CHOCO - Official Website

Hydroponics Training Started in QAEC, Thinadhoo

noreply@blogger.com (HudhuKaalhu) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:04:00 +0000

A hydroponics training has been started in Thinadhoo, targeted for secondary school students, from 26th July 2011. The training is executed by Choco's Program Cordinator, Ibrahim Shiyam.

15 students from G.Dh. Atoll Education Centre has participated in the training program. The participants has shown enthusiasm towards hydroponics and environment, while the commitment to learn remains huge.The students will be expected to complete a project by the end of the training.

The training is conducted in the Green World of G.Dh. Atoll Education Centre (QAEC). The school posses a hydroponics system donated by the agriculture ministry. The practicals of the training is conducted at this system. The students will learn to prepare a system, and how to obtain yields from a hydroponics system. At this time lettuce will be grown in the system.

The trainer expects that the yield of the crop can be obtained before the end of Ramadan. The proceeds from any sale will be donated to the school by Choco.

Choco has already carried out a major hydroponics training program in Gemanafushi, in August 2010, where 74 participants, both youth and students, has been trained. In Gemanafushi a sample hydroponics system was built by Choco and was presented to Dhammaru Jamiyya of Gemanafushi. Course facilitator Ibrahim Shiyam was trained in Hanimaadhoo to become a licensed trainer, by Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, on a chance provided by Choco.

Workshop on Sustainability and Individual Responsibility Completed in Thinadhoo and Kolamafushi

noreply@blogger.com (HudhuKaalhu) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:30:00 +0000

The workshop on Sustainability and Individual Responsibility (WSIR) has successfully been carried out in both G.Dh. Thinadhoo and G.A. Kolamafushi. Two workshops, each spanning for one week, was completed in each island.

The WSIR in Thinadhoo started on 17th July 2011 and was completed on 22nd July 2011. The workshop was carried out in Thinadhoo Aabaadhee Marukaz. Choco would like to thank Thinadhoo Island Council and its secretariat and National Office of Upper South Province for kind assistance rendered. A total of 35 students and 15 youth participated and gained the certificate of completion.

The workshop in Kolamafushi was held from 23rd July to 29th July 2011. A total of 33 students and 1 youth participated and gained certificates. The workshop in Kolamafushi was held in collaboration with Society for Kolamafushi Youth (SKY).

Choco expects the participants to deliver the message to other members of the public towards the self responsibility in preserving the environment.

The workshop was facilitated by a masters' student of environment at the Central European University, Ms Aminath Afrah Rasheed. Choco sends heartfelt gratitude to the facilitator for taking the time and effort in executing such an important workshop.

The workshop is a part of Choco's vision towards "Thinadhoo - The Garden Island".

Workshop on Sustainability and Individual Responsibility

noreply@blogger.com (HudhuKaalhu) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:47:00 +0000

Choco is seeking participants for the workshop on Sustainability and Individual Responsibility, which is scheduled to start on 17th July 2011 in Thinadhoo.

The workshop on Sustainability and Individual Responsibility is a 6 day workshop to facilitate rediscovery of connections to the natural world, as both source and sink for our material consumption; to highlight the concept of individual responsibility; and to identify opportunities for making sustainable choices in our daily lives.

Two workshops are planned for July 2011 - one in G.Dh. Thinadhoo and one in G.A Kolamafushi. The workshop in Thinadhoo will run from 17-22 July 2011. There are limited seats and only 30 participants will be enrolled - 20 secondary and higher secondary students and 10 youth. Youth is enrolled in order to train volunteers to continue the program.
To get enrolled, please shortlist your name with Jinah (999 9546) or Hassaan (790 0054), before 10 July 2011.

The Workshop is organised by Choco and it will be facilitated by Ms. Aminath Afrah Rasheed, a student of Masters in Environmental Studies at the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.

The need for this kind of a workshop has arisen because the responsibility to act upon environmental issues has been shifted to the government or society in general and we usually forget about what we can do individually to protect our environment. To facilitate environmental changes, we need to establish connections that our daily actions and the impact they have on environment. The purpose of this workshop is to increase awareness of students and youth regarding individual responsibility for our own environment.

The workshop will aim to enable participants to discover the lessons themselves (i.e. learning by doing). To this end, three groups of participants will:

Audit inputs and outputs of a typical participant’s daily activities with regard to three different areas: Food, Water, and Energy. This will include amounts (e.g. kg/litres/kWh), price and people involved.
Trace the inputs and outputs to their source/ sink in nature including the routes taken
Identify potential impacts (including secondary, long-term and cumulative impacts) throughout the lifecycle, from source to sink, on nature and humans
Compare their results to global averages (ecological footprint data will be provided)
Discuss whether the social, environmental and economic impacts of their activities warrant a change in behaviour and if so, suggest possible actions.

This will be done over the duration of the workshop, with close guidance from workshop facilitators. An example of an audit will be presented on the first day to introduce the activity and possible methods for carrying out an audit. The programme (outlined below) for the subsequent days will include group work on this main project with a facilitator (1 hour), and activities to introduce different concepts of sustainability (1 hour). The workshop is expected to run for 3 hours on Day 1 and 6, and 2 hours on Day 2, 3, 4 and 5.

	Activities	Aims	Method of Delivery
Day 1	Back to the Future	Demonstrate that everything ultimately comes from nature and returns to nature	Activity involving an everyday object (materials used, sources, disposal)
	One Day Footprint	Introduce ways in which our daily lives are connected to nature	Presentation (possibly with short film)
	One Day Footprint	Demonstrate possible approach to the main group project	Presentation (possibly with short film)
	Introduction to Group Project	Explain aims and methods for conducting the main group project	Presentation
Day 2	Meehakaai Gas	Introduction to some concepts of sustainability	Analysis of sustainability lessons in the children’s story
Day 2	Invaluable / Not Valuable	Introduce the concept of value in different contexts (i.e. Monetary VS non-monetary value)	Activity comparing market price and non-price value of objects identified by participants as important to them
Day 3	Local Knowledge	Explore extent and importance of local knowledge	Game
	Beyond Island Shores	Contrast local and global challenges and circumstances	Photos, Video Clips, Case Studies (highlighting resource availability and scarcity, displacement of environmental problems to poor communities, etc)
		Foster appreciation of our unique blessing and fragilities, and consequent obligations
Day 4	Tragedy of Commons	Introduce the concepts of tragedy of commons, carrying capacities and tipping points	Game
Day 5	Diversity and Resilience	Show that diversity (in ecological and social context) reduces risk of collapse	Game/ Case study [To Be Confirmed]
Day 5	Individual Social Responsibility	Highlight individual obligations towards fellow humans and nature	[To Be Confirmed]
Day 6	Group Presentations and Discussion	Share findings of the three groups	Presentations and Discussions
	Concepts of Sustainability	Review lessons from the workshop	Open Discussion
	Wrap Up	Identify and commit to next steps	Set quantitative targets to reduce negative impacts / pledges Decide on realistic follow-up mechanism

The program is tentatively scheduled to be held in Aabaadhee Marukaz in Thinadhoo.

Kolamafushi workshop is planned incorporation with Society for Kolamafushi Youth (SKY) and will be held from 24 - 29 July 2011.

For more infor and enrollment (before 10 July 2011), contact,

Jinah (999 9546)
Hassaan (790 0054)

Extraordinary General Meeting Call and ExCo Elections

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:50:00 +0000

CHOCO has called up an extraordinary general meeting to elect the new Executive Committee (ExCo) for the next two years. The meeting is scheduled to be held at 16:30 of Friday, 8 July 2011, in Thinadhoo Youth Centre (Zone 7 Stadium). All members are strongly encouraged to attend and cast their vote.

Further, CHOCO has announced to apply for ExCo posts for its members. There are 9 posts in the ExCo. Only Subscribing members can apply to the posts of Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson - Admin, Deputy Chairperson - Finance, and General Secretary and Public Relations Cordinator. Both Subscribing and Voluntary Members can apply to the posts of Program Directorship. There is a program director for each of the objective of CHOCO.

The new structure of the ExCo marks a significant change passed by the AGM of 2011.

