Asia

Strohalm Asia Coordinator Stephen DeMeulenaere giving a training on small business operations and local economic cooperation programs which can be set up and run by the people themselves, in the isolated Enclave of Oecusse, surrounded by Indonesia but politically connected to East Timor.

Whereas Latin America has really taken off with a wide variety of grassroots-level economic initatives designed and implemented by the very people who will benefit from them, Asia has been a little slower.

Although the political will to make some significant changes to improve the well-being of the poor appears to be there, the economic approach taken by some governments has been to oppose the natural development of innovative economic initiatives which take advantage of new economic theory and technology to improve the well-being of people and contribute to the development of the country.

That said, the Japanese Government has embarked on widespread local currency, electronic currency and other innovative local economic initiatives. And in Papua New Guinea, the government of the Province of East New Britain has made traditional shell money an official second currency.

In Asia, Strohalm is focusing on southeast Asia for its programs, and is providing support to grassroots groups in Thailand, Indonesia and the brand-new country of East Timor.

[Stephen DeMeulenaere, Asia Coordinator]
stephen@ strohalm.org
See http://www.appropriate-economics.org