Information about Gaman

1. Information about Gaman • Rain during summer and a cooler and dryer winter. • Population about 8 millions. Gaman is half the size of Bangladesh. • Human development index is 0,54 and Gaman ranks 141 for 178 countries (same as Bangladesh). Especially the rural population is poor and through migration there are large slum areas in the cities. Most communities in the countryside lack electricity. • Economy dependent on agriculture, and increasingly on mining and extractive industries. Growth rate is 5% per year. The government have implemented a free trade approach and foreign Chinese and European companies have started to invest in the country. • Few unions have been established in the country so far, but the miners and the factory workers are starting to organize themselves. • 52% of the population are women and they suffer systematical discrimination and oppression, in their families and in the society at large. • Half of the population are below 25 years. HIV/Aids is a increasing problem. Disabled people are often discriminated. Most children do today finish primary level, but illiteracy is still a problem. • The political party “National Alliance” rules Gaman. They have through rigged and elections and threats managed to stay in power for 20 years. There has been a decentralization process, but no real involvement of people in the development process. Both the local and the central government is corrupt. A positive sign is stronger opposition parties. • The civil society are quite weak, but have grown in strength last years. There are a few international donors and professional development organizations in Cul. On the countryside there are member based organizations working with agriculture and gender as well as local grassroots organizations. • There are quite good laws, however the implementation are inadequate. • There are different ethnic and religious groups and there are at times tensions, but no open violence. • The indigenous communities that lives in the Forest and Hills lands are often discriminated and they are excluded from the political process, land grabbing is for example a common problem.

2. Impact on people due to yearly droughts Drought strikes the communities, especially the drier Hill lands once a year where it reduces crop production and starves the cattle. The population suffers from malnutrition and migration. Lack of water for hygiene causes diseases. • Adaptive capacity of communities • + Different varieties of crops are used. • Small scale farmers don't get access to water resources. • Small material assets. • Natural causes • - The Hill lands are naturally dry and water comes from the glaciers. • Global causes • Climate change causes glaciers to melt and the rain pattern changes. • National and local causes • - The rights holders are not part of the decision-making process. • Corruption in government makes it possible for the cotton farming to continue. • - Large cotton farmers extract a lot of groundwater through deep wells. What role can your organization play? (Systematically go through the boxes) Yearly droughts

3. Adaptive capacity of communities • + Some traditional knowledge on how to deal with flooding. • Not so much cooperation between families in the communities. • Small material assets to rebuild after a flood. Impact on people due to flooding Flooding strikes the communities especially in the lowland areas. The impact include death, diseases and that property and crops are destroyed which influences the poverty situation. Flooding • Natural causes • - Lowland area, prone to flooding. • Global causes • Climate change has increased the sea water level and made the flooding more irregular. • National and local causes • - Corruption at the national level is making land grabbing of rivers a common problem, which increases the flooding. • The rights holders are not part of the decision-making process. • - Infrastructure is not built for flooding. What role can your organization play? (Systematically go through the boxes)

4. Adaptive capacity of communities • + Increased understanding the danger of polluted water. • Little access to health facilities. Impact on people due to pollution Emissions affect mostly the population that lives close to the factories and the mining facilities, but also communities that lives downstream. The impact include respiratory diseases and diseases caused by polluted water. Air and water pollution • Global causes • Free trade systems and globalisation moves the factories to where it is cheapest to pollute. • National and local causes • - Weak control of government makes it possible for the private sector to continue their emissions. There is no effective law enforcement and local courts are at times corrupt. • - The rights holders are not part of the decision-making process. What role can your organization play? (Systematically go through the boxes)