The current ExCo was elected on 20th June 2009 for a term of two years. The new ExCo is expected to assume office on 9th July 2011.

Please visit the link to view the notices,

1- Notice of the EGM
2- Announcement for ExCo Election and application

CHOCO Annual General Meeting 2011 Held

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:35:00 +0000

CHOCO has held the AGM 2011 last night, 16 June 2011, at 20:30 in Thinadhoo Youth Centre. The members passed the Annual Report of 2010 and passed a number of amendments to the Constitution of CHOCO.

The amendments passed include reduction of the Executive Committee from 15 members to 9 members. Some responsibilities of ExCo members are also defined more specifically in the amendments. Additional amendments include some administrative changes.

To Read minutes and passed reforms please scroll below,

To view and read please visit the links below,

Minutes of AGM2011

Amendments to the Constitution

CHOCO Revised Constitution

Annual General Meeting 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:39:00 +0000

2011 Annual General Meeting of Choco is scheduled to be held in Zone 7 Stadium (G.Dh. Thinadhoo) at 20:30 on 16 June 2011. All members are invited to attend. Those unable to attend are advised to assign proxies. Deadline for assigning proxies is 14 June 2011.

Download Notice and Agenda

CHOCO Installs the First Solar Street Light in Thinadhoo

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:53:00 +0000

CHOCO has installed the first solar street light in Thinadhoo today, 5 June 2011. It was installed to create awareness for renewable energy and foster faith in renewable energy among people. Furthermore, one of its intention is to mark the World Environment Day 2011.

The first solar street light, is first of many more to come, senior members CHOCO explained. CHOCO is about to embark on a major project will seek to change all street lights of Thinadhoo to solar powered lights. Furthermore, it is also a part of the Garden Island Vision.

The light was installed near the jetty area of Thinadhoo, around the corner of Dhiraagu Thinadhoo.

The light was donated and installed for CHCOO by a generous local company, C-Mos Pvt Ltd.

Survey Process of Huvadhoo Master Plan Completed

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:01:00 +0000

Survey process of Huvadhoo Master Plan is now fully completed. The data feeding and report writing processes will be commenced in the next week.

Although CHOCO faced numerous difficulties from newly elected island councils, citing unreasonable and unfounded reasons. Some councils thought that CHOCO was seeking some funds through the survey and hence thought that they will execute such a survey and get some funding for themselves. However such ignorance was overtaken through repeated dialogue. Areas where problems from the councils arose include Gahdhoo, Kanduhulhudhoo and Madaveli. Support from G.Dh. Atoll Council, especially the president, is also extremely limited.

CHOCO would like to acknowledge the help of many of the of the Councils and local NGOs and islanders for their help through out the survey process.

The data feeding is expected to be completed by June 2011 and an exposure draft of the report is scheduled to be out by mid July 2011. The final report will be handed over to UNDP and other stakeholders and published by the end of July 2011.

Huvadhoo Masterplan Project seeks to write a developmental plan for Huvadhoo Atoll/Region. The project is funded by United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Huvadhoo Master Plan Now Underway

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:13:00 +0000

Huvadhoo Master Plan project has now started. Sessions were held to provide information and give training to volunteers in CHOCO office.

The first stage of the project is surveying. Surveys will be done in every inhabited island of Huvadhoo Atoll. A sample of of not less than 5% will be taken from each island.

The survey process will be implemented by 3 groups of volunteers and they will visit the clusters of islands in each of their visits to islands. Surveying at islands is expected to take place for 3-4 days in each island.

Volunteers Required for "Huvadhoo Master Plan" Project

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 06:55:00 +0000

CHOCO is seeking active and dedicated 12-15 volunteers to work in "Huvadhoo Master Plan" project. The main tasks will be to collect data from all the inhabited islands of Huvadhoo Atoll and summarize them into useful information for the final report. All interested volunteers, please contact Ibrahim Shiyam (9911993) to send your names and contact details.

CHOCO has chosen Athuhar Ibrahim Rasheed as the Chief Consultant for the project. Athuhar is a recent Masters graduate with excellent caliber required for the project and dedication for the NGO.

