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Once ignorant about education, Mumbai's Vaidu community sends 300 kids to school this year

It all started in 2016 when community activist Durga Gudilu started a statewide survey to identify 'out-of-school' students from the community.

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Over the last few days, several small neighbourhoods in Jogeshwari have been buzzing with activity. As schools in the city reopen, 300 students from the Vaidu community - once known for being ignorant about education - are set to go to schools this year. Some children will go back to school after years of dropping out while others will be attending school for the first time.

It all started in 2016 when community activist Durga Gudilu started a statewide survey to identify 'out-of-school' students from the community. Over 1,000 out-of-school Vaidu students were identified after a month-long and a statewide campaign by members of the Maharashtra Vaidu Swayamsangharsha Samajik Sanstha that year. Most of these children had dropped out of school due to pressure from their families or never went to school because they could not afford it. In the years to come, Durga worked on enrolling these children in schools again with the help of a Switzerland-based NGO, Run4children Mumbai, and some other companies who supported her cause financially.

Come 2018, Durga's organisation has managed to ensure that all students between the age of 3 to 15 years are in schools. "This year, we have been successful in enrolling all the students in schools. We are not a big NGO, but, despite that we are lucky to have donors, including the sponsors who pay education expenses of these children. Apart from putting these kids in private schools, we also give them other support by providing them school essentials and educating parents about the importance of education. This has helped change the attitude of the community, which until recently thought that education was a waste of money," Durga said.

Now, Durga is working on bringing children of several other tribal communities like Kolatis and Dombaris into the education system. "I want to make this a bigger initiative by training youth of the respective communities who will then replicate the work," she added.

MEDICINAL ROOTS

The Vaidu community in Maharashtra traditionally practiced medicine and healing with locally available herbs, plants and fruits. With modern medicine making inroads, their profession has devolved into charlatan cures of potions and powders that promise miracles. In Mumbai, about 12,000 members of the Vaidu are settled in 14 ghettos across the city.

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