VISION STATEMENT

Bhuvana  Foundation seeks to enhance life and well being of tribal and   underprivileged communities through comprehensive education of all   individuals.

 

VIDYA VANAM

 Non-residential school for rural children from tribal and  underprivileged families and is the first initiative of the Bhuvana Foundation.
 

Vidya  Vanam is located about 45km   northeast of Coimbatore, in Anaikatti, at  the border of Kerala and  Tamil Nadu. The school serves children from 28  surrounding villages. It  is our endeavor to help children of illiterate  or uneducated parents  to become self-confident, motivated,  knowledgeable, and emotionally  stable adults. Vidya Vanam provides  children with the tools for  self-learning while simultaneously  recognizing the rich cultural  traditions of their villages and the world  in which they live. They are  encouraged to imagine a world outside of  the classroom walls and their  rural environment. Vidya Vanam strives to  educate with respect for a  broad cultural identity and instills pride in  the children for their  roots as well as their accomplishments.   Teachers learn how to educate  using methods of Montessori, language  immersion, arts/creative  expression, and project-based activities all  centered around the child. 

In  2013, the Vidya Vanam launched  its first vocational school program  aimed at providing job skills to  women from the villages. Most of the  women have completed either tenth  of twelfth grade  education but find  themselves without a job.  In  affiliation with Indira Gandhi National  Open University (IGNOUI) and  Pratham Bhuvana Foundation initiated the  Vidya Vanam Community College  initiative. Vidya Vanam partnered with  Pratham an internationally  acclaimed  non-government organization  working towards improving  educational skills of marginalized people.   The certificate involves  training  women in nurturing children in the  early years and providing a  spring board for them to become teachers and  leaders in the villages.   So far 40 women have graduated and some have  come as teacher  assistants in Vidya Vanam.

During the first part of COVID 2020-2021 there was complete cessation of commerce around the villages of Aniakatti, Tamil Nadu. This resulted in lack of food and food supplies to those families without transportation. 

For the year 2020 -2021 Bhuvana Foundation Tennessee supported 14 villages, 900 families with providing rice, lentils and cooking oil = $3800

Additional supplies of $1400 was given to individual families who asked for additional help

In 2021-2022 we also supported the delivery of food packets consisting cooked food of $1000.

The total COVID relief given was $6200. 

Additional amounts totaling $40,000 were 

given to 1052 artists and artisans who were unable to perform. This amount was given to artists in the state of Tamil Nadu for the two years 2020 -2022.

Before the pandemic in 2020 Bhuvana Foundation Tennessee also supported the arts and artisans of the villages and regional tribal communities. Total amount per year $2500.

Vidya Vanam (school supported by Bhuvana Foundation TN) arranges an annual Svanubhava festival  of arts for three days.  The festival of Svanubhava brings into focus for the community and the children of the school of their heritage and an opportunity to be participate and appreciated all the different art forms.