Activities

Each year we conduct six month duration courses at different places, covering eight districts of Maharashtra. We enroll approximately 400 semi-literate rural women for these courses. We not only train to become balwadi teachers, but also to develop their personality. In the last twenty two years, we have through such courses, trained about 11,500 women in ten districts namely Sangli, Kolhapur, Nagar, Nasik, Satara, Pune, Latur, Solapur, Sindhudurga, Ratnagiri.

During the summer and winter vacations we organize personality development programmes for balwadi teachers as well as for those who are undergoing balwadi teachers training. Every year about 500 rural women avail themselves of the opportunity of participating in these programmes.
From time to time we organize get-togethers of these women and past students of Vanasthali. They are held at various places and this is a continual process that accords local women and our students an opportunity to exchange views and learn from each other.

Since November 2000, Vanasthali has started giving vocational training to women. This centre is located at Somatne Phata on Pune Mumbai road. So far women have been taught to make wax-candles, prepare scents, artificial jewellery, paper bags, agarbatties, clay toys, door mats, etc. They have also been taught to draw rangoli, to laminate photographs, to prepare bakery products, phenol, detergent powder, liquid powder, liquid soap, warli painting, computer basics, to do sewing and embroidery etc. This vocational training provides supplementary work which adds to their income. Approximately 4000 women have participated in this training.

We have been running 116 balwadies in eight districts, where about 4,000 children receive pre-primary education. The learners in these balwadies include backward and downtrodden sections of our society such as Patharwat, Gosavi, Dhangar, Wadar, Garudi, Vaidu and children of labourers employed in brick kilns.

In 2011, a semi-English medium balwadi has started in Baramati.

Some are transformed into “anganwadis” taken in charge by the Unicef and often with the same Vanasthali teachers.

With the help of our 658 hobby class teachers we organize hobby classes for about 25,000 boys and girls in 198 primary schools, comprising of Zilla Parishad &Municipal Schools. These classes are held on weekends and on five days in every week. In these classes the boys and girls read, play, go on excursions, learn handicraft, etc. Such hobby classes and study sessions are also held every day for 1,448 children studying in 15 ashrams wherein 54 hobby class teachers teach.
It is also conducted in 4 remand homes where 16 teachers teach 380 children. Along with the personality development of the children our teachers also help them in developing their reading & writing skills. Women trained by Vanasthali regularly visit Remand Homes at Sangamner, Baramati and Shrirampur with a view to help the school-going internees with their studies. They also teach them handicraft, take them out on excursions etc. This has, opine the Superintendents of of these Remand Homes, resulted in the remarkable progress in boys and girls.

Through our bi-monthly we take to the door step of the rural women, essential and up-to date information about women’s problems, health, nutrition, changing social scenario and values, scientific developments, environmental awareness and entertainment. Rural women are encouraged to put forward their thoughts and views through this bi-monthly. Since 1998 our teachers are publishing this bi-monthly on their own, from their centres.

We have always endeavored to instil awareness of hygiene into rural women, and hence we provide financial assistance for building toilets for our teachers, girls schools and ashram schools.

We provide financial help by way of interest free loans to our teachers for buying bicycles, two wheelers, livestock, sewing machines, loan for starting stationary shops and for education of their children. A number of our teachers have availed themselves of this facility and our experience is that they pay back the loan amount as quickly as possible.

The residents of Jejuri urged us to start a primary school in Jejuri. We have, therefore started a school there. Although the school started in 1996, it shifted to its own building in 1998. This is the first step taken by Vanasthali into the field of primary education. The school is now semi-English medium school.

The courses consist in 3 months of theoretical formation and 3 other months of practice. At the end of 2009, four batches have already been trained and the girls are now employed in several hospitals in Puné ; a fifth batch occurred in 2010 and in 2012 already the eleventh batch is starting ; nearly all are now employed in the Pune hospitals.

Mobile vans visit zillha parihad and municipal schools and distribute the books in the classrooms. Children read the books in the class (with the permission from the school authorities) . Our vans visit each school approx. twice in a month.  Vans cover the surrounding areas (villages) near the center.

Seven library vans go from school to school around Baramati, Somatné, Shirwal, Shrirampur, Sangamner, Lasalgaon and Lonand, offering books, magazines, toys... to primary school children.

In 2014, Vanasthali started this project in Somatane and Talegaon area. Books are given by Vanasthali.  Supervisors select local teachers for this project. Each teacher receives around 100 books, including some in English, for her home library.
Children surrounding her homes come to pick up the books for reading. After they finish the book they return it and pick up a new book. Children from all the schools who live near the supervisor can benefit of this facility.