Saharana- Dreams for the Sahariya Tribe

Sahariya is one of the most backward community in the region. The vulnerability of the same can be assessed by the community notified as a primitive tribal group. Needless to say that education is one of the least reached service for the women and girls of this community. This is a community that has been struggling for existence alone. The proposed program is focussed on creating a learning environment for the women and girls of this community , which not only includes basic education but also life skills. This in turn will open up spaces for learning and development. The proposed solution will create a possible model of bringing learning as a agenda for this community and finding a solution to collective learning within the existing socio-economic sphere of the Sahariya Tribal Community.

The people of `Sahariyas’ tribe never used to bother about their future, because they were confident that forests, which they respect and protect, would never leave them hungry.  Left with no alternative, the people of `Sahariyas’ tribe had to look out for labour work in the local stone mines to earn their livelihood.  Slowly and slowly, they were becoming a tool of exploitation in the wider perspective of our social system.

Not even the symptoms of guaranteed basic rights of human being i.e. Respectability, Equality and Education, as enshrined in our Constitution, are visible in this area and neither these people have any high expectations from the Society. 

Saharia tribe occupy the lowest rung in the education ladder. The need to improve literacy and educational levels has been identified by various policy makers, academicians and NGOs as the priority area for action to improve the overall status of the saharia people. 

According to a study the total literacy rate among saharias is 34.32 percent in which male and female 43.46 and 24.52 percent are literate respectively. 

The solution to the problem being proposed by Sambhav is simple in nature. Sambhav has an existing training center near Gwalior (20 Kilometers). This center is located in a village Raipur Khurd. Historically the center has been used for training and capacity building of the Sahariya tribe women and men on various issues. The program proposes to equip one room of the center with basic educational amenities including a library, and making this free-to-access for the community. This center will be aided with two full time teachers for women and girls. The education classes will follow the basic literacy and life skill module as proposed by the state government. This center will adequately act as a remedial education center. This will also include equipping the center with a computer screen for web based learning.

The program will specifically be focussing on the Sahariya Tribal group, however the avenue will also open for anyone who wants to be a part of the program. 

Sambhav has been working among the sahariyas for almost 30 years and has learned that one of the major reason of deprivation among this community is the lack of education in terms of dealing with daily life. In absense of education many fall prey to no livelihood and ending up as working as bonded labour in many cases. Since Sambhav has been among them for a long time on various issues, the community as a whole does connect with the ideology of development and in many cases has collectively worked for its well being. 

Through the proposed program we are trying to reintroduce the concept among the community, and making education a felt need , which is also easily accessible and customized as per their needs.

The vicious circle of deprivation, loss of livelihood, struggle for existence, leave no space for the Sahariya community to even think about education as a priority. Education is not a felt need. Lack of education among women and girls does not only impact their socio-economical status but also further push them to more vulnerable health and poor family care. Tuberculosis is a mass killer of Sahariya tribe, seldom will we find families that have not been affected by this in one or the other way. Education is the way forward in terms of helping them help themselves for dignified living.