KOKOP VILLAGE ECO-FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (KVEDO), INCORPORATED
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ORGANIZATION
KVEDO is a legally registered, non-governmental, rural village-based, and sustainable environmental development advocacy organization based in Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Founded by Samson Komati Yuimb in August of 2000 and registered with the Papua New Guinea Investment Promotion Authority (PNGIPA) in November 2003, KVEDO seeks to help poverty-stricken rural village peoples in Western Highlands Province to improve their quality of life through active engagement in eco-forestry, nature conservation, and eco-tourism development initiatives.

PRIORITY AREAS
KVEDO focuses its work on three priority areas: eco-forestry, nature conservation, and eco-tourism. The eco-forestry component constitutes two aspects: Reforestation and awareness education. Reforestation involves planting of trees in deforested and barren customary lands while the awareness education is geared towards educating rural villagers to use their forest resources sustainably. The nature conservation component involves the education of one or combination of native tribes to identify certain natural habitats to be declared as strict conservation zones so that no harm is done to this site indefinitely. The eco-tourism component involves the education of rural villagers to use their natural habitats and cultural heritages to generate economic returns through the development of eco-tourism – a niche tourism market. 

PILOT PROJECT
“Kokop Village Eco-Forestry and Conservation Project” is the pilot project of KVEDO and based out of Kokop Village. Located 45 minutes drive time directly west of Mt. Hagen City, Kokop Village is home of The 3, 000 plus Kentiga Tribe. The project started in Kokop Village in August 2000 and continues to this day. 

The project has two development priorities: eco-forestry (reforestation) and nature conservation. Reforestation involves the buying of massive sums of tree seedlings and planting them in customary lands inside Kokop Village. The conservation aspect involves the revival and restoration of the once-destroyed “Wopkola Rainforest” inside Kokop Village, and the declaration of this 30 plus hectare site as an indefinite ‘strict conservation zone’. 

Between 2000 and 2004, KVEDO raised a total of US$7, 413 (K21, 500) internally and funded each annual operations of the project consecutively. About 80 percent of these monies were used to meet the costs of buying, transporting, planting, and maintenance of over 10, 000 tree seedlings. The remaining 20 percent was used to fund the revival and restoration of the once-destroyed Wopkola Rainforest – a 30 plus hectare rainforest patch inside Kokop Village in Western Highlands Province. Over the last 4 years, KVEDO has developed the Wopkola Rainforest into a well-maintained and privately-owned nature conservation site in Western Highlands Province.

In the middle of 2004, KVEDO plans on expanding the pilot project to include many native tribes in the province through the eco-forestry component. KVEDO hopes to buy thousands of tree seedlings from the local tree nursery and distribute them unevenly to hundreds and thousands of interested rural villagers so they can plant these seedlings in their customary lands for future use. This expansion targets an audience of over 23, 000 people from seven major tribes in Western Highlands Province.

Over the next 20 years (2004 – 2024), KVEDO aims to expand and duplicate the pilot project throughout rural villages in 20 provinces of Papua New Guinea so that eco-forestry, nature conservation, and eco-tourism initiatives may generate economic returns for rural villagers and thus help increase the quality of life.

PROJECT OUTCOMES
Once the trees from all eco-forestry sites have matured, each rural village would cultivate the timber to do one or both of the following, among other uses:

      • Sell timber in the local market to generate income needed to improve the quality of life of each family.
      • To use the timber to build low-cost permanent residential houses – a major shift away from living in traditional hut houses made from bush materials. This is a major way quality of life in rural village comunities are improved.
The Wopkola Rainforest would eventually become a national conservation site and would promote and encourage the following outcomes:
      • Spur an influx of visitors to the site thus bringing in tourism dollars needed by the rural villagers to expand their activities involving eco-tourism while improving the quality of their life.
      • Become a model for all nature conservation sites in Western Highlands Province and Papua New Guinea so that all future conservation site developments may follow the blue print of Wopkola Rainforest Conservation Site.
      • Wopkola Rainforest Conservation Site would become a major haven for local birds, plants, other animals, and insects to breed and multiply in their respective populations. This thus saves each of these living creatures from the threat of extinction or decrease in their respective populations.
DONATIONS
KVEDO is a non-profit organization and as such runs its volunteer-dominated organization on funds raised through donations and sponsorships. Contributions from anyone any where is very important to us, despite the size of financial help.

KVEDO is tax exempt in Papua New Guinea under the Internal Revenue Commission laws and regulations. All donations to the KVEDO for the pilot project may be tax deductible depending on the taxation laws of the country of the respective donors. 

Once a donation is received by KVEDO, an official letter with the letterhead of the organization is sent to the address of the donor stating: (1) the confirmation of receipt, (2) date of receipt, (3) how much was received, (4) what project would this donation fund, (4) name or names of donor entity or entities, (5) stating that these monies were given to an legally registered NGO in Papua New Guinea, (6) and having the signature of the Chairman of KVEDO associated with the signature and official seal of a local Commissioner of Oaths for verification of validation. The donor may use this document for personal or corporate tax deductible purposes in their home country.

FURTHER INFORMATION
If you are interested in knowing the details of KVEDO or its pilot project, please hesitate not to request a copy of the “Project Proposal” and various information booklets. You can contact KVEDO at the postal address: Kokop Village, P. O. Box 1373, Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Phone: (675) 686 2439. E-mail: skyuimb@hotmail.com or skyfdn@hotmail.com.

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