Help Disadvantaged Communities in India - Volunteer with Raleigh

  India

• Other Cities in India: 
Mysore,  Rural Areas

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: All year

Description: Raleigh is a youth charity that inspires people from all walks of life, nationalities and ages to get out there and rise to the challenges of life on expedition. We run programmes in Borneo, Costa Rica & Nicaragua and India. Our expeditions are a challenging, but extremely rewarding combination of sustainable community, environmental and adventure projects.

Living in the heart of some of the most remote areas in India, these community projects give volunteers a unique opportunity to become immersed in a rural village community, experiencing new culture, food and ways of working. As a volunteer you will be helping to improve quality of life and basic facilities such as clean water and education.

Here are some examples of volunteer community projects you may be working on. Please be aware that these may change and are just a guide to the types of community projects we work on during a Raleigh expedition:

* Multtimoola community project - Volunteers working on this community project will be camping in the local village and working together to construct a 765 sq ft primary school. This will serve the children of Muttilmoola village families, alongside a wider education development plan which includes the training and education of teachers and educational materials for the school and scholarships for the students. In addition a number of additional infrastructure facilities will be constructed for the tribal village people.

* Hosaheggudilu community projects - These community projects are part of a six-year intervention, which started in June 2009, to develop an innovative and replicable model for improving the livelihood opportunities of vulnerable scheduled tribal communities in nine villages in HD Kote Taluk, Mysore District, through sustainable and equitable use of resources. Families from nine communities will benefit from the project and each family will be assisted to develop one acre of horticulture plantation. Raleigh volunteers will provide support to establish the horticultural infrastructure by planting cash crops of mango and amla fruit, creating contour bunding to retain monsoon rains; creating agricultural water storage tanks and constructing vermi-composting units.

Highlights: * Our permanent presence in India means that we know what is needed to really make a positive difference out there. Because of this all of our volunteer projects are sustainable and genuinely needed by the communities we work in.

* Experience a unique cultural exchange by eating locally produced food, living and working alongside local families

* Help improve education, health and the standard of living among indigenous communities

"I enjoyed working on a 'grass-roots' project and becoming part of the community. Instead of gaining just a glimpse of the life they had, I felt we really got to know about each other during the 3 weeks there." Charles Arnot, venturer, India

"It was so special to be part of the group that was the first to stay in the village, it was quite challenging to find yourself being watched the whole time, the villagers were so interested in everything we were doing. It was so enjoyable to get to know them though, they really welcomed us into their community and helped us with the building. We spent a lot of time with the school children teaching them games and songs which was a really rewarding experience." Georgina Rumbellow, venturer, India

Qualifications: Volunteers must be aged between 17-24 years old and up for a challenge!

Our expeditions are tough, but enable you to develop key skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, perseverance and leadership, all of which are sought by universities and employers and will help set you apart from the crowd.

We advise venturers to sign up between 6 and 12 months before the expedition departs, the reason being the earlier you apply the better chance you have of getting your first expedition choice. This also gives you more time to raise funds and you'll benefit from our training workshops.

Cost in US$: 1,500 GBP - 2,995 GBP

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 17-24

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to India Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 8-12

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Raleigh 's Mission Statement: We are a youth and education charity. Since 1984 we have inspired over 30,000 people from all walks of life, nationalities and ages to get out there and rise to the challenges of life on expedition. We run programmes in Borneo, Costa Rica & Nicaragua and India. Our expeditions are a challenging, but extremely rewarding combination of sustainable community, environmental and adventure projects.

Year Founded: 1984