Jean Thomas: News Update April 2006

Jean at Yomoum drama

Jean conducting conservation awareness

We have completed all of the components of the conservation education program for the Tenkile Conservation Alliance. Since our last update in August, we have focused our education program on conducting village drama based education programs and puppet shows. We have conducted drama education programs in 15 villages since 2004. The drama education program provides village representatives with an insight into local conservation issues and an opportunity to show their communities how they would deal with contraversial issues such as logging and breaking the hunting moratorium for Tenkile. Participants also developed and performed songs about conservation which were recorded by TCA and now feature in a weekly radio program.

The TCA radio program has been on air since the re-opening of the local radio staion called Radio Sandaun in December 2005. The TCA radio program includes animal characters such as Timmy Tenkile, Clemen Cockie and Rick the Rat who discuss various conservation topics and the unique fauna of PNG with TCA staff. These animal characters have recently come to "life" in a traveling puppet show conducted at each village during February 2006. During this time, TCA presented each village with a wind-up radio for village representatives to listen to the radio progam each week.

TCA staff and village representatives express their thanks and gratitdude to the people at Rufford Small Grants for their fantastic support.

Without your sponsorship TCA would not have been able to implement its important Conservation Education Program to the people of the Torricelli Mountains. We are confident this education program has helped in the protection of one of the most critically endangered species in the world
- Tenkile.