26 Mar 2024
Karupaiya is volunteer in his tribal village, Chellong Colony. He works with our partner ARUDECS. He is 28 and is married with three children. For 10 years he has lobbied government officials to build proper houses in his village to replace primitive thatched huts. He organised the villagers to approach the Collector, the chief local government officer, and present their petition. And eventually their efforts paid off, with title deeds being awarded for housing land for 55 families.
He also monitors children’s school attendance, and with the support of ARUDECS, teachers and well-wishers arranged an auto-rickshaw to take children to school. This simple measure has taken off. A government agency gave a £1,400 subsidy and a bank made a loan of £2,600 enabling the purchase of an auto. ARUDECS helps with the monthly loan repayments. The outcome: 40 students can travel daily to school in the nearest town.