rural Bhutan. Participants were taught about the women’s role in integrated and sustainable management of water resources. IWRM involves an integrated approach from various sectors, and the programme empowered the selected women’s group to become actors in harnessing the water resource management.
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Raising awareness and training on IWRM is not new for GWP Bhutan, they have conducted IWRM sensitization workshops since 2015 for educating the Gups (the Heads of the Gewog (block) in Bhutan. By the end of 2015, GWP Bhutan sensitised 205 local leaders including the Environment, Agriculture and Forestry Officials in all the 20 Districts of Bhutan. The Gups in Bhutan play an important role in utilization and management of natural resources in respective villages.