CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE BORNEO PROJECT
A Message from Project Director Brihannala Morgan:
Dear Friend,
When faced with the prospect of fighting a dam that would displace thousands of indigenous communities, and serve mainly to provide power to palm oil factories and paper mills, the Sarawak based non-profit Communities’ Information and Communication Centre(CICOM) came to the Borneo Project for help.Dear Friend,
They asked for our help raising funds to run trainings up and down the Baram river, and to work with communities to fight the dam.Thanks to their efforts, and ours, the Sarawak government has pushed back the start date of the Baram Dam, and we continue working with communities to make sure that the dam will be stopped for good.
The Borneo Project has been at the forefront of indigenous rights and forest protection for the last 20 years. We know that there is no long term solution to rainforest destruction and climate change unless we respect the rights of the communities who are leading those fights.
The Borneo Project has the history and the partnerships to make that future a reality. For twenty years we have partnered with communities to fight rainforest destruction and workon the issues that matter the most, from tree planting and local gardens, to micro-hydro power generation, to indigenous-language preschools, to protests against the corrupt chief minister of Sarawak, Abdul “Taib” Mahmud.
Check out what some of our partners are saying about us:
“We have worked with the Borneo Project for over 20 years– they have helped us map our lands, stop commercial logging in our forests, replant 30,000 trees, unite with neighboring communities to protect forests, and win international recognition for our efforts. More people in the United States should get involved with the Borneo Project to help our struggle. Our land is our life.”
Jok Jau Evong, President, Uma Bawang Residents Association (Sister City to Berkeley, California)
“The Borneo Project has helped us build our capacity in mapping for land rights using advanced technologies, microhydro installations for clean electricity and forest protection in local watersheds, video trainings, indigenous language preschools, hosting international volunteers, and networking around the world.”
Adrian Lasimbang, JOAS/Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia
2011 has been a big year for the Borneo Project.This year marks our 20th anniversary, and with it, an expansion in our work and staff. One of the biggest developments has been hiring a new director (me!). The Project has been run by a volunteer director for three years; I took over this role as a full time paid director in February. I grew up in Borneo, living for over 6 years mostly in rural villages with my anthropologist mother. I returned for two years as an adult. I speak fluent Indonesian. I have worked in rainforest conservation for almost 10 years, first as a researcher for the Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry Research, then as a campaigner for the San Francisco-based Rainforest Action Network. My Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Michigan focused on international mechanisms to fight climate change and deforestation. I am honored to be able to step into this role, and take on new challenges and partnerships.
Of course, this wasn’t the only big development this year! We have begun work on stopping the 12 new dams planned for Sarawak, started our indigenous language children’s book project, and taken on Taib with protests in the streets of Seattle and San Francisco. We also have a completely re-designed new website,www.borneoproject.org. Check out the Borneo Wire (included in this mailing) for more details about our work this year.
The Borneo Project is the little non-profit that could. We do a huge amount with a small budget and one full time staff member. The contribution that you make to the Borneo Project can make a real difference to our ability to fight for indigenous rights and forest conservation.
-
A donation of $50 will make it possible for us to publish 10 new indigenous-language childrens books. These books will feature traditional stories and will be waterproof and tear proof. We will distribute them to children at our preschools and in Penan communities without schools, as a first step in literacy building.
-
A donation of $250 will make it possible for us to support a 15 person group of community leaders fighting a land rights case in court. We can provide transportation for these leaders from their villages, a place to stay, and cover the everyday expenses that often make it impossible for communities to come to the city to fight in the courts.
-
A donation of $500 will make it possible for us to provide nutritious food for one of our indigenous preschools for a year. In these communities, food is often scarce, because traditional farm land has been stolen for logging and palm oil plantations. Offering nutritious food to students is important in supporting the families and the students.
I want to ask you, this holiday season, to make a personally significant donation to the Borneo Project. This may be $25, $100, or $1000, but your support now will mean so much to the people in Borneo who are fighting for human rights and their land.
Your support in the past has been critical to our success; donors like you are the backbone of the work we do. There is no more direct way to support indigenous rights and long-term sustainable forest conservation. Please support us today.
Salam Hangat (Warmly yours!),
Brihannala Morgan
Executive Director, The Borneo Project
PS. Please join us in supporting forest conservation and indigenous rights today. As a small token of our gratitude, the first 100 people to send in their donations will receive a complimentary pack of Borneo Project Holiday Greeting Cards.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE BORNEO PROJECT