Originally the home land of aborigines is Wayanad and its socio-economic structure changed drastically during the 1960 after the influx of migrants from other districts. The once sparsely populated Wayanad began filling up with urbanized populations who brought with them a different culture, value systems and agricultural practices that slowly spread through the entire district.
The most drastic change was felt immediately in agriculture. Unaware of the age-old traditional agriculture practices of the tribes, these populations brought the agricultural practices of the plains. Paying no regard to the topographical peculiarity and agro-climate, they pursued intensive farming. This had a disastrous effect on the quality of the soil.
The change couldn’t have been more far sweeping, as almost 85% of the inhabitants of the district population depend entirely on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood. The shift in cropping pattern displaced the tribal way of farming and destroyed livelihoods, creating a great deal of misery for the tribal.
All these had a direct bearing on their family security and adversely affected the schooling of the tribal children. A preliminary survey conducted in the district revealed an alarming number of dropouts among tribal children. The women were forced to take on the role of bread winning, in addition to family maintenance, as the men folk turned to liquor and other addictions. Even the children were compelled to go for odd jobs to supplement the family earnings.
Against this backdrop, the Trust started work in 2002, with the objective of changing the lives of the tribal. The strategy was to target the education of the next generation. Starting with 42 students, the school has grown up to provide education for more than 200 now.
