Jungle Blackboard

Last month, Komunitas Konservasi Indonesia Warung Informasi (KKI Warsi), an environmental NGO, and the Jambi provincial administration signed an agreement to jointly establish a strategy and action plan to implement REDD+ in the province. Illegal logging and forest clearance over the past years have sharply reduced Jambi's jungle areas. One group impacted by these excesses are the Orang Rimba (people of the jungle) people, who live inside the Bukit Dua Belas National Park. Once a reclusive community, they must now venture beyond their traditional boundaries in order to survive. KKI Warsi is helping them adjust to the changes they face, empowering them through basic education, over the protests of tribal elders. Today, more than 1,000 Rimba children have been taught to read and write. Tempo English brings you this special report, straight from the jungles of Jambi in Sumatra.