Announcement Download Here

Higahele Campaign for Local Council Elections Started

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 07:32:00 +0000

“Higahele” is a voter awareness campaign run by CHOCO , with the aims of increasing voter turn-out and providing “responsible voting” message to the public. Higahele Campaign this time is targeted to upcoming local council elections. Choco is providing information about the councils, its' responsibilities and services.

The program consists mainly of a door-to-door campaign informing the public about the importance of voting and the roles and responsibilities of island and atoll councils. The campaign was launched with a pickup ride around the island announcing the messages of responsible voting. The launching was carried out last firday, 21st January 2011. The door-to-door campaign is scheduled to start on 24th January and will run until 3rd February, when the campaign will be wrapped up with a road show.

Choco has printed leaflets, funded solely by the NGO, for the campaign and will use leaflets by UNDP as well. There are around 50 volunteers taking part in the campaign.

Huvadhoo Master Plan Project Signed with UNDP

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:51:00 +0000

Choco signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UNDP for Huvadhoo Master Plan Project. UNDP's Resident Coordinator, Mr Andrew Cox signed on behalf of UNDP and Choco Chairperson Saruvash Adam signed on behalf of the NGO. The project will see the development plans and visions of 18 inhabited islands of Huvadhoo atoll integrated into a do...cument, which will be presented to politicians, policy makers and researchers.

This project aims to develop such a plan which incorporates the ideas at all levels including strategies of the central government, the manifestos of politicians as wells as the visions and dreams of the resident islanders. Eventual fruition of this project will be a document that will outline a master plan and a developmental framework that is necessary in order to influence the policy makers and to provide a yard stick for policy evaluation. Collective vision summarized and classified will help to promote good governance and possibly accelerate the developmental process.

This master plan will address the current issues, put forward the visions, and provide recommendations at all areas of governance such as administration, education, health, housing, and environment etc. of all islands in Huvadhoo Atoll. The plan will include sub plans of each of the islands in the atoll and it will also depict a picture of how sub plans will integrate into a regional developmental framework. The project will be carried out with direct input and partnership by several active NGOs in the region. A committee consisting of a paid consultant, representatives of NGOs, in addition to the staff and volunteers of CHOCO, will design the surveying process and will work very closely with the consultant to develop the plan. Several NGOs has already given the green word and has shown interest to take an active role in the project.

"Hithevare" Workshop Carried Out in Thinadhoo

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 06:40:00 +0000

CHOCO carried out Hithevare workshop to train volunteers and communicate the importance of social work to the youth, on 3-4 January 2011. This program was supported by Huvadhoo Association for National Development (HAND) and Maldivian Red Crescent. The 2 day workshop was carried out at Misbahul Huda School of Thinadhoo. 47 potential volunteers participated and successfully completed the workshop.

The workshop was inaugurated by Mohamed Liraar, Senior Manager Operations and Sales of Dhiraagu. Furthermore the workshop was addressed by the Program Officer of HAND, Ibrahim Ahmed. Lectures and activities were provided on volunteerism, team building, leadership and project/event planning and management by the coordinators. Hasan Abdulla from Choco, Nadha and Himya from Red Crescent coordinated the workshop segments.

Current Hithevare workshop is the second such workshop by Choco. First edition of Hithevare was run on August 2009, and it trained 32 active volunteers.

Photo Journal: Dhiraagu Choco Cup 2010

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:52:00 +0000

Group Stage: Match Day 2

Opening Ceremonial Match between Choco Cup 09' Dream Team and Thinadhoo U-19 Team. Match won 3-0 by Thinadhoo u-19 Team.

Dhiraagu Choco Cup 2010 kicked Off

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:14:00 +0000

Dhiraagu Choco Cup 2010 has begun today at 16:30 in Thinadhoo Football Ground today. The opening ceremony was held at the ground and a ceremonial match between Choco Cup 09' Dream Team and Thinadhoo Under 19 Team was played.

