Over the past 6 months we have visited both India and Africa to meet with Hindu organisations, to share the work of Bhumi, and discuss how the international Hindu community can work together in the care for Mother Earth.
INDIA
From late December 2010, into early January 2011, the Bhumi Project visited India. Our trip had two main aims:
- To learn and see first-hand of some of the environmental challenges facing India
- Meet Hindu organisations who are working on environmental issues, and discuss how Bhumi can support their work.
We met some exceptional people and organisations. From putting pressure on the Government to reduce genetically modified produce grown in India, to the cleaning of the River Yamuna, we found example after example of great environmental work. Some of the organisations we met were:
- Art of Living Foundation
- Braj Foundation
- Food For Life Vrindavana
- ISKCON
- Krishnaswamy, from the office His Holiness Chinna Jeer Swamy
- Patanjali Yog Peeth
- Sree Narayan Global Mission
From these meetings some excellent partnerships and agreements were made for future long-term collaboration.
During our visit we also attended the ARC Faith in Food conference. Host by WWF at their Delhi headquarters, it brought together faith leaders from across India to discuss issues surrounding food production from a faith and environmental perspective. Guest speaker Dr Vandana Shiva spoke about the serious issues surrounding food production in India and abroad. A follow-up conference is now being planned for later this year.
AFRICA
In March of this year we visited Kenya to attend an all-Africa Christian-Muslim environmental conference. Organised by ARC, and at the All African Conference of Churches in Nairobi, it brought together Christian and Muslim leaders from across Africa. They were there to share what their faith communities are doing to protect the planet, and what further work they can do. We were invited to help encourage and support the African Hindu community in environmental work and hopefully connect them to the Bhumi Project.
The President of the Hindu Council of Africa attended the conference, along with another member from the Council. We were able to learn from them some of the great environmental work they are doing, particularly in Kenya, where they are headquartered. Following the conference we were able to meet more members of the Hindu community in Nairobi, and had the opportunity to make presentations to them.
By the end of the visit we had agreed to work together in order to establish a Bhumi Working Party for Africa. Based in Nairobi, this team will draw on their current environmental work and our Nine Year Plan. Through research and consultations, they will draw up their own Nine Year Plan for Africa. In two years time it is hoped that their Plan will be finalised and work started to implement it.
