Vereinigung Junger FreiwilligerIndien (MTV)
Description of Middle & Long Term Projects:
General:
· Volunteers can stay as long as they want up to a maximum of one year. The minimum period of staying is one month,
· Volunteers will be involved in the ongoing humanitarian projects of RUCHI,
· Volunteers will have to follow the organization rules and culture and work with other staff as a team,
· Except dedication and commitment to a social cause to help rural communities, no special skills are required,
§ Volunteers have to take care of their own travel costs and bear all personal expenses during free time.
§ Volunteers have to be 18 years or older
§ Living conditions will be simple.
§ Volunteers must have a good conduct and be willing to understand and respect local as well each others culture.
§ Volunteers must be prepared to live in harmony with others and work as a team.
§ Personal Insurance is the responsibility of the volunteers themselves.
· Because of ongoing humanitarian projects at RUCHI, this programme is open all year round and you may join any time.
· Alcohol drinking and smoking is not encouraged in public and villages.
· All local travel costs concerning the project activities will be borne by the volunteers themselves.
MLTV:
We encourage volunteers to apply and contribute to international youth exchange and community development through Medium and Long term placements of durations varying between 4 weeks to 24 weeks. From our past experience we have realized that majority of volunteers have opted for a placement of 12 weeks at RUCHI. One has to realize that they cannot change the world in such a short time but the placement certainly provides satisfaction and contentment to have really contributed to a cause with some visible results. Initial orientation to volunteers will be provided at RUCHI office.
PARTICIPATION FEE: The participation fees are as follows:
a. For one/first month stay - 18,000 Indian rupees.
b. For each additional month - 15,000 Indian rupees.
(The fee will be used for living expenses (accommodation, gas, water, electricity, food), staff salaries and for materials used in projects/activities. Also some part of the fee will be used for administration and support). The travelling costs to field areas is not covered under the fee.
ORGANISATIONAL PROFILE
RUCHI (Rural Centre for Human Interests) a legally registered not-for-profit voluntary organization committed to community development since 1980in the rural areas of Himalayan foothills of the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, INDIA. RUCHI firmly believes in team work and ‘people power’. It fosters a team environment and has a base of experienced, hardworking and dedicated staff members who combine their skills, knowledge and experience to achieve the goals outlined above. Now more than ever before, RUCHI has long- and short-term volunteers participating in the programme, injecting fresh ideas and knowledge into the strong long-term employee base.
The RUCHI complex is located in village Bandh at an altitude of 900 metres. Nearby towns that may be found
on a common atlas/map include Kasauli, Chandigarh and Solan. The local area is very hilly, with spectacular
views across valleys and terraced farmland. Although Bandh is unlikely to be located on any atlas/map, it was added to WikiMapia in 2007 by a RUCHI volunteer (www.wikimapia.org/#y=30958916&x=76917300&z=15&l=0&m=h&v=2).
STRUCTURE
RUCHI has authorized an Executive Director for day to day administration. Over and above this the management of RUCHI rests with a Governing Body comprised of six members, each of whom is elected for a term of two years. RUCHI employs 20 full-time staff.
Though volunteers are welcome to join us any time of the year in the ongoing projects of RUCHI, a few period specific projects for MLTVs are described below to choose from:
Project No. RC-MTV1/11: Open during 1st February 2011 – 30th September 2011
No. of volunteers: 2
Age: 21+
Location: Baddi- Sandholi village (Solan)
Placement: Placement is offered for 3-6 months.
Type of project: Education
Joining dates : Any time during the project cycle
Work: One volunteer will be involved in non-formal education of children. We are running an education centre in a village for the children of slum dwellers in the age group 4-6 years whose parents mainly pick up trashes for a living. The focus of education here is on social aspects. The idea is to make education interesting and fruitful to them and prepare and encourage them to join formal schools subsequently.
The other volunteer will be involved in health and sanitation education in the same area and work with youth workers and community leaders to develop health educational activities for their well being. He will work on raising awareness on various health issues and wherever possible in seeking solutions as well.
The project where both volunteers will be placed is a 12 months project and we shall be happy to have continuity from volunteers. That means once a batch of volunteers leave the other batch can join the project where previous volunteers left and continue with actions.
Accommodation: This will be simple in the village and a room will be shared by 2-3 volunteers. We shall provide mattresses but the volunteers are required to bring their own bed sheet and sleeping bags.
Food: Food offered will be simple authentic Indian vegetarian and freshly cooked. Three meals a day will be served. Cooking will be done jointly by volunteers. Volunteers are free to cook meals of their country choice on every Sunday.
Project No.- RC-MTV2/11: Open during February 2011 – January 2012
No. of volunteers: 1
Age: 18+
Location: Bag-Pathia village (Solan)
Placement: Placement is offered for 1 to 6 months.
