Our Work
A community-led model of Adivasi education
Our three programmes are one connected strategy: a model school, teachers trained to carry it further, and village-level support that keeps every child in reach, rooted in the belief that learning happens in relationships.
What we do
Three programmes, one connected strategy
Shaping futures, staying rooted Model Adivasi-led School
The Vidyodaya Adivasi School is a nursery and primary school that has worked for over thirty years to create a culturally rooted, contextually relevant learning environment for Adivasi children.
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Teachers at the heart of learning Teacher Education
Teachers are at the heart of any meaningful education. Our work goes beyond training Adivasi teachers: it is about deepening understanding of community realities, and of education as a responsibility that carries cultural and ethical significance.
Explore Village-level support Community Education
Our work is grounded in the belief that strong, community-led support systems can transform children’s education, enrich their lives, and strengthen community ownership over learning.
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Where we work
Vidyodaya works with Adivasi communities living along the forest fringes of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, in and around Gudalur.
20,000+ highly marginalised PVTG population
- 320 villages
- 725 sq km
- Heavy rainfall
Our impact
Three decades of change, led by the community
When we started, only 25% of school-age children were enrolled, and literacy stood at 27%, just 17% among women. By walking with families village by village, we now have:
Adivasi children supported across the villages today
alumni of the model Adivasi-led school.
young people in college, from almost none a generation ago
resource teachers trained from within the community
What has changed
An education the community owns
- Integrated relevant Adivasi knowledge, culture, and values with academic learning
- Parents and villages take ownership in children’s learning and schooling decisions
- Adivasi-led governance, with over 80% of the team and board drawn from the community
- Geography and social barriers no longer decide whether a child can go to school
- Shifted prevailing negative perspectives on modern education.
Recognition
Honoured at the highest levels
Vidyodaya’s alumni pursue a variety of careers, and serve actively as youth leaders in the community.
- Alumni received by Droupadi Murmu, President of India
- Honoured by King Charles III of the United Kingdom, 2023
This recognition is for the Lantana Elephant work carried out through TREC (The Real Elephant Collective).
Meet our alumniThe road ahead
From here, further
Over the next twenty years, through Vidyodaya 2.0, we aim to nurture
learners with quality education
certified community teachers, who can join local schools
Every programme runs on people who care
A scholarship, a hostel place, a teacher trained from within the village. Each one begins with a gift.