Friends of Tribals Society (FTS), a non-governmental, voluntary organization provides the villagers healthcare education, developmental education, empowerment education and basic education to their children.
The aim is to uplift the deprived underprivileged people in rural India after nearly three decades. working for the last mile population for their betterment to face the trials and and tribulations of life. With a nationwide network of 32 chapters all over India, FTS is serving the villagers with basic education for children, healthcare education, development education and empowerment education. Currently it is operating in around 53,242 schools and over the years it has educated 15,89,177 students of which 7,70,913 were boys and 8,18,264 were girls).
Recenly, it organised a journey to one of their schools about 150 kilometers from Mumbai to Barafpada, a small hamlet in Wada Taluka in Thane district of Maharashtra to experience the change being brought about. FTS, which was established in 1989, aims to make way for a better India by spreading education among the underprivileged children who have no access to it. The Ekal Vidyalaya (One teacher schools) is a manifestation of this aim. Through these schools FTS takes education to the doorstep of the tribal population.
Elaborating on the role of Ekal Vidyalayas and FTS in creating a better India, the representative of FTS said, “Ekal Vidyalaya is a movement involved in integrated and holistic development of rural and tribal India. The main activity undertaken in this movement is to run one-teacher schools (known as Ekal Vidyalayas) all over India, in the remotest rural and tribal villages to take education to the reach of every child. Our teachers try to inculcate in the students social awareness, discipline and basic hygiene besides education."