In order to make a living from fishing, the contract system must be abolished
After a massive mobilization, The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) has made a major step forward. The local government of Sindh province gave back to thousands of fresh water fishermen direct administration of their fishing area. This is a question of survival for them and their families. In April 2007, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, the Head of the Provincial government, announced the abolition of the contract system, protection and a significant aid in support of the socio-economic development of Sindh’s fishermen. This was a great victory for the PFF and all the fishermen of the district, who welcomed the proposals.

Fast to feed themselves from their land
Ten years of struggle to come to a 29-day hunger strike last winter. This is what landless peasants of Negros Island, located in the heart of the Filipino archipelago, had to do to obtain a piece of land to cultivate. However, what they are asking for is only fair implementation of the CARP’s agrarian reform programme. Initiated in 1988 for a ten-year duration, it has already been extended once and should normally become void by the end of 2008 without having achieved its goals of redistributing a part of the lands to peasant families.

Peasant women are struggling to bring back equality of the sexes
They want to become players in the struggle for agrarian reform, major players. The time is over when they only supported their husbands, fathers or brothers who were leading the fight. Assembled for a training course on 8th and 9th of March last in Semarang, on the island of Java, Indonesia, these women symbolically chose these dates to coincide with International Women’s Day. The title of the training course sums up its ambitious content: “Strengthening the role and the participation of women in peasant organisations fighting for agrarian reform.”

“Do not touch the untouchables!” claims the people's court
Fighting against the threat of "untouchability" and developing an action plan to eliminate it from the country are the goals of the Indian peoples' court, the IPT, recently assembled in New Delhi. A public national hearing was organized on 12th and 13th May last by the National Campaign for Dalits' Human Rights and the Human Rights Law Network. It was the opportunity to talk once more about the cause of those referred to as “Untouchables”, about their suffering, but also how they are mobilizing themselves - the fight of an oppressed people.

The web, a new tool for a young democracy
Nepal is at a turning point in its history - in full democratic transition, after more than 10 years of Maoist insurrection and following the King's loss of power, last spring. In Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, a handful of journalists are standing up for a democratic and peaceful Nepal through a blog called United We Blog for a democratic Nepal (UWB). In this Himalayan country, only a minority of the population has access to the Internet. However, Dinesh Wagle, who created the blog, is the symbol of the young generation who is prepared to face the difficulties of access and connection in order to use new technology to pursue their dreams for the future of Nepal, mainly because they offer a wider margin for manoeuvre than the traditional means of communication.

Justice and peace… that’s what Rafi’s puppets say
The Rafi Peer Theater Workshop is not exactly like other NGOs… The Rafi Peerzada expression workshop intends to “serve society through performing art, and entertain people by using the artistic potential everyone has in them”. One step is surely the puppet folk festival which won international renown, despite a much hostile and unsettled local political climate. This traditional and experimental event takes place every year at the Puppet Museum.

Nicholas, the indefatigable Dalit militant
After going to villages in the South of India in the aftermath of the tsunami, Nicholas had cave an account of his action to the disaster victims. As the overseer of the Federation for Dalits’ right to land, he goes on fighting, day after day, by, among other things, bringing energy to the local IRDS group, member of the RGAS. Today, he describes his life.