Mrs Vaijayanti M. Chougala’s life has been shaped by a commitment to education, social justice, and community service. Born and raised in Karaguppi village in Hukkeri taluk of Belagavi district, she was deeply influenced by Gandhian values from an early age. After graduation, she spent five years as a National Service Volunteer with Nehru Yuvak Kendra, Belagavi, where she participated in youth development programmes, rural awareness campaigns, and community service activities.
She later joined Maheshwari School for the Blind in Belagavi as a Craft Teacher. While working, she completed her B.Ed., rose through the institution, and eventually became Principal.
Over a career spanning thirty-five years, she worked for the education, rehabilitation, and empowerment of visually impaired students. Under her leadership, the school was recognised as the “Best School in Karnataka” in 1996.
While working with rural communities, Mrs Chougala witnessed challenges faced by women and children, including poverty, domestic violence, illiteracy, and poor healthcare access. These experiences inspired her to establish The Women’s Welfare Society on 2 October 1977, along with like-minded social workers and community members.
The organisation began in a small rented room in Shahapur, Belagavi, operating a crèche for twenty children. Today, it runs programmes including Santwana Women Helpline, Sangati Family Counselling Centre, Shakti Sadan rehabilitation centres, old-age homes, community radio services, crèches, and health initiatives.
Its programmes have reunited more than 9,200 families through counselling, provided rehabilitation support to over 2,500 women, supported 8,425 children through pre-school education, and reached lakhs of people through health and community radio services.
The organisation has received several honours, including the National Award for Child Welfare (2001) and the Dr Durgabai Deshmukh National Award for Women’s Development (2008). Mrs Chougala received the Best Teacher State Award and the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva National Award in 2015.