VISION STATEMENT

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

Projects supported by the Bhuvana Foundation:

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.

Bhuvana Foundation Vocational school program:

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.