Sometimes the best way to help people change their lives is by supporting IVDT-type projects. But sometimes it is important to work for wider structural change – changing laws, attitudes and lifestyles, so the poorest in the world have a fairer chance. This means getting involved in issues as well as with practical work.
MANGRO started because of our concern for the people in the area, but also because we cared about the environment generally. When a Trustee goes to visit a project, it leaves a carbon footprint of about *** tonnes. Supporting a tree-planting project is a way of helping to counterbalance our environmental impact. But we take our responsibility beyond that and address climate change issues in the UK as well as in India.
The ways in which people in our project areas live their lives and deal with their problems, have much to teach us in more developed countries. IVDT is involved with education and training on these issues both in India and in the UK, helping diverse communities learn about each other, and about how their lives are inextricably linked. We hope that from this will grow an understading which lad to a more equitable world.
