Pendeba Program, China
Pendeba is a new Tibetan word for “worker who benefits the village.” Pendebas are local volunteers who work to improve daily life within China’s protected areas. Future Generations partners with the Tibet Department of Science and Technology to provide Pendeba training in primary health, sanitation, nutrition, income generation, and conservation concepts.
The Pendeba is the local person whom these remote communities can turn for help. They advise and help their neighbors improve health, sanitation, and nutrition in the home. They help their communities build latrines, dig irrigation ditches, access simple solar lighting and cooking technologies. They promote opportunities for income generation through improved animal husbandry, non-timber forest products, and tourism. Many female Pendebas educate women about family planning.
The program began in 1994 in the Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) National Nature Preserve and has expanded to the Changtang Nature Peserve and the Four Great Rivers protected area. More than 600 Pendebas have been trained both through local-level training and study tours to Nepal for senior-level Pendebas who serve as trainers and supervisors.