Namdong, a medium size village located in West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya   had set up a Community park with Traditional Medicinal Plant Garden through their own resources.

This may sound a simple change but what makes it unique is the process of community involvement to make this village as a model village towards self reliance.

Until March 2017, the local governance or Durban Chnong of Namdong was totally dependent on Government and NGO initiatives and support for their own development.

After the FARM Northeast intervention, the community understood People led development concept and the scenario has changed and community owned up the development process and is now moving towards self-reliance and self-sustained.

Community had collected Rs. 500,000 from their own resources and started community park which can be used to mobilize funds to improve the quality education and development activity in the village traditional medicinal plant garden is the attraction of community park with fruit trees and flowers to generate income. Community members extend their services for community work twice in a month to make their dream park a reality.

The village also has a “Herbal Medicinal School” in which two traditional  health practitioners from the village, volunteer as teachers so that there is a transfer of knowledge to the young people and keep the system alive for generations to come.

The Namdong community has a dream to declare their adjoining river as sanctuary river with two prong purposes of conserving biodiversity and also attract tourist in future. Hence much reflection and action are in the making for protected and beautifying surrounding ecology.

FARM Northeast is also promoting cleanliness drive to which the children of the village have actively responded.

Children take cleanliness drive in the whole village and have planted 400 saplings to enhance the beauty of the village. This was made possible due to the intervention of FARM Northeast programme where children were encouraged to form ‘Children and Youth Groups’.

“We believe in cleanliness as it is next to Godliness”. Children expressed their satisfaction for being able to contribute to the wellbeing of their society.

These groups are in the mission to make Namdong green and clean.

Women groups also contribute towards the developmental activities of the village by working on the social issues like banning of selling or consumption of liquor within the village premises.

Community achievements outshine its stature and now local newspapers, District Collector, Block Development Office, Krishi Vigyan Kendar, District Soil and Water conservation visited the village and willing to contribute in the development of the village.

“The work done is only five percent of the total work and ninety-five percent still needs to be done to achieve their overall goal”, echoed villagers.