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By joining a community development project in a village in India you will have a great cultural experience which is authentic and rewarding. If you are short for time this is an ideal programme as it gives you a taste of volunteering but you also don’t miss out on getting to see the major sights. The programme aspires to bring together volunteers through common undertakings of social awareness campaigns and community development work. The work will be fun and challenging, and you will be experiencing true Indian culture whilst assisting in bringing attention to the facilities and social issues of the village.
Project Age Limit
The volunteers on this programme may be of a broad age range. Minimum age 18 years, no upper age limit.
The Volunteer Programme
The aim of the project is to improve public facilities in the village and bring attention and awareness to important social issues.
Your work on the project will depend on the precise needs of the village, its social issues at stake and the condition of its public facilities. In general, there will be two areas of work i.e. labour work projects and social development work.
Labour work projects - activities that you may undertake:
- Restoration and decoration of Anganwadis/Balwadis (= day-care centres)
- Painting and decoration of building interiors
- Repair, improve or build relevant playthings (e.g. swing, slides)
- White washing of walls
- Gardening
- Restoration and decoration of the village primary school
- Restoration of school campus
- Painting and decoration of school interiors
- White washing of walls
- Repairing of benches, cleaning carpets, repairing black boards etc.
- Preparing sports facilities for basketball, badminton, court and football.
- Plantation of flowers, ornamental plants and trees at school campus
- Repairing houses of Below Poverty Line families
- Repairing of doors, windows, floors and ceilings
- Restoration and decoration of village community facilities with participation of the villagers.
- Motivating teams of children from the village to clear garbage, plant trees etc.
- Construction of dustbins (follow up action is intended to create hygiene awareness amongst children)
The work that you will be doing may also depend on your interests and professional skills.
Social development work:
This will include awareness-building activities regarding some of the following issues:
- Importance of nutrition and balanced diet
- Awareness about hygiene and health care issues
- IDD (Iodine Deficiency Disorders) awareness campaign
- Importance of breast feeding
- Precautionary measures against HIV infectionVillage meetings, events, activities and street plays in participation of the volunteers will all aid such awareness building.
Project Support
Throughout your stay in India you will have the support and guidance of a coordinator and their team. They will be able to help you with any questions or advice you may need during your stay and provide you with competent assistance. The staff will be on hand throughout the day.
In addition, we will provide you with a 24 hour emergency contact number before you depart, so that you can contact one of our UK staff at any time should you need to.
Project Orientation
On arrival at the project you will have a brief orientation. During this time you will be provided with information on how to carry out your work, cultural do’s and don’ts and other practical tips.
Accommodation and Meals
Accommodation will be at a local facility in the area that you will be working in. Rooms will be based on a maximum of 2 people sharing and bedding and simple furniture will be provided. The bathroom may or may not be en suite, depending on the location of accommodation.
There will be no “shower” but you will have access to bucket baths of hot water. Work placements will be in deprived villages that receive little attention from official side. Most meals are included and will consist mainly of vegetable and sometimes fish curries, Indian breads, rice and fruit.
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