Jawhar (Maharashtra): The Don Bosco Development Society (DBDS), an NGO, is to train tribal youth residing in the forests and hills of different villages in the Jawhar block of Palghar district of Maharashtra, Western India.
DBDS has undertaken the new project in collaboration with Bosco Samajik Vikas Sanstha, another NGO, and launched a new project for the development of tribal youth on November 16, said its executive director Salesian Father Rolvin D’Mello.
Jawhar, one of the eight talukas of Palghar district, is a hill station with exotic valleys and thick forests. It is a tropical area and it is mostly surrounded by deciduous green plants. The block is about 80 km from Nashik and about 145 km from Mumbai by road.
Jawhar’s population is 140,187, according to Census 2011.
Jawhar taluka comprises 100% tribal population depending on agriculture as a primary source of income either through their own cultivation or farm laborers.
Anthropological evidence suggests that many of these tribes are of Dravidian ancestry. Some of the native tribal communities in Jawhar are Mahadev Koli, Konkana, Warli, Thakar, Dhorkoli and Katkari.
About 95% of production is Jawhar block is agro-based.
Most people are below the poverty line and illiterate. Females outnumber males although their literacy is lesser than males.
Jawhar taluka also has large tribal migrant communities in Palghar district. They migrate to the nearby industrial areas like Bhivandi, Thane, Mumbai Metropolitan area, Boisar, Dahanu and Silvassa.
This project is financially supported by Manos Unidas, a Spain-based funding agency.
The project will primarily focus on training youth in agricultural and non-agricultural livelihoods, career guidance and job placements, business entrepreneurship skills, and personality development.
It will benefit more than 2000 tribal youth in the coming two years, said Father D’Mello.
Along with the inauguration function; a number of planning meetings were held with the management and staff of BSVS. Other Salesian priests and lay-collaborators also attended it.
DBDS was founded in 2001 to enable individuals and communities to work for sustainable solutions to their problems.
It has been active in tribal, rural and urban areas in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Since its inception, it has been working in communities addressing the issues related to women, children, livelihood, human rights, environment, education, food security, health, vocational skills training and water and sanitation.