Some portraits

Anjali : she works on the computer ; she sends and transfers everybody’s messages and builds power point presentations for the organization. She has just finished a training to become a family counselor.

Aparna  is responsible for the centre of Baramati (with a nursery school, training centre, meeting place...) ; she also spends a week each month in Udgir, a remote and destitute tribal village at the eastern border of Maharashtra, where she has formed a good local team with some local supervisors which she now can rely on. She is also responsible of the mobile library around Baramati.

Bharati :  she is the secretary. She looks after the good organization, the counts, she visits the villages, the different local centres, the schools.

Jaya is new among the trustees of Vanasthali. She works in Baramati, where she lives. She plans to give the women a training in English language and communication (how to speak on the phone, to send an email, to send letters...) and also in administration. This should also take place in Pune if someone can take it in charge.

Kalpana is the responsible of the centre of Somatne ; she organizes training camps, as all Vanasthali supervisors do, but also conducts workshops where women can learn some handicrafts like sewing, making candles or small jewels, idols or washing powder... for local uses : this allows the women to get some income of their own and avoid going to town to get these items.

Mangala  is in a close relation with Vanasthali for complementary activities. She runs an independent centre called “JAGRUTI” in a destitute area of Pune (the name means “awareness”) : in this place, one can find a small health centre with a physiotherapist, a sewing school with an associated workshop, nursery classes, rooms for poor students (girls) from the country.

Manisha is responsible for the Shrirampur area, in the Ahmenagar district. Apart from her activities with Vanasthali (training teachers), she runs a school for handicapped children.

Nirmal is in charge of the mobile libraries, that are now six in number, and she goes through the different districts to offer books and games in public primary schools. Each school benefits of this service about twice a month : it is not much, but it is an incitement to reading with a first contact with books.

No need to introduce Nirmala, founder, inspirer, soul of Vanasthali, who has always new ideas in store, with an unfailing will equal to any difficulty.

Shalaka supervises the publication of the bimonthly magazine of Vanasthali which is taken in charge in turn by the local teams.

Sharmila comes from Kholapur ; she is new in Pune ; she is the housekeeper of the Pune office, and is also in charge of all registers ; she prepares the meetings and visits the villages regularly.

Suchitra works in Somatné with Kalpana ; she speaks English, which is a good help while meeting foreigners. She saw Nirmala on the television once and decided to work for Vanasthali ! She teaches privately and Nirmala could give her more responsibilities.

Sunanda Aglawe is the director of the only Vanasthali primary school, founded at the villagers request and with their help in Jejuri.

Sunanda Nawale : has just finished a training of reading incitement with ASMAE (Sister Emmanuelle’s association) and and completes it with a meeting once a month. She coordinates the “hobby classes” in 10 public schools, shares her knowledge in reading incitement with the other teachers, so spending 4 days a week in the villages around Marval, Somatne, Talegaon. She does not teach the children but the teachers. She works in the office during the remaining days, writing reports and articles for the bimonthly. She comes from Shrirampur but now lives with her son in Pune .

Vrinda is also new among the trustees of Vanasthali ; her financial knowledge is useful for managing the projects. She also visits the schools in the villages.

There are many other workers, training the teachers, teaching the children, working for the general organization, it is difficult to describe them all ; however, let us mention Anita in Lasalgaon and the other trustees like Manik, Meena, Abbay, Uhlas.