Virampur belongs to the Catholic ashram Palanpur and is located in the Banaskantha district in North Gujarat, an area populated by tribal tribes. This district comprises 14 talukas (district areas), which are between 45-80 kilometres away from Palanpur. More than 80 per cent of the total population are tribal Dungari-Girasia tribes who live either on hills or in forest areas in their makeshift huts. Most of the land in this district is dry and sandy. The people in this area live below the poverty line. They are neither familiar with the modern way of farming nor do they have the necessary means to do so. Many men and women work in hotels in Ambaji, others work as day labourers in the fields. Tribes living in forests are far away from schools, so they do not even receive a primary education. The girls in particular only go to school up to the 5th or 7th grade at best, then the parents keep them at home out of caution.

 

The way of life of these people is very simple. They have their own social customs and traditions to which they adhere. Many of the young people do not marry or live together for years before getting married.Some married men bring home another wife or girl and keep her as their second wife, which is accepted by the community.

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If they are sick, they take the sick person to a sadu (a kind of guru) and not to the hospital.

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The mission of Virampur Mission since 2018 is to provide basic education to 350 children who have never attended school. The missionaries have also realised that around 500 people with disabilities, both mental and physical, live in the surrounding villages. These people are being helped to obtain a disability card. A medical campus has been set up with the help of the local hospital in Virampur. As a result, over 250 very poor disabled people have been able to obtain their identity cards and apply for state support.

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Nevertheless, too many people still suffer from hunger and the mission ensures that these people are guaranteed at least one meal a day by regularly bringing them cereals, flour, fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs. The mission provides clothes and medicines for the disabled people, but also for the schoolchildren.