Aahan Tribal Development Foundation

Background

According to the 2011 Census of India, approximately 8.6% (~104 Million) of Indian population is classified as Scheduled Tribes (STs).

While Indian population is increasing, data indicates that the population of STs is fast decreasing and some of the Primitive Tribal Groups are now extinct. Indicators of Human Development like Multidimensional Poverty Index, Maternal Mortality Rate, Under 5 Mortality Rate, malnutrition, literacy rate etc. is worst in the tribal regions.

Our Vision

Aahan Tribal Development Foundation (Aahan) aims to bring sustainable socio-economic development of Tribals and enable them to defend their rights, environment and cultural heritage.

Status of Indian Tribals

Key Problems Faced By Tribals

Our Focus Areas

Aahan will work on following three areas:

1) Health & Nutrition

2) Education

3) Employment

Framework:

Development: To create local tribal leaders who can bring positive changes in their respective communities.
Empowerment: To empower tribal stakeholders with resources, skills, guidance and knowledge to help them in their work.
Synergy: To create a networking interface between stakeholders working for the improvement of Tribals.
Harmony: To harmonize the demand and supply forces to ensure an inclusive socio-economic growth without threatening tribal culture and environment.

Some of Our Planned Initiatives

Tribal Mentorship Program to provide knowledge, skills, exposure and courage to girls under the age of 25 across various tribal regions and enabling them to achieve their dreams.

A survey done by the Planning Commission- Government of India on a sample of migrant tribal women suggests that 65% of them are under the age of 25, 65% faced sexual exploitation (85% in Mumbai alone) and 91% migrated due to unemployment and poverty.

Hence, in order to address the root cause of the problem and bring about fundamental changes in the lives of Tribals, Aahan will work with the Tribal girls and transform them into an informed and employable workforce.

Mentorship program cultivates strong bonds between leaders and change agents in making. This relationship enables the latter to tide over the difficulties of ignorance and resource crunch through shared experience and resource sharing.

Udaan (Flight):An opportunity for the tribal girls of India to get the exposure of interacting with women leaders based in Delhi and learning form their experiences.
Tribal Sammelan:One of its kind congregation of champions of Tribal cause, Corporate Houses and other social leaders for exchange of ideas.
Tribal Yatras:Vans to criss-cross tribal areas in order to capture critical insights on Tribal issues & concerns with the objective of utilizing it for developing plans, policies and strategies.
Tribal Creations:High impact events for showcasing and educating people about the richness of Tribal Art and Handicrafts.Tribal Buzz: A social media tool for enabling Tribals to interact with the civil society and help latter in the formation of opinion on Tribals.

Our Challenges:
- Gaining the trust of girls and their parents
- Geographical problem[list type=”check”]
  - Difficult terrain
  - Language barrier
  - Extremist forces
- Lack of funds
Our Strengths
AAHAN- A NEW DAWN IN THE LIFE OF TRIBALS