Indien: Schools for the "forgotten" tribal people.

Ms. Bhanumathi is an engaged woman working for the disadvantaged tribal people in India. Since 1990 her organisation "Samata" has been active in around 200 villages in the state Andra Pradesh (South India). Here the literacy rate of the tribal people is only 22%. Many of the remote villages don´t even have primary schools. Samata fights for the realisation of existing governmental programs for the tribal people guaranteeing access to education and work.

Samata itself has initiated and built up 40 little schools, in each of which 20-30 children aged 4-10 years are learning together. The "teachers" are chosen in the villages – they are young girls and boys who had complete schooling and now can pass on what they have learned.

The training centre of Samata in Visakhapatnam helps these young people to prepare themselves for their future task. In the village schools they cultivate traditional songs, music and crafts. Many things are very nature-related. Later the children will learn to make a living with making things from the natural material of the forest. Samata also has good contact with the Waldorf school "Abhaya" in Hyderabad.

In Visakhapatnam, too, Samata built up a little school for children of the mountain villages. This was made in June 2005 with help of WOW-day donations. One WOW-day can help this school for a whole year!

More information:
Homepage.
Report of the first school year, 8/2006.

Contact

Balamitra c/o Samata

• Hyderabad office: No. 8-2-590/B, Road No 1, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500034, India.
• Visakhapatnam office: D. No. 14-40-1, Krishna Vihar, Emani Colony, Gokale Road, Maharanipeta, Visakhapatnam 530002, India.
  
  

Email: contact(at)samataindia.org or samatha(at)satyam.net.in.