Partnering with Ramakrishna Mission Ashram Narainpur to improve the lives of the tribal populace of Abujhmarh

The Abujhmarh region in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, is home to about 34,000 primitive tribals, who inhabit some 233 far-flung villages over 4000 sq.km. of inaccessible terrain that remains absolutely cut off from the rest of the civilized world for about 6 months every year even to this day. Surrounded by a chain of hills and dense forests and dissected by numerous streams, Abujhmarh is a ‘marh’ (highland) that is ‘abujh’ (unknown) and is also described as a ‘tangled knot of unknowable hills’.

The tribal inhabitants of Abujhmarh are extremely backward and disadvantaged because of their long geographical isolation. The region has very low literacy rate, and the population is troubled with various healthcare issues, including malnutrition, anemia and diseases like malaria, yaws, lung infections, tuberculosis, leprosy and has a high rate of infant and maternal mortality.

Narainpur is the gateway to Abujhmarh hills in Chhattisgarh and this is where the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram was established in 1985 to undertake ‘Tribal Welfare Services’. It is a part of Ramkrishna Mission, a humanitarian organization, founded by Swami Vivekanand in 1897, to engage in various forms of social service activities.

The Ashram, along with its six remote service centers inside the Abujhmarh jungle villages, has brought more than two-thirds of Abujhmarh (nearly 200 out of its 233 villages) under its scheme of socio-economic upliftment which provides medical services, relief and rehabilitation, agriculture support and education to help in the overall development of the tribal people and also in their integration into the mainstream society without disturbing their tribal culture.

The Ashram is involved in a variety of welfare activities for the tribals and provides

• Educational services: It currently runs several residential schools in Abujhmarh apart from a coaching center and two computer training centers. They support students in pursuing higher studies after school and organize exposure visits for them to various parts of India.
• Healthcare facilities - Apart from a hospital at Narainpur, the Ashram runs a blood bank and physiotherapy center that provide services for free. Their Abujhmarh Health Outreach Project (A-HOPE) covers 206 villages through 181 anganwaris and mini anganwaris. They have 8 health posts and 3 Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers located within Abujhmarh and a mobile medical unit that visits interior villages five days a week.

At Tietoevry India, we believe in inclusive growth for all citizens. We have been partnering with Ramakrishna Mission Ashram in Narainpur since 2017 and contributing towards improving the lives of the underprivileged and deprived Bastar tribals in Abujhmarh.

Raj Mohan, Country Manager of Tietoevry India, visited the Narainpur Ashram in June 2023 and took a tour of their residential school and hospital. He engaged in conversations with the administrative staff of the Ashram and interacted with the tribal children. Raj says, “I am happy that, as part of our CSR activities, we contribute to an institution with such a noble cause. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time with committed people who are engaged in a variety of humanitarian activities at the Ashram.”

We are proud of our successful collaboration with Ramkrishna Mission Ashram over the past years and are confident that through our sustained partnership, we will be able to make an even more significant impact in the lives of the underprivileged tribal populace.

Learn more about our societal partners and CSR engagements here. Find out more about Ramkrishna Mission Ashram Narainpur here.