This is an initiative in which we design and provide sustainable and/or alternative livelihoods to the members of the tribal communities of the Tansa Valley in order to reduce their dependence on the forests for their sustenance. 

Tribal communities, ever since their origin, have been dependent on forests. This dependency, however, was sustainable. With time and modernization, this has turned into a situation that borders on exploitation of the forests. If this has to be tackled, the communities need to be given livelihood options that are either sustainable or alternatives to their basic sources of livelihood.

This initiative provides livelihoods to the women of the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and the Warli artists of the Valley. One such initiative that we undertook was an art-based livelihood for the artists in the community. These communities being of the famed Warli tribe, proficiency in Warli art is inherent in them. We engaged Warli artists to conduct Warli art classes for school students in Mumbai. Women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) were also engaged in making handmade old newspaper bags, which were then distributed free of charge to Mahashivaratri pilgrims visiting Shiva temples in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Mumbai, in lieu of plastic bags. The villages wholeheartedly welcomed the project, and women participated in large numbers and look forward to participating in the future.