Everyone is welcome to join the online celebrations to commemorate the 20th anniversary of a march by the Adivasi people of the Nilgiri Hills (south India) – a march that changed the fortunes of the local tribal people.

The Adivasis of the Nilgiri Hills are the original tribal people of the region. Over hundreds of years, non-tribal people took away their land and with it, their way of life. Deciding to act, nearly 10,000 Adivasis marched through the local town of Gudalur on 5 December 1988. It was the first time they had joined together to protest and it helped them to reclaim 200 small villages, including Chembakolli.

ActionAid first started producing Chembakolli educational resources for UK primary schools in 1991, beginning with a photo pack. 17 years later, ActionAid would like to invite you to celebrate the Adivasis’ successes so far by joining our virtual march.

Children and adults can:

• create their own online character
• send a message of support to the Adivasis
• find out how life has changed for the Adivasis of Chembakolli and the surrounding area.

The people of Chembakolli have been very moved by the interest they get from UK schools. So, join the march, show your support and let’s make this the biggest online march in history.

photo : ©ActionAid/Chroma