Services

At present NAWA is running three hospitals, three dispensaries and a Mobile Medical Unit offering free medical assistance to tribal patients from the Nilgiris District and adjoining area with grant-aid from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. if India, New Delhi. Five Tribal Medical Outreach Programmes(TMORS) and sickle cell anemia programmes are grant-aided by Tamil Nadu Government.

NAWA works closely with the District Administration, District Health Department in monitoring and implementation of various programmes in health and family Welfare in the Nilgiris District. NAWA is also net working with other NGO’s in the district in monitoring and evaluating various Programmes. NAWA is also providing training facilities to the personnel from other NGO’s and Staff from PHCs in Health Education, clinical Investigations of Sickle Cell Anaemia and other health related subjects.

The objectives of NAWA set out at that time of its registration are broad and flexible that it continues to be relevant even today to the rapidly changing socio-economic and cultural climate and the emerging needs of the tribal people.

Organization Vision:

NAWA has passed through revolutionary times when the spirit of volunteerism was at its most ardent. So the main focus was to respond to community needs as and when they arose and in the process develop and empower people, but times have changed and new needs and new potentials have emerged, NAWA has now moved from the age of volunteerism to the age of professionalism.

Mission :

To develop and empower people from tribal communities, so that they can assert their social, community and cultural identities and build a sustainable future for themselves.

THE AIMS & OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION:

A. To improve the educational, health and economic conditions of the Aboriginal Tribes (Adivasies), residing in the Nilgiris district of the Tamil Nadu State, and adjoining areas by all constitutional means, viz:

  • The opening and conducting of schools, hostels, libraries, reading rooms, dispensaries, health and maternity centers.
  • The establishment of such other institutions that is conducive to the promotion of this objective.

B. To protect and promote the best values in the ways of the life of the said tribes and to encourage anthropological and sociological studies for this purpose.

C. To develop a sense of unity and co-operation among the said tribes.

D. To do such other things as are incidental and conducive to the welfare of the said tribes, according to the circumstances deemed necessary, and to raise funds through donation, grants from the State Government and Union Government and contributions by individuals and organizations.”

The Focus of NAWA works initially:

  • Attending to primary health care and education.
  • Working for screening the Tribal Communities affected with Sickle Cell Anemia and providing necessary medical assistance and counseling.
  • Providing nutritional support and early childhood care and development through a network of balwadis.
  • Initiating socio-economic development interventions for sustainable livelihoods of the Tribal Communities.
  • Focus on Tribal children’s education and employment options.
  • Networking with other agencies for an integrated tribal development
  • Strengthening of CBOs at the basic level for sustainability.
  • Tribal women’s empowerment through promoting Self Help Groups.
  • Promoting people’s participation and community ownership of programmes.

What should be kept in mind is that those were revolutionary times when the spirit of volunteerism was at its most ardent best and so the primary focus was to respond to community needs as and when they arose and in the process develop and empower people.

But times have changed since then and we now have new pressures, new needs and new potentials. Our projects and activities are numerous and the organisation has grown to considerable proportions. From the Age of Volunteerism we have virtually leapt across to the Age of Professionalism.

The challenge for NAWA today is how best we can retain the essential spirit of volunteerism but temper it with the required professionalism. In other words, how do we fulfill the objectives of the Association so that we do not lose sight of the vision and spirit of those who gave birth to this organization?