The opening ceremony was attended by several nobles of the island, football figureheads, local traders and sponsors and supporters. The ceremony was started b y providing an introduction of Choco and the Cup by a senior volunteer of Choco. The teams and attendees were then addressed by the Cheif Guest, Regional Commander of Police Mr Yousuf Rushdy.

The event was then followed by the ceremonial match, which was won 3-0 by Thinadhoo Under 19 team.

The group stage matches of the cup will commence tomorrow and will run until 9th December. Two games will be played tomorrow. First game will see defending champions Heyyanbo New Generation (HNG) take on Jeymaa New Generation at 16:00. Second game will be played against DYP and VTC at 17:00.

Choco urges all the fans to come and show their support for their respective teams and players. Choco has already annouced a prize for the best supporters' team in the Cup.

Photos from the first day of the Cup will updated in the photo journal section soon....

Dhiraagu Choco Cup 2010 will start tomorow

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:32:00 +0000

Dhiraagu Choco Cup 2010 is ready to start tomorrow. The cup will kick-off at 16:30 at Thinadhoo Football Ground. 8 Teams have participated in the Cup and teams were divided into 2 groups of 4 each. The first round of the cup will be played in a round-robin manner in the group and top 2 teams cross play in the semi-final to qualify for the final on 13th December 2010.

The Cup is sponsored by Dhiraagu. Several traders in Thinadhoo provided their generous assistance to the cup and Choco highlights and thanks the generosity of the sponsors and traders. The opinion leaders and well-known football figures have well-received the cup and is looking forward to its commencement and smooth execution. Choco would like to thank assistance provided by Thinadhoo Office, The FA (Thenadhoo Football Association), and major sports figures in Thinadhoo for their support and assistance, alongside the sponsors and traders.

The first game of the tournament will be a ceremonial match played between the dream team of Choco Cup 2009 and a team of selected under 19 players in Thinadhoo. The match will be preceded by a small opening ceremony.

An official involved with the Cup informs that Dhiraagu Choco Cup 2010 will be a tournament with high quality, that has not been seen recently in the island. The introduction of commercial flavour to the Cup will provide further cement to sustain and expand the cup into a one big larger cup that involves the whole Huvadhoo Atoll.

The final match will be played in 13 December 2010 and is scheduled to be followed by a colourful ending celebration.

Choco urges all football lovers to come and support the players and yet once again bring out the old football spirit back into the field.

CHOCO Cup 2010 Open for Participation

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:45:00 +0000

CHOCO has opened the second edition of CHOCO Cup for participation today. CHOCO hopes the cup will be well received by the players and managers and assure that several teams will participate in the tournament.

Teams will need to submit the application form for participation to CHOCO office, or any other arrangement made by CHOCO, on or before 22nd November 2010. The cup is scheduled to start on 3rd December, at Thinadhoo Football Ground. The application form is available to download from this website and hard copies are available from Version Photo Studio in Thinadhoo. Each application form must be annexed with copies of National Identity Cards of the players.

The cup is open for teams with players under 16 years of age. Any player who is not 17 years old on or before 1 December 2010 will be deemed as an under 16 player.

CHOCO requests to contact Mohamed Noozam (9621365) for additional information, and to lodge the application forms.

CHOCO Cup 2010 has received several sponsorships offers and grants from the public and companies. The parties which has confirmed their grants include Dhiraagu, Dhiharey Plaza, Sunny Sanitary Ware, MWSC, Al-Khair, DMN Hardware, Nano Tech, Alihawa Traders, Sonee Sports, The Veg and Ice Point. Huvadhoo Weekly is the media partner of the cup. CHOCO informs that several more companies and traders are negotiating to offer sponsors. Sponsors can advertise in the tournament venue and will feature in all advertisements and announcements.

To download

Announcement

Certificate Awarding Ceremoney for QS Training Held

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Certificates were awarded to participants who successfully completed the Quantity Surveying Training course, carried out by CHOCO from 7^th October to 30^th October 2010. A total of 17 students sat for the examination and passed and received the certificates. Quantity Surveying Training was joined by 34 students when it commenced.

The certificate ceremony was held in Zone 7 stadium, on 5 November 2010, at 9pm.

