The tribal area in this story is in an eastern part of the state called the Tapi District. It borders the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra and is defined by the long Tapi river that winds between them.
Tribal areas differ from rural ones because they are formed around tribes that have been there for many years. There are 29 tribes in the state of Gujarat and they all maintain a strict distinction between each one.
The tribal village in this story is called Raniamba. It is near two main cities – Songadh and Vyara. This region is mountainous, with lush jungles that are kept green from the waters of the Tapi river. For a long time, the tribal areas did not have basic infrastructure like roads and electricity.
The Gujarat state put in a lot of funding and efforts to improve the tribal areas over the past few years and now, the district has improved.
For women, that means there are more medical facilities and health personnel available to them. There is also more outreach, with health workers going door-to-door to educate women about their sexual and reproductive health needs. But women still need to overcome cultural hurdles in order to take advantage of what the health care workers have to offer.