Ruparel comes to aid of tribals……..Prachi Nayak
Students of the National Service Scheme (NSS) wing at DG Ruparel College have adopted a village called Chindhyachiwadi in Kasara and have launched a slew of social welfare programmes in association with locals.
Earlier, the college’s NSS students had adopted another tribal village Vangani and helped it become self-sufficient.
“Our volunteers will visit the area every three months, for the next decade till we have helped villagers make significant progress,” said NSS teacher-coordinator Rekha Gore.
A charity trust at Chindhyachiwadi helped students learn the local dialect. “They familiarised us with local ethos which helped us gain the trust of villagers,” said Prathamesh Shinde, a student-volunteer.
The students then conducted a survey by visiting each village household. “We collected data about income sources, social issues and education. We found that the village was plagued with acute water scarcity; while villagers knew little about monetary commerce. Most worked as daily wage labourers on farms in the vicinity,” informed Nilesh Sakpal, another student.
Villagers also suffered from a host of health problems. “Alcoholism was rampant. Many children suffered from night blindness and asthma. Further, girls were denied education and married off early,” added Shinde.
Volunteers then undertook construction of a rainwater harvesting facility and involved youngsters in the project. “Till the next