Certificates were handed by Deputy State Minister of Upper South Province, Mohamed Shareef, and G.Dh. Atoll Councilor, Mohamed Hassan Didi. The certificate ceremony was attended by nobles of G.Dh. Thinadhoo, including the Island Councilor and Assistant Director of Thinadhoo Campus of Maldives College of Higher Education.

Speaking at the ceremony Deputy State Minister, Mohamed Shareef, highlighted the importance of the course to Thinadhoo and thanked CHOCO for organizing such a program. He emphasized on the role of NGOs in the society.

Chairperson of CHOCO highlighted the difficulties faced by CHOCO in carrying out the program and outlined the future capacity building programs for the island and the NGO. Course coordinator, Mohamed Nisham, spoke about the importance and use of the course for the participants and reinforced the funding difficulties faced by the NGO. Arif Hussain spoke on behalf of the participants and emphasized on the importance of the program and thanked CHOCO for providing the opportunity.

The Quantity Surveying Training was originally funded by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). The program was contracted in September 2009, but advance funding for the program, which 30% of the total, was received by CHOCO on 15^th July 2010. Since TVET has terminated the contract, citing that the funding project under which the program was financed has expired. Despite being relieved from the contract, CHOCO carried out the course, funded by the 30% advance money and own finance. It is deeply saddening that TVET enters into contracts beyond their capability and hinders on plans and efforts of NGOs to serve their community.

CHOCO Cup 2010 Open for Sponsorship

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 04:48:00 +0000

CHOCO announced CHOCO Cup 2010 and is seeking sponsorship for the program. The proposal for the program is attached below.

Those who desire to provide sponsorship and assistance, it can be provided in several ways.

1- Main Sponsor: Main sponsorship cost Rf 10,000. Benefits include free advertising boards (quantity negotiable) and 50% of the flags hosted around the football ground.

2- Co-Sponsor: Co-sponsorship cost is Rf 5,000. Benefits include free advertising boards and 25% of the flags hosted.

Furthermore, advertising boards are sold at Rf 1,500 each to raise money required for the event.

CHOCO is expecting that Rf 21,380 will be spent on the program. Major part of this include trophies and medals for the players. Furthermore refreshments and other costs related to volunteers and coordination also cost a lot of money.

This is the second edition of CHOCO Cup. CHOCO Cup was first held last year December from 20th to 27th. CHOCO Cup is an under 16 six-a-side football tournament.

CHOCO will kindly appreciate any assistance provided for the program and it will be duly recognized.

Please see the proposal for the program below,

Profile of CHOCO for your consideration

Quanttity Surveying Training Commenced

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 06:39:00 +0000

Quantity Surveying Training was commenced on 7 October 2010 in G.Dh. Thinadhoo. The training was participated by 36 participants and it was conducted in Misbaahul Huda School premises.

CHOCO would like to thank Huvadhoo Association for National Development (HAND) for their assistance in securing the venue.

The Course will run during the weekends. until the first week of November. An examination will be given in at the end of the course and successful participants will be awarded a certificate of completion. Weekly assignments will be submitted to be completed as home work during the weekdays.

Participants are expected to gain knowledge with regard to creation of bill of quantities and other construction related arithmetics and mathematics. CHOCO has received a huge support to join the program once the program was underway, however could not arrange extra seats due to the project capacity.

The program was delayed due to some financial difficulties in obtaining contracted finance from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). TVET failed to provide advance finance as required but it was given after 9 months in July 2010. CHOCO was later told that the remaining money will not be received and the intention to terminate the contract. The reason is that project has expired at 15 September 2010. CHOCO feel aggrieved that TVET did not follow the contractual obligations and delayed the advance money required to start up the program. NGO sector is already crippled with shortage of finance and the last thing the sector needs is demoralization through false promises.

Hydroponics Training Program Concluded Successfully

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 06:11:00 +0000

CHOCO carried out hydroponics training programmed in Gemanafushi, from August 4th to September 10th 2010. Two batches were conducted; total of 74 participants from Gemanafushi successfully completed the training program and was awarded with certificates. There were and 43 female and 31 male, most participants aged 15-25.

