Ekal runs over 90,000 schools that educate 2.6 million children in rural, remote parts of India. Ekal Canada is a registered Canadian charity / non-profit organization engaged in the education of tribal, indigenous children in rural India and Nepal. Ekal Vidyalaya simply means 'single teacher schools'. It is the largest grassroots movement for rural education in the world.
Volunteer remotely or in-person with Ekal Canada.. We welcome donors as well as volunteers to join us in this noble cause. We have regional chapters across Canada in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton, London, Windsor, Ottawa, Sarnia, Kingston etc.
Ekal's mission is the holistic development of rural villages in India through basic education, digital literacy, skill development, health awareness, modern sustainable agricultural practices and rural entrepreneurship.
Ekal Vidyalaya is a one-teacher school primarily in the remote tribal villages where often there are not even the basic necessities of life such as roads, hospitals, schools, clean water etc. A school consists of 25 to 40 children and there are no formal school buildings. Classes are held under a tree, in a verandah, or wherever else is available. A blackboard, teacher and students form the classroom.
At the time of independence, India’s literacy rate was a staggering 11%. Since then, it has made tremendous strides in educating its people. Present day, the literacy rate stands at 68% for the rural population in India - well below the world average literacy rate of 84%. The tribal inhabitants live in remote areas, far from major cities. Those areas are highly deprived of basic amenities, modern facilities and even basic infrastructure. In this scenario, the Ekal movement emerged as the most pragmatic solution to this national need.