Among the many horrors and grief of the bushfi res in Victoria this summer has been the loss, for many, of almost every document that identifi es them – no driver’s license, no passport, none of the usual papers. Are you who you say you are? What rights do you have to insurance, property, a pension? by Margaret Reeson

Those who have experienced this kind of loss will understand the importance of being able to establish identity. Identity is one aspect of the UnitingWorld project in the remote mountain region of Nilgris Hills. The Integrated Tribal Development Project began in 1997 among traditional tribal people who live in the high forests where the state borders of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka touch. Known collectively as the Adivasi, the four participating tribal groups have their own distinctive languages, ethnicity, culture and dress.

An aid project was first established in this area through Uniting Church Overseas Aid in 1997, in collaboration with Church of South India. At this time the people were very shy and the fi rst step was a small pre-school to give children a start in education. Gradually the parents have gained confi dence as they have seen their children bloom. They value the regular feeding program, support for children going to school, the hostel in town for older girls who have graduated to further education and the Self-Help Groups for adults. The program now has expanded to serve twelve villages.

Perhaps most helpful of all has been the efforts of the staff working in the project including project offi cers, pre-school teachers, health workers and social workers. These staff members are proving to the authorities that real people and living communities, have their homes in those forested hills.

Government authorities wanted at one point to make their region a sanctuary for tigers, believing that only a single family lived there. The project staff were able to show that this was not true. They were able to produce detailed files on families known to them, each fi le with a photograph of the household, names, birth dates, ration cards, immunization certifi cates, school certifi cates and any other correspondence related to that family.

With assistance from project staff, the adult Self-Help Groups have formed a Federation that meets annually with 500 people. This has given the people a strong identity and voice was they petition government departments.