Nilgiris Wynaad Tribal Welfare Society (Nwtws)

The organisation focuses on healthcare services tailored to the cultural needs of the tribal and local communities. Its activities span outpatient care, directing patients to larger medical centres when needed, and assisting with transport and financial support. With an annual attendance of over 6000 patients, its inpatient facility provides nursing care, and food, and monitors around 3000 patients yearly. Operating a mobile clinic, it reaches remote villages, serving approximately 40 patients daily. Its leprosy programme, conducted by trained tribal staff, has treated over 600 cases, now managing around 6 new cases annually while continuing educational outreach. Additionally, it aids Government health staff with training and technical support, runs a tuberculosis programme, and conducts a successful COVID-19 vaccination drive, providing food kits to the community through generous donations from partners like the Azim Premji Foundation.

The organisation prioritizes educating tribal children, particularly girls, aiming to enhance literacy, confidence, and tribal identity while integrating them into mainstream education. It supports reintegrating dropouts, runs nursery schools, monitors enrolment, and conducts workshops. Its efforts led to hundreds rejoining schools, setting up residential schools, hostel learning, and awareness camps. Innovatively addressing COVID-19, it established village-based classes to sustain education during school closures, ensuring continuous learning for these children.

NWTWS is dedicated to ensuring tribal communities receive their rightful entitlements, from essential documents like Aadhar and ration cards to community certificates and disability pensions. The community faces challenges like trading ration cards for alcohol and difficulties with Aadhar cards linked to unknown mobile numbers. With the relentless efforts of the NWTWS team and support from Government officials, it has rectified these issues. Opening bank accounts is a significant challenge, especially with children changing their names arbitrarily, complicating the process of obtaining tribal identity certificates. NWTWS aims to educate and empower these communities about their rights enshrined in the Constitution, working methodically towards this goal.