In the Satpura forest of Madhya Pradesh, Khanda District, live the Korku tribe. They have been historically marginalized – and face issues from food security to education. In particular, girls face the added challenge of breaking gender roles. Before 1000andyou began, 85% of Korku girls could not read or write the alphabets, 50% married before legal age, and only 1 in 300 reached grade 12. 1000andyou works to change this by promoting girls' rights and empowering them with access to learning. Korku children deserve an education, but community support is needed to ensure they get the chance. 1000andyou is a back-to-school program aiming to build school readiness, resilience, and sustained interest in academics to overcome shocks and learning loss.
In the chilly winters of 2016, our team ventured into the remote Satpura Forest, Madhya Pradesh, to reintegrate out-of-school Korku tribal children. Over three years, we established 60 learning centers to bridge academic and language gaps, counseling parents and training teachers. By 2019, 3,819 of 4,000 children enrolled in 41 government schools.
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From 2019 to 2022, we realized our work wasn’t done — many of the 3,819 tribal children struggled to stay in school due to severe academic gaps. To prevent dropouts, we identified 1,000 vulnerable students for long-term support. During COVID-19, a mobile learning van kept their education and dreams alive.
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Post-COVID, we resumed learning centers to support 1,000 vulnerable Korku tribal children, aiming to guide them toward higher education and uplift their families. Life-skills workshops fostered holistic growth, while parent workshops and community meetings ensured families became active partners in their journey.
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After COVID, students are struggling attending school every day and 1000andyou is working to mitigate this impact. Avoiding school drop-out and mobilizing capacity building will be the big steps we want to embrace in order to rise to the occasion.