“Hydroponics Training” was a training program of CHOCO, which is funded by Technical and Vocation Education and Training (TVET). Hydroponics Training program attempted to teach the people about the technique of hydroponics. It taught the basics of building the system, basics of agriculture and practical matters to deal with. The purpose of the training is to bring out more people in to the field of agriculture and train people in an area where a market is growing continuously.

The program taught by Mr. Ibrahim Shiyam, a qualified trainer who was trained at H.A Hanimaadhoo hydroponics plant of Ministry of Agriculture, on an initiative by CHOCO. He has the license to teach hydroponics.

CHOCO would like to acknowledge the assistance rendered by Dhammaru Jamiyya of G.A. Gemanafushi. And also help provided by Gemanafushi School was also noteworthy.

A sequential program is being planned to be implemented in G.Dh. Thinadhoo in the near future. The agreement was signed with TVET in October 2009, but after long delays in obtaining funding, the funds were eventually finalized in July 2010. But that was also only the advance payment and the rest of funds are yet to receive. CHOCO will carry out sequential programs when the remaining funds are received.

Hydroponics Training: Photo Journal

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 06:52:00 +0000

Hydroponics Training: Photo Journal

Hydroponics Training About to Commence in Gemanafushi

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:10:00 +0000

CHOCO is preparing to start the first major program for this year on August 1st. After a silent first half of the year, CHOCO is coming big with a mega project. A total of 100 participants are targeted to be trained in the area of hydroponic agriculture.

CHOCO is scheduling the first program of the project to be run in G.A. Gemanafushi on August 1st, 2010. Two more sequential programs will be run in G.Dh. Thinadhoo and another island from G.Dh. atoll in the near future. The program is funded by Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) of the Maldives. The agreement was signed in October 2009, but after long delays in obtaining funding, the funds were eventually finalized in July 2010.

The program will be taught by Mr. Ibrahim Shiyam, a qualified trainer who was trained at H.A Hanimaadhoo hydroponics plant of Ministry of Agriculture, on an initiative by CHOCO. He has the license to teach hydroponics.

Training will be a mix of theoretical materials with regard to general agriculture and hydroponics, and practical assignments of building a system of hydroponics. Classroom materials will cover topics ranging from general agricultural techniques, common plant diseases and prevention and necessary knowledge to start a hydroponics system. The practical assignment will involve participants in the development of the hydroponics system or a part of it.

CHOCO is adamant that the program will be beneficial to the participants, as a new market has been just opened since the arrival of tourism into the region; and hence farmers and growers of various agricultural products will be in a new founded demand.

CHOCO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:25:00 +0000

CHOCO ANNUAL REPORT 2009

Read more to find English Annual Report 2009:

HNG Crowned as the Champions of CHOCO Cup 2009

noreply@blogger.com (CHOCO News) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:11:00 +0000

Heyyambo New Generation (HNG) lifted the CHOCO Cup yesterday evening, after beating Jamiyyathul Fodahada by 2-1. CHOCO Cup is an under 16, six-a-side football tournament organized by CHOCO to bring out young talents for football to the mainstream and develop kids to reach their potential through sports activities.

The final match was played yesterday in Zone 7 stadium of Thinadhoo at 4:00pm. Many spectators and guests flocked to the stadium to watch the game. HNG became the eventual winners during the normal time of play.

Awards for champions, runner-up and player of the tournament and top scorer were distributed by Deputy Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mohamed Shareef, and Thinadhoo Island Councilor, Mohamed Zahir. Champion team was Heyyambo New Generation. Runner-up team was Jamiyyathul Fodahada. HNG's young and promising skipper Adhil Rasheed was named player of the tournament. The cup's top scorer was Sham Mohamed from team "City of Kings".

The cup started on 20th December 2009 and 7 teams altogether participated in the tournament. CHOCO wishes to thank all the young players who showcased their football talents in the cup. CHOCO also wishes to thank Hussain Abdul Hakeem, Arif Rasheed, Ahmed Abdulla (Sosun Park) and Ahmed Abdulla (Villa de Light) for officiating in the tournament.

More Pictures from the final match