Dreams of Forest Fringe Bodo kids

On the fringe of the Nameri National Park and Reserve Forest, an initiative is helping develop the education and dreams of Bodo tribal children. A self-sustaining model of school management, the initiative by Assam Investment Advisory Society (AIAS) with the Upendra Nath Brahma ME School provides high quality and holistic education to its children. On Children' s day photographer Vicky Roy shares the story of these children in their native Bodo Language.

and Baligaon Village, Sonitpur District, Assam

Esha Goyari, a third standard student, travels almost four kilometres every day to reach school. She enjoys singing, dancing and wants to be a doctor one day. The Forest Fringe School model believes education should be a community initiative that helps secure sustainable futures for local communities.

14-year-old Munush Khakhlary belongs to Santipur, a quaint village nestled in the embrace of nature. He enjoys playing football and cricket in his village playground and understands the importance of playing sports to remain physically healthy.

Bonti’s village, Sonaisiri, is known for its lush green rice fields and five plantation areas dedicated to rearing the famous Assam Muga silk. Bonti dreams of becoming an artist and has a fondness for ducks and hens.

Eight-year-old Rebeka Basumatary belongs to B.G. Dwimuguri village. She dreams of becoming a doctor one day. Her hobbies include studying, playing sports and drawing. Many communities in Assam have lived for centuries in close consonance with their bountiful natural resources which surround their ancestral lands.

Dhonjoy is a first-grader who loves fishing in the river when he’s not studying. He belongs to a village called Ganeshpathar, which is occasionally threatened by wild elephants that cause fear among the villagers. 

12-year-old Amit comes from Romaigoan. He’s enthusiastic about studies and sports and is also very fond of pumpkins. Today many forest fringe communities are lagging behind due to the geographical inaccessibility and decades of policy apathy.

Purnima loves watching rain water flowing from the hill passing through rice fields in her village B.G. Dwimuguri. Her parents work in distant places to support her education. She dreams of becoming a teacher one day. She wants to help provide a comfortable life for her family.

12-year-old Sumitra Mushahary comes from Ruisumwijuli. Her village often faces a threat from wild elephants. She worries about the animals wreaking havoc in their farms. The increasing pressure on land is threatening the balance tribals have had with the forests. Centuries of haphazard forest protection legislations starting from colonial times have sidelined the people who are living in and around these forests.

Indrajit Basumatary cherishes the trees and rivers in his village Baligami. He enjoys studying and playing. Education is one sector that requires specific interventions, keeping in mind the needs of forest-dependent communities who have been historically deprived of the fruits of development.

Bingsree Narzari from Baligami lives in close proximity to the Upendra Nath Brahma school. A beautiful river called Bibari passes through her village. This joint initiative by AIAS and the Baligaon village has resulted in a 71% increase in enrolment at the school.

The lead image shows Joonmere Basumatary, an 8th standard student at Upendra Nath Brahma ME School. 

Vicky Roy is a documentary photographer based in Delhi. He was awarded the MIT media fellowship in 2014 and was listed as Forbes Asia 30 under 30 in 2016.