Education:

[ Blind & Deaf School ]

The leprosy patients also constructed two residential schools at Anandwan for the visually impaired and the other for the hearing and speech impaired children from poor rural areas. The Anand Blind School was established in 1966. This is a government-recognized school with residential facilities for both boys and girls. A total staff of 30 caters to 107 students.

The Anand Deaf School was established in 1983. This is a government-recognized school with residential facilities for boys and girls. A staff of 37 caters to 107 students.

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[ Anand Niketan College ]

At Anandwan, rural youth can pursue undergraduate degrees in Arts, Science, Commerce (established 1964) at Anand Niketan College. This college, which is affiliated to the Nagpur University, has a total teaching and non-teaching staff of 84 personnel, who cater to more than 2,000 students. The Agriculture College (established 1965) has 51 staff members and 415 students. This college is affiliated to the PRD Agricultural University, Akola.

The buildings that house these students were built, brick by brick, by cured leprosy patients at Anandwan. Students come from as far away as Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. It is remarkable that most of the patients who constructed the hospital were social outcasts and would never have been admitted into a university because of discrimination due to their disability. By building this institution, they proved that it people with disabilities are capable of much productive work, and mental accessibility is one of the biggest barriers ­ not physical limitations.

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[ Sandhi Niketan ]

"A person can live without fingers but not without self-respect."
- Baba Amte

Established in 1972, with aid from Take Heart Foundation (U.K.), Sandhi Niketan trains disabled residents (polio-affected, deaf and blind). Many students return to their villages to earn their livelihood. The number of youth trained is approximately 100 per year (70% male; 30% female).

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[ ASHA ­ Yuvagram ]

Established in 1995, the Yuvagram project is a training center for rural school dropouts and non-literate youth. Yuvagram has become their second home where they live and work together, forging a new life for themselves and for the nation. The Yuvagram program provides vocational training for disenfranchised rural youth. The situation in India's villages is grim. The agricultural economy has collapsed and young people find it difficult to get a job. The ASHA-Yuvagram program gives the youths six months of training in a marketable trade, after which they can return to their villages in a stronger position to secure employment. Each group is about 50-60 students who in addition to training receive free food, accommodation, medical treatment and a stipend of Rs. 100 each per month. The Yuvagram complex consists of four workshops. Trainees learn electrical work, they also learn how to assemble air conditioners and coolers, and other marketable skills. Other workshops teach them offset printing, furniture making, auto repair, neon sign painting, and garment design, weaving, and sewing skills.

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