Hosting NGO
RUCHI (Rural Centre for Human Interests)
Contact person
Dharamvir Singh, Executive Director
Project Place
Boghdhar village, near Rajgarh town in Himachal Pradesh state, India
Remark for Period
3 months participation from 02/01, 05/01, 08/01 and 11/01 is possible. Open to 1-2 months participation if the places are not full at 2 months before the starting date.
Background
Local/ social situation/ needs for the project
Boghdhar is a small hilly village of Sirmour district. This is accessible via Rajgarh town.
Name and description of the local host
There is a small private school there which is trying hard to improve the quality of education for their children. Mostly children of poor families study there.
Aims and expected impact of the project
The school has requested us to provide a Teacher with good knowledge of English and creative skills. The volunteers will teach basic English and improve on pronunciation. Besides they will encourage creativity in classes through arts, crafts and games for overall personality development of children. The impact will be seen in terms of confidence among students and etiquettes developed.
Main voluntary work
- Interact and educate children up to 15 years old on English pronunciation improvement.
- Introduce arts, crafts and games.
- Assist in overall personality development
- Approximate working hours: 09:00-14:00 x 5 days in a week
Accommodation
Type of building: Host family (probably with one of the school teacher’s family). This will be basic with wash room facilities
- Sleeping: Sharing with other vols.
- Meals: Cooked by vols. & local
- How and how long to go to work: hardly 10 minutes walk
- Smoking: Only outside building
- Internet access: Not guaranteed
Location
The area is predominantly rural with Hindu religion followers. However, people are open minded and accept people of all religion. Climate is pleasant throughout summer and gets very cold in winter. Monsoon months (June to August) may have severe rains.
Terminal
- Nearest international airport: IGI, New Delhi
- Transportation from the capital or other major city: 320 km from New Delhi. Connected with road and rail. Nearest domestic airport is Chandigarh and railway station is Kalka. Cost varies from Indian rupees 300 to 600 (by rail or bus).
Other activities
Volunteers have plenty of opportunities to merge with local people, culture and learn from age old traditions. During free time, they would be welcomed by other village families and may plan to go to nearby touristic areas like Shimla city and Renuka lake.
Qualification for volunteers
- Required: Knowledge of English, Creative skills and good motivation
- Preferable: Experience of teaching may help.
Attraction for volunteers
Good knowledge of local culture, Indian traditions and festivals.
Financial condition
Participation fee to the host NGO: 850 Euro for 3 months (283 Euro per month)
Meetings
- On arrival training: at RUCHI for 3 days
- Special care during Project: RUCHI staff will stay in touch with the volunteers and assist them as per their needs to stay in touch with their families and friends.
- Evaluation meeting: Mid term evaluation will be done monthly at the office. Final evaluation and feedback sessions will be held before their departure. Each of them will be for one day.
Other remarks
The area is full of scenic beauty and volunteers will find them very close to nature which they miss in industrialized urban areas. Open to Non-Asian if the places are not full at 2 months before the starting date.
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