Kohka Foundation
Sanctuary Asia|August 2017

Tribal communities in India have traditionally lived in close association with forests.

Anirudh Nair
Kohka Foundation

However, what was once considered sustainable extraction of forest resources can no longer be viewed under the light of peaceful coexistence. Tribal dependence on forests is being increasingly seen as leading to forest degradation and depletion, and thereby continuing a vicious cycle of poverty and suffering. Under such circumstances, these communities too are compelled to find other sources of livelihood.

Empowering tribal communities living in and around the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh by providing them education and employment skills is the mission that drives the Kohka Foundation. What began as a voluntary activity by former banker Sanjay Nagar at a government school in Kohka village near the Pench Tiger Reserve five years ago, took the shape of a nongovernmental organisation in 2014.

This story is from the August 2017 edition of Sanctuary Asia.

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This story is from the August 2017 edition of Sanctuary Asia.

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