They Have No Jobs And Education, Support Mittal Patel To Uplift The Nomads Of Gujarat

Imagine belonging to a community where people don’t know that you actually exist? While this may seem very odd to most of us, India still has lakhs of people like that who don’t have the citizenship of the country. 

Mittal Patel, 35, the founder and managing trustee of Vicharta Samuday Samarthan Manch (VSSM) has been working  passionately for  the 28 nomadic tribes (NT) and 12 de-notified tribes (DNT) of Gujarat. Her primary goal was to give them citizenship and access to various welfare schemes of the government. 

How has VSSM been helping them? 

VSSM came into being in 2005 in a quest to find the whereabouts of various Nomadic and Denotified Tribes (NT-DNTs) of Gujarat. VSSM, through its various initiatives endeavours to enable the NT-DNTs get access to citizenry rights, education, health facilities, housing and livelihood support. It has taken up the challenge to bring about a holistic change in the lives of  NT-DNTs by questioning stereotypes both at the grassroots as well as policy levels. 

The organisation works with the Peripatetic nomads of Gujarat. They are the Saraniyaa, Gadaliyaa, Luhariya, Vadee, Madaree, Nat, Vanzara, Bajaniyaa, Devipujak and many more. The peripatetic nomads have never been part of any village or contained societies. The nature of their work required them to be on constant move. They were the traders, entertainers, artists, fortune tellers, essential service providers and much more. But right now, due to the advent of industrialization, their skills have no meaning and without modern skills and education, they are misfits in society. 

It was not until 1952, when the Act was repealed that these communities were liberated from the Criminal Tribes Act that assumed them to be born criminals.They no longer need to notify the police and thus began to be known as De-notified tribes. 

“The young mothers from these communities are in no state to feed their infants. How can I turn a visually challenged eye to this and not try and help them?” - Mittal Patel. 

Their work has changed lives, you can help them change many more 

VSSM has been working day and night to give these underprivileged and struggling communities their rightful places in the society. They are now teaching around 500 children from this community and helping them get a brighter future. Even during the pandemic, they have helped thousands from the community with masks and other hygiene products. 

“But right now, we need your support to reach out to many more. These people have decided to move on in their life and they dream of a better tomorrow. With generous donations from your side, we would be able to give them groceries and stationery for the children. It will change their lives, please support us.” 

About the  NGO: Vicharta Samuday Samarthan Manch is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 2005 working to empower the nomadic and de-notified communities while striving to create an inclusive society as well as government policies for these extremely marginalised sections of our society. 

Note: All the donations towards this campaign are eligible for Indian Tax Exemption.