Kasturba Yoga and Naturopathy College

This college is affiliated with the Kasturba Gandhi Yoga and Nisargaupachar University in Delhi. Since 2005, we have been conducting classes in Yoga and Naturopathy. This college is a medicine-free society. Therefore, we believe in Naturopathy and inexpensive self-healing methods to be the way for anyone to live a healthy life. At our college, we have visiting lecturers and we conduct weekend classes. The students come from all around Maharashtra, appearing for courses conducted by our university. Due to our urgent need for funding, we conduct only a small part-time course in Naturopathy for seven to ten students at the moment. Our further plans need to be placed on hold due to current monetary shortcomings of our organizations. However, we are in the planning process of establishing a cadre of socio-medicos, who will travel to remote areas to educate the local people about inexpensive and natural ways of healing. The infrastructure of health services is widely insufficient, and hospitals and doctors are often hours away from the rural villages. With more advanced financial support, we would also be able to buy an ambulance vehicle which could go to the poor areas and provide direct medical help.

We also organize camps in schools, where there are subject experts who interact with our students

Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Shikshan Samitee

This is an initiative to help children of farmers who committed suicide. Yavatmal district has the highest number of suicides in Maharashtra. Ultimately, the children suffer along with the adults. Without care and education their futures are bleak. If there is no one to give a helping hand then there is a very high possibility of them getting caught in the vicious circle of borrowing money and poverty. The initiative has been set up to raise money for the education of those innocent children who have had to drop out of school due to their family’s financial misery. As part of this initiative, Sahyog is further trying to keep a long term follow-up on how the child is faring, not only in school but in his or her overall development. This process is conducted with different local volunteers and organizations. To overcome the trauma of their parents’ death, Sahyog is organizing camps for the children who are supported through this scheme. The camps are to counsel the students who are currently suffering from the loss of their relative, to have people interacting with them on various subjects so as to motivate them, boost their courage and build up their confidence. Surprise visits are also paid to the village in which these children are staying and studying. Our efforts will be to energize them to move forward in life.
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Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Dattak Palak Yojana

This is an initiative to ensure the education of children from very low income backgrounds. In this scheme, which we established in 2000, we appeal to donors to adopt one child by paying funds as fixed deposits to maintain the education of the children from poor families. Through this scheme we support the students from 1st standard to 10th standard. At present, the school fees, books, texts, uniform and medical aid of approximately 230 students per year are taken care of.

While selecting students, we take into consideration their family background (the social and economic conditions, the family income and the number of dependents in the family), the desire of the student to pursue education, his/her performance, etc. At present, there are 6 people who have supported the students of our school through this scheme. The money is then deposited into a bank account, and the students’ welfare is taken care of from the interest.
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Education

The Sahyog Trust has been working in the field of Education since 1986, running two schools and several education programs. We at Sahyog believe that education is not about just attending classes and acquiring degrees. It is more about building perspectives, skills and social values. Gender equity, concern for the poor and needy, solidarity with the people’s movements, promotion of social justice, provision of quality information on health issues and the values of non-violence, is what we try to impart to the students of our school. We promote the action for self-reliance, hope and awareness for change.

Sahyog believes that if we can develop the abilities of understanding in children, we can transform their lives! For this purpose the schools run by Sahyog are using various innovative, interactive and creative techniques.

There are two schools, a pre-primary and a primary school. These schools are in Waghapur area of Yavatmal District. Yavatmal is declared as a Tribal District. The students who attend these schools are from families which are low-income and socially backward. Therefore, we try to support their intellectual as well as personal development in the best way. There is always an attempt made at introducing various methods of informal education along with the formal education.

Our schools are run for students who cannot afford to spend too much on education or for those classes in society where the percentage of educated people is low. As a part of our initiative, we started the following schemes: Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Dattak Palak Yojana and Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Shikshan Samitee.

Further, Sahyog started Kasturba Yoga and Nisargaupachar Mahavidyalay. It is affiliated to the Kasturba Gandhi Yoga Nisargaupachar University at New Delhi. There are students from all over Maharashtra who appear for Naturopathy exams from this centre. This venture was started to spread the knowledge and science of Yoga and Naturopathy so that people who cannot afford health care are able to take care of themselves by using the science of Naturopathy.

Sane Guruji Balak Mandir and Mahavir Primary School

Pre-primary & primary schools in Waghapur/Yavatmal District

The children of our schools are mostly from the slums closeby. After finishing the pre-primary step they continue to study in the Mahavir Primary School. We have adopted innovative ways of teaching so as not to make education a burden for the children. We encourage them to participate in various activities thus inculcating in them values that eventually help them to become good human beings.

We conduct teacher-parent meetings where we not only talk of the progress of the children but we also try to organize sessions which will enlighten them on the values and principles of the school.

Further, we are organizing interactions between students and eminent personalities working on various issues like health, environment, snake protection, Khadi (hand-spun clothing), de-addiction, pollution free festivals, no-Crackers movement, gram swarajya, citizens rights and duties, swadeshi, etc.

The pupils of the school run by Sahyog were once known as dropouts and failures. But shaping their minds and inculcating a sense of self-respect and confidence in the so-called dropouts was the challenge taken up by Sahyog. Today many students who passed out from our schools are confidently leading their lives. They are respected in the society as good human beings.