Location:  9 villages in Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, near the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border

Organization: Bharathi Trust, Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu

Background Information:
    The Irulas(http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/Irulas.html) are a tribal people spread over several districts of Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh.  Their population in the villages around Thiruvallur district is estimated to be about 25,000. Known traditionally for their rat and snake catching prowess, present day Irulas eke out a meagre existence toiling in the fields and rice mills or performing other odd jobs such as coolie work, fishing and gathering firewood. Being illiterate they have been thoroughly exploited by the landlords and endure tremendous economic hardship.

The Bharathi Trust (BT) (http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/BharathiTrust.html) was founded by Siddamma in 1995 for the empowerment of the Irulas. Over the last 6 years, BT has initiated and successfully conducted several development programs (sangam formation, cultural activities, day care centers) to motivate the community and raise its overall awareness. The organization is structured in such a way that Irula participation is ensured during the planning and implementation of all projects.  One of the primary objectives of BT is the education of the Irula children. Since there is no tradition of going to school among many of the tribe members, the children have faced severe challenges trying to join the mainstream government schools.  Moreover, the nearest schools are a few kilometres away from most of the Irula villages.  This leads to the predictable high drop-out rates.  BT has successfully combated this problem in Gandhigram and T.B. Puram villages by setting up transitional schools or ?motivational centers? which enabled the children join the government schools in 2 to 3 years. Siddamma has received support from CRY on some of these ventures.

The Irula project was intiated last year under the stewardship of Asha-SV as an Asha-stars project.

Goal of the Current Project:
To help the Irula children in 9 villages become part of mainstream schooling system by setting up motivational centers/transitional schools. This is to be achieved by:

• Constructing and running 9 motivational centers catering to children in the age group of 5-15 for a period of 2 to 3 years. 
• Motivating the children to attend the schools through cultural exercises and games.
• Imparting basic education relating to reading, writing, personal hygiene, arts/crafts and vocational training.
• Ensuring that all the children enroll in government schools by the end of the 3rd year.
• Creating awareness within the community about the benefits of education so that parents encourage their children to complete their schooling.

Two experts on alternative education techniques have been active in training the teachers. Committees consisting of BT and village representatives have been set up and are actively monitoring and evaluating the schools' operations.  The children are currently being taught Tamil and math with drawing, collage, story telling and outdoor sports constituting some of the other activities. Health records are also being maintained for each child. Parent-teacher meetings are held every month to review the progress and solicit feedback from the parents. Efforts are also underway to record and preserve the social and cultural heritage of the Irulas. The history of the Irula tribe will be included later as a part of the syllabus.

Three site visits have been conducted in the last 12 months (one by an Asha-Delaware volunteer and the other two by Asha stars), the most recent one being in March, 01. Other Asha volunteers like Shanmuga and Jayashree have also visited the schools. Based on the feedback from all these visits it is clear that the project is progressing well with the schools having a tremendous impact on the Irula community at large. The site visit reports give us confidence that the motivational centers will succeed in achieving their objectives in the next two years.

Project highlights:

• Commitment of the Irulas is evident at every stage.
• All the teachers hail from the Irula community.
• Student-teacher relationship is quite unique, unlike those seen in mainstream schools. Kids are not intimidated by the teachers and speak out without fear.
• Teachers from the different schools meet weekly to share their thoughts and experiences. This exchange of ideas may prove to be the key to the continued success of the schools.
• Innovative teaching techniques coupled with fun activities have made school going an enjoyable experience. The enthusiasm exhibited by the children and their eagerness to attend school bear testimony to this.
• Teachers endeavor to recognize the aptitude of each child and nurture their talents.

Number of Children:                                            474

Number of Teachers:                                              13

Budget Requirement for the second year:            $36,085.00

Amount Raised so far:                                           $16,500.00 (Asha-SV, Asha Seattle, Asha-Cornell, Asha-stars, company matching grants and friends)

Request Funding from WAH:                              $19, 585*  (All expenses are recurring)
*Request for funds have also been sent to a few other Asha chapters. The amount needed from WAH is expected to be less than the figure quoted.

For further information on the budget and funds raised, please visit http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/Budget.html

Project web Site: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/index.html

Financial reports for the first year:

• Half yearly report (unaudited): http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/Half_yearly_report2000.html
• Interim report, 03/2001 (unaudited): http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/Expense_report_Bharathi_Trust_5Mar2001.html

Site visit reports and photographs:
Shanmuga's report on a BT staff and teachers' meeting, July 2000: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/SiteVisitReport2000Shanmuga.html

Site visit report from Govind Gopakumar, Asha-Delaware volunteer, July 2000: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/SiteVisitReport2000Govind.html

Site visit report from Venkat Srinivas, Asha-star, August 2000: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/SiteVisitReport2000Venkat.html

Site visit report from Srinath Krishnan, Asha-star, March 2001: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/SiteVisitReport2001Srinath.html

Photographs from the project sites: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/Photographs.html

Contact Information: