RUCHI. Rural Centre for Human Interests. Volunteer India program. S.T.V. projects 2017 (Spring) Correspondence:

Transcription

1 RUCHI Rural Centre for Human Interests Volunteer India program S.T.V. projects 2017 (Spring) Correspondence: RUCHI Technology Complex Village Bandh, P.O. Bhaguri, Via Patta Distt. Solan. H.P INDIA Contact info: Landline: Mobile: (Mahip Dagar) Website:

2 About RUCHI Rural Centre for Human Interests (RUCHI) is a community development organization with ever increasing focus on youth development and intercultural learning through voluntary service. RUCHI got registered in 1983, under Indian Societies Registration Act as a non-political, non-profit making voluntary organization. RUCHI was established keeping in mind the problems and restrictions that a remote community faces on day to day basis. These could be due to poverty, lack of knowledge, poor infrastructure or at times difficult terrain. As a result RUCHI has always implemented its project with people centered approach and gave priority to community development. With 33 years in this field, RUCHI has accumulated extensive knowledge in community development with project area ranging from semi-urban background to extremely remote communities requiring two days of walk certain time of the year. Over time RUCHI has also developed and successfully implemented many low cost technologies. We are now acting as a resource organization for Indian Government and other NGO s pursuing rural community development work. Our motto Through Voluntary services, RUCHI aims to promote intercultural learning between individual, group and community, leading to better understanding and tolerance towards each-others culture. We believe achieving peace, harmony and working towards a world with fewer boundaries is a never ending process which can be achieved by increasing youth mobility through voluntary camps globally. Our Approach For the past 33 years RUCHI has committed its efforts and resources towards rural development. All our projects have a people centered approach and ongoing commitment with our projects and partners. Our workcamp offer a unique opportunity to gain global perspective for volunteer and local youth increasing their professional competencies. Voluntary service not only helps community projects but also provide a

3 much needed overview and technical support. With work camp we provide a unique learning experience for volunteers. Network and collaboration RUCHI is affiliated with international and national voluntary service networks. Recently it got elected in Executive Committee of Network of Voluntary Development in Asia (NVDA), It is also member of Coordinating Committee of International Voluntary Service (CCIVS). RUCHI also partners with Alliance of European Voluntary service Organization (ALLIANCE). Our Program Short Term Workcamp, STW (13days) Very Short Term Workcmps (VSTW) of 7 days Long Medium Term Volunteer, LMTV (1-12months) Group Workcamp/Bilateral workcamps 10+ vols. (13days) Areas of Interests Renovation/ maintenance. Environment and conservation. Non formal education. Community development. Construction. Culture exposure. Disability General Information: All Short Term Camps (STC) last two weeks with fixed dates and led by a RUCHI Team Leader. Every project has an extra fee to cover their living and working costs. Volunteers take care of their own travel costs and bear all personal expenses during free time. Volunteers have to be 18 years or older and be prepared to live under simple conditions. No special skills are required; one has to be open minded and willing to adapt to challenging conditions. Volunteers contribution is always recognized and appreciated but they will have to accept the fact that they can not change the world in two weeks. Volunteers must be willing to understand and respect local as well each other s culture. Volunteers must be prepared to live in harmony with others and work as a team. Working hours will be 5-6 hours, 5 days a week. Why the extra fee? RUCHI with other NGO s in India is not financially supported by government to host projects related to IVS. Hence all projects are self funded with a participation fee. Given the remote location and various complexities we have tried our best to make it as affordable as possible for volunteers. Being a non-profit organization we emphasize on transparency, below is how we spend collected participation fee. Food, accommodation and logistics of volunteer during workcamp. Project setup costs. (material and logistics cost) Running the camp. (wages of professional like mason, carpenter, plumber etc and training local youth supported by us.) Office running/admin expenses. (Internet, photocopy, stationary, electricity, phone, salaries, office equipment, tools and rent etc.) Supporting small community project. International travel costs to global conferences and membership fee for networking.

4 RUCHI Short Term Work Camps-(Code: RC) Spring 2017 Summary Code Name Location Dates 2016 Type No. Vols. Age 18+ RC-01/17 Women Power Solan-RUCHI 30/01 11/02 SOC/COM.DEV 10 RC-02/17 Save the Earth Solan-RUCHI 06/02 18/02 ENV 10 RC-03/17 Tibetan & Indian culture Dharamshala 20/02 04/03 ART/CULT 10 RC-04/17 Holi Mela Solan/RUCHI 09/03 15/03 FESTIVAL/CULT 10 Festival of Colors RC-05/17 Creative arts RUCHI 13/03 25/03 ART/SOC 10 RC-06/17 Eco-Tourism Chail 20/03 01/04 EDU/SOC 10 RC-07/17 Tibetan & Indian culture Dharamshala 10/04 22/04 ART/CULT 10 Description of the Short Term Camps RC-01/17 RUCHI (Solan) Women Power SOC/EDU 10 Vols Location: Ruchi campus which is located near Bandh village. It is 30 km from Kalka and 60 km from Chandigarh. Bandh village is small located in interior mountainous area and the volunteers will have a unique opportunity to live with nature in a peaceful environment. RUCHI campus is one km. from the village. Work: This projects aims to empower women by helping them to gain confidence, recognize and demand their rights and most importantly start being an earning member of family. The volunteer is expected to better understand the role a typical women has in our society. They will also be attending meetings of Self-help Groups (SHGs) and interact with women to better understand their plight assist them to be economically independent. Additional activities will include learning of various developmental issues and solutions. They will visit various humanitarian projects and interact with the villagers. Requirements: Interest in gender related work and issues with a sharing and learning ability, High motivation. Accommodation: Volunteers will live in the RUCHI campus. All basic amenities will be available with library facilities. Asian squat type toilet and English WC will be available. Vegetarian food will be served. A cook will be

5 there but volunteers are expected to help him and occasionally cook their own meals and self-management is required. Sleeping bags are also necessary. Leisure time: Self organized city tours and excursions. Old Sikh and Hindu temples in the near vicinity can be visited. Nearby Kasauli town is another hill station as a tourist attraction. A visit to Shimla will offer an opportunity to see high Himalayan Mountains. Domestic Terminal: Chandigarh and Shimla (70 kms) Nearest railway station: Kalka (30 kms) Participation Fee: Euro 200 RC-02/17 Solan Save the Earth ENV 10 Vols Location: Ruchi campus which is located near Bandh village. It is 30 km from Kalka and 60 km from Chandigarh. Bandh village is small located in interior mountainous area and the volunteers will have a unique opportunity to live with nature in a peaceful environment. RUCHI campus is one km. from the village. Work: Volunteers will do actual plantation of trees on waste land near Ruchi campus. Work would be preparing holes, clear weeds and plant trees to rejuvenate forests. Besides tree plantation, volunteers will educate people how the trees are linked to life and survival of human beings. Tree nursery may also be developed for future plantation. Volunteer will get orientation before starting project. Additional activities will include learning of various developmental issues and solutions. They will visit various humanitarian projects and interact with the villagers. Requirements: Interest in environment and climate change and learning ability, High motivation. Accommodation: Volunteers will live in the RUCHI campus. All basic amenities will be available with library facilities. Asian squat type toilet and English WC will be available. Vegetarian food will be served. A cook will be there but volunteers are expected to help him and occasionally cook their own meals and self-management is required. Sleeping bags are also necessary. Leisure time: Self organized city tours and excursions. Old Sikh and Hindu temples in the near vicinity can be visited. Nearby Kasauli town is another hill station as a tourist attraction. A visit to Shimla will offer an opportunity to see high Himalayan Mountains. Domestic Terminal: Chandigarh and Shimla (70 kms) Nearest railway station: Kalka (30 kms) Participation Fee: Euro 200

6 RC-04/17 Solan/RUCHI Holi-Festival of Colors 7 Vols Location: The project site is Ruchi campus located near Bandh village (1 km) in Solan district. It is 30 km from Kalka and 60 km from Chandigarh. The village is small with 35 families. Work: One of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar. Holi is also called the Spring Festival - as it marks the arrival of spring the season of hope and joy. Entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration. This year, main Holi festival (playing with colours) falls on 13 th March This is only a week long camp. Market places get abuzz with activity as frenzied shoppers start making preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of colors can be seen on the roadside days before the festival. Womenfolk cook loads of sweet dishes for the family and also for the relatives. A Hindu festival, Holi has various legends associated with it. The foremost is the legend of demon King Hiranyakashyap who demanded everybody in his kingdom to worship him but his pious son, Prahlad became a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap wanted his son to be killed. He asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap as Holika had a boon which made her immune to fire. Story goes that Prahlad was saved by lord himself for his extreme devotion and evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes, for her boon worked only when she entered the fire alone. Since that time, people light a bonfire at important crossroads, called Holika on the eve of Holi festival and celebrate the victory of good over evil. After a fun-filled and exciting day, the evenings the spent in sobriety when people meet friends and relatives and exchange sweets and festive greetings. It is said the spirit of Holi encourages the feeling of brotherhood in society and even the enemies turn friend on this day. People of all communities and even religions participate in this joyous and colourful festival. Along with festival celebrations, volunteers will have time to spend 3 days on the community development projects for their personal development. Accommodation: Volunteers will live under simple conditions and share accommodation with other volunteers. English WC will be available. Vegetarian food will be served. Sleeping bags are also necessary. Domestic Terminal: Chandigarh (65 kms) Nearest railway station: Kalka (30 kms) Participation Fee: Euro 130. RC-05/17 Solan/RUCHI Creative Arts/Dev. ART/DEV. 10 Vols Location: Ruchi campus is located near Bandh village. It is 30 km from Kalka and 60 km from Chandigarh. Bandh village is small located in interior mountainous area and the volunteers will have a unique opportunity to live with nature in a peaceful environment. RUCHI campus is one km. from the village.

7 Work: Volunteers will work in or around Ruchi campus. Work would involve drawing creative skills out of volunteers in the form of arts work/painting on wall. This should communicate development message leading environmentally sustainable development. Subject would be related to peace and love, Global warming, inter-cultural earning, good message through painting on wall for youth and public. Volunteer will get orientation before starting project. Additional activities will include learning of various developmental issues and solutions. They will visit various humanitarian projects and interact with the villagers. Requirements: Interest in Art and learning ability, high motivation and creative skills. Accommodation: Volunteers will live in the RUCHI campus. All basic amenities will be available with library facilities. Asian squat type toilet and English WC will be available. Vegetarian food will be served. A cook will be there but volunteers are expected to help him and occasionally cook their own meals and self-management is required. Sleeping bags are also necessary. Leisure time: Self organized city tours and excursions. Old Sikh and Hindu temples in the near vicinity can be visited. Nearby Kasauli town is another hill station as a tourist attraction. A visit to Shimla will offer an opportunity to see high Himalayan Mountains. Domestic Terminal: Chandigarh and Shimla (70 kms) Nearest railway station: Kalka (30 kms) Participation Fee: Euro 200 RC-03/17 Dharamshala Tibetan Culture Art/Culture 10 Vols RC-07/17 Dharamshala Tibetan Culture Art/Culture 10 Vols Location: Dharamshala, is a small but internationally well known town in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. It is 70 km north of Pathankot city and 15kms from Kangra town. Dharamshala offers a number of treks to tourists and a good majestic view of great Dhauladhar range of mountains. Dharamshala is a district head quarter for Kangra district and also happens to be the Secretariat of Tibetan spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama. Dharamshala offers tourists culture of Tibet and a different experience. Like any other hilly area, the houses in the area are scattered. The economy of the Tibetans is on tourism whereas that of local villagers is purely dependent on agriculture. Project will be held in sub-urban area of Mcleodganj. Work: This camp will provide an exposure to local as well as Tibetan culture. The volunteers will study the history of Tibet and how the Tibetans fled Tibet to live in exile at this place. Inter-cultural learning will broaden horizons of volunteers on issues concerning environment and livelihood. Volunteers will also work on facelift of local school, create learning opportunities for children and teach children.

8 Accommodation: Volunteers will live under simple conditions and share accommodation with other volunteers. Asian squat type toilet and English WC will be available. Vegetarian food will be served. A cook will be there but volunteers are expected to help him and occasionally cook their own meals and self-management is required. Sleeping bags are also necessary. Leisure time: The volunteers will have opportunity to visit the seat of spiritual leader, the Dalia Lama and other historical Hindu temples. Opportunities will be there for short and long treks in the mountains. After the camp volunteers, if they like, may visit Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. Domestic Terminal: Chandigarh (65 kms) Nearest railway station: Kalka (30 kms) from Bandh village and Pathankot (60 kms) from Dharamshala. Participation Fee: Euro 220. The is a Touristic place. RC-06/17 Shimla-Chail Env/Edu/Eco tourism 10 Vols Location: Chail is a little sleepy town located an hours drive from State capital Shimla. The transformation of this little village community began in late 18 th century when Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala decided to create a new summer capital which would be better than Shimla : all this for bruised ego. Nestling in shelter of virgin forest and untrodden hills, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh developed the highest cricket field in the world in Chail. Well kept and maintained, more than the excitement of game, the pitch offers picturesque view of the surrounding, with tall forest all around it. The proud ruler made sure that Chail had everything that Shimla doesn t. Work: The volunteers will get exposure to local history and culture. Working closely with local community volunteers will be involved in activities related to eco tourism, national park maintenance, floriculture etc. In addition volunteers will also work on facelift of local school, create learning opportunities for children and teach children. Accommodation: Volunteers will live in guest house/home stay with simple conditions and share accommodation with other volunteers. All meals will be cooked and served in guest house. A cook will be there but volunteers are expected to help him and occasionally cook their own meals. Self-management is required. Sleeping bags are also necessary for volunteers looking or interested in trekking. Leisure time: Self organized city tours and excursions. A variety of treks are available in close proximity. A visit to Shimla will offer an opportunity to see high Himalayan Mountains. Chail Palace and world s highest cricket stadium can also be visited. International Terminal: New Delhi (360 Kms); Domestic Terminal: Chandigarh (90km) and Shimla (70 kms) Nearest railway station: Kandaghat on small gauge (26 kms) Participation Fee: Euro 220