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To uplift the tribal
people, fishermen and other lower sections of society, BAPS has
organized a variety of activities that have brought about a considerable
amount of change.
Medical
Help
Medical services of every type are becoming costlier day by day.
Tribal people, the untouchable class or the fishermen find it
difficult to provide proper medical attention to themselves and
their families. BAPS realizing the problems helps in every way
possible.
- In the tribal area of Dadra-Nagarhaveli,
BAPS provides free ambulance service equipped with oxygen
and first-aid facilities. Sometimes it has happened that a
patient needs immediate attention and has to be rushed to
Mumbai or Surat. On such occasions, the ambulance provided
by BAPS provides the service.
- Every Sunday, free medicines
are distributed for illnesses like kidney stones in Dadra-Nagarhaveli.
Free medicine distribution is also conducted in other areas.
General Health check-up and other medical camps and seminars
are organized to benefit the villagers.
- Blood donation camps are organized
frequently. On request blood cards are given free to the people
which they can use to obtain blood from the blood banks at
low cost.
Educational
Help
BAPS has set up all types of educational help for people coming
from the lower section of society. Living in the jungles of Gujarat,
education was unheard of. The sadhus and volunteers of BAPS fanned
out through the jungles to convince people to send their children
to school. As a result of these efforts many of these tribal students
have gained degrees and awards in Computing, Commerce, Science
and Arts.
- After conducting a detailed
research of the whole area, BAPS constructed a complete educational
complex for 2,000 students along with a hostel in Ukai, South
Gujarat in 1985. The complex is designed to provide all educational
facilities that are otherwise never available to this tribal
community. BAPS provides Free Education with free Textbooks
and Notebooks. We also provide financial aid for poor students.
- In Surat, BAPS has constructed
a hostel to accommodate students from poor families and tribal
areas.
- Educational programs have also
been initiated by BAPS in Dadra-Nagarhaveli, Panch Mahal,
Pavi Jetpur and other tribal areas on the banks of the River
Narmada.
- Literacy programs have been
organized by BAPS in tribal areas for both men and women.
Anti-Addiction
Drives
There is a massive
addiction problem in most tribal communities. Whatever little
money these people earn is ignorantly wasted away on cheap alcohol
and bidis (locally manufactured cigarettes). The sadhus and volunteers
have been fighting a long battle against addiction and have got
results. Out of 72 tribal villages of the Dadra-Nagarhaveli area,
BAPS has managed to make 42 villages addiction-free. More than
18,000 people have been de-addicted by the sadhus and volunteers
of BAPS.
In some villages,
like Ramoddi, Pramukh Swami Maharaj himself has visited every
mud hut to convince people to leave addictions and improve their
standard of living by saving money.
Cultural
& Moral Centers
- BAPS has began setting up cultural
and moral centers for men, women and children in the tribal
areas of South Gujarat; for example, at Silvassa, Randhaa,
Donja, Samarvarni, Karchelia, Ghoghamba, Panchmahal, Surat,
Vadodara and the banks of the River Narmada.
- Child and Youth Forums have
been set up and are running successfully in mostly all tribal
villages in South Gujarat. As a result, children are participating
in national and international competitions.
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