Our Tribal Welfare Program is an extensive initiative covering the areas of education, health and income generation for weaker communities. Our activities are aimed at enabling these communities to be self-sufficient with sustainable employment opportunities and assisting them to be mainstreamed into society. The Sangha operates Tribal Welfare projects in the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, and Gujarat.
The Sangha operates a multi-specialty free hospital at its Ashram in Barajuri. It is the only medical facility within an area of 12000 sp. km. The hospital has cared for 548 patients and has recently introduced an ambulance service extending its geographical reach. The Ashram also runs a charitable dispensary. Four mobile medical units operating at 64 locations provide health care facilities to 200000 people under the Government of India’s Grant-in-Aid programme.
Awareness campaigns are organized to make tribals more conscious of health risks. Interactive aids such as audio-visual presentations are used to educate the tribals on issues of health and hygiene.
An Old People’s Care Programme provides complete care to 60 elderly people, 45 of whom are sponsored by Helpage India. These people by the Sangha, which provides free food rations, utensils, medicare, clothing and cost of house repairs.
56 years of Independence has left unchanged the life of the tribals in Ghatshila, with the standard of education leaving a lot to be desired. Students from these regions are without hope of competing with their counterparts from more progressive areas of the country and disillusioned, the youth are easily lured to anti-social and anti-national activities to earn easy money.
The Sangha believes in the transforming capabilities of education imparted to minorities and backward classes in our diverse society. Education improves the sensibilities of the multitudes and is therefore an exercise that encompasses all sections of the enabled and participating members of society.
The Sangha, in an attempt to remedy this situation runs 17 free days school (one high school and 16 primary school), providing each of the 1557 pupils with mid-day means uniforms, shoes, books and stationery. Although the Government of India has chipped in with support of 750 wards, many students have been denied due to financial constraints.
The Sangha also runs residential schools for boys and girls separately with the Indian Government bearing the expenses in both, with much emphasis laid on character building and extra-curricular activities. Computer education programs have also been initiated for tribal students.
The Sangha also has support systems that assist these students in continuing education through its centres throughout the country.
Our income generation programmes reflect our belief that social equity is impossible without economic empowerment. The two have to go hand in hand and complement each other. The Sangha is active in providing vocational training and skill upgradation leading to sustainable employment opportunities.
The economy of Ghatshila and adjoining areas have suffered due to the closure of several industries leaving a large majority unemployed. To counter this shortfall, we began programs imparting vocational training. The Sangha runs 2 handlooms weaving centres, a soft luggage centre, a carpentry workshop and a handicraft training and production unit empowering 238 tribals.
Tribals youth are also sent to our Delhi Ashram for computer education, which has helped 300 tribals to gain direct employment in different welfare projects.
Agro faming has also been assisting tribals farm a variety of vegetables and fruits using modern tools and technology. The Sangha has setup a Agro Horticulture Project or a model demonstration farm which imparts training to local farmers to help them derive maximum yield from their meager resources.
The Sangha also imparts vocational training through weaving and knitting centres, cane and bamboo centres as well as jute and handicraft centres.
Extreme poverty force many tribals to live in appalling conditions in structures made of leaves and mud. These houses would often collapse during monsoons and had proved to be breeding grounds for diseases and unhygienic conditions.
The Sangha initiated a home construction project that provided families with a solid cement structure that consisted of one room, a porch and basic amenities.