Training Rural Women to Impart Educational Programs in Villages in Maharashtra

Vanasthali Rural Development Center (VRDC),  Pune, Maharashtra 

 Contact: Ms. Sushama Sathaye 

Dates: January 2025 – December 2025 

Total Budget: Rs. 5,31,250 ($6,400)

Vanasthali Rural Development Center (VRDC), founded in 1981, trains local, rural women to conduct various educational programs in villages, such as teaching in balwadis (pre-primary schools), conducting enrichment programs in government-run schools, holding hands on-science classes, and providing mobile libraries. VRDC works in 150 villages in 10 rural districts of Maharashtra.

There are no formal educational requirements for VRDC’s trainees other than being able to read and write and being interested in teaching. In VRDC’s 6 month-long training course, women attend classes, do homework, attend practical training, and take an exam for completion.

In 2025, after receiving the donation from PPI in early March, 211 women received training in 12 different locations.

VRDC wants to continue their mission by using their existing printed material along with open-source material. It is to be noted that VRDC was instrumental in providing open-source material to the State Education Research and Training Body.

PPI volunteer Jyoti Samant visited the Somatane Center near Pune. The director, Kalpana Gunaki had arranged a gathering of 25-30 women who had completed the program. Many of them spoke about their personal experiences and how much they benefited from the program. The key message those women conveyed was that because of this program they could stand on their own and how much encouragement and support they received from their own family members.