Joining dates: Any time during the project cycle
Type of project: Environment
Work: This village is water scarce. RUCHI has been successful in raising funds from Rotary International, New Zealand to make this village a model Rain Water Village and use all possible ways to harvest every drop of water. Administratively, the project will commence from January 2011 for a period of 12 months but the educational and organizational aspects with back up support from RUCHI will continue for at least 2 years. The volunteers will be involved in environmental education in the village, train them in use and maintenance of built up structures. Volunteer with environmental or civil engineering background is preferable but not essential.
Accommodation: This will be simple and shared by 1-2 volunteers. Toilets are not available in the villages and hence they will be staying in RUCHI complex accommodation with basic amenities. The project area is 9 kms from the office and public transport will be used for accessibility. We shall provide mattresses but the volunteers are required to bring their own bed sheets, sleeping bags and personal toiletries.
Food: Food offered will be simple authentic Indian vegetarian and freshly cooked. Three meals a day will be served. Cooking will be done jointly by volunteers. Volunteers are free to cook meals of their country choice on every Sunday.
Project No. RC-MTV3/11: April 2011 – April 2012
No. of volunteers: 2
Age: 18+
Location: Jadla panchayat (Solan)
Placement: Placement is offered for 3 months to up to one year.
Joining dates: 5th of Every Month
Type of project: Environment
Work: Both the volunteers will be involved in environmental education in the same area and work with youth workers and community leaders to develop activities for the development and management of natural resources. They will work on raising awareness on various environmental issues and wherever possible in seeking solutions as well. This is a mountain area where people are purely dependent on agriculture for a living. However, due to shortage of water and small terraces on sloppy land do not allow for enough production for their round the year sustainability. The project was designed to work on these issues and volunteers are required to work with RUCHI team and local people to address some of them.
The project where both volunteers will be placed is a 36 months project and we shall be happy to have continuity from volunteers. That means once a batch of volunteers leave the other batch can join the project where previous volunteers left and continue with actions.
Accommodation: This will be simple and shared by 2-3 volunteers. Toilets are not available in the villages and hence they will be staying in RUCHI complex accommodation with basic amenities. The project area is 15 kms from the office and public transport will be used for accessibility. We shall provide mattresses but the volunteers are required to bring their own bed sheets, sleeping bags and personal toiletries.
Food: Food offered will be simple authentic Indian vegetarian and freshly cooked. Three meals a day will be served. Cooking will be done jointly by volunteers. Volunteers are free to cook meals of their country choice on every Sunday.
Project No. RC-MTV4/11: March 2011 – September 2011
No. of volunteers: 2
Age: 21+
Location: RUCHI office in Bandh village (Solan)
Placement: Placement is offered for 3-6 months.
Joining dates: 5th of Every Month
Type of project: Capacity Building
Work: 2 volunteers are required as a part of organizational capacity building. RUCHI is located in a remote village and hence we do not get highly qualified or specialized people who are willing to work with us on part time basis.
One volunteer is required for general administration of organization and be involved with IVS in order to train our Team leaders as well as administer the STVs workcamps and help the Director manage day to day activities. In free time, he will be required to go to villages also along with other team members and learn and contribute.
Another volunteer, preferably with accounting software knowledge, is required to help data entry and maintain accounts. He will also be training other RUCHI staff/volunteers in the data entry work and basic use of excel etc.
Accommodation: This will be simple and shared by 2-3 volunteers. Both volunteers will be staying in RUCHI complex accommodation with basic amenities. We shall provide mattresses but the volunteers are required to bring their own bed sheets, sleeping bags and personal toiletries.
Food: Food offered will be simple authentic Indian vegetarian and freshly cooked. Three meals a day will be served. Cooking will be done jointly by volunteers. Volunteers are free to cook meals of their country choice on every Sunday.
Project No. RC-MTV5/11: Open during 1st March 2011 – 31st December 2011
No. of volunteers: 2
Age: 21+
Location: Bogdhar village (Rajgarh)
Placement: Placement is offered for 3-6 months.
Type of project: Education
Joining dates : Any time during the project cycle
Work: The two volunteers will be involved in teaching English to the children in the age group 6-14 in a private school established in this small village. The school want the volunteers to add value to the subject and improve on the pronunciation and grammar. The school enrolls children from economically poor families from the rural areas. The focus of education here is on social aspects. The idea is to make education interesting and fruitful to them and prepare and encourage them to improve on their English for a better future.
During free time, volunteers involvement in health and sanitation education in the same area will be appreciated. They can work with youth workers and community leaders to develop health educational activities for their well being.
Since school education is an ongoing activity we shall be happy to have continuity from volunteers. That means once a batch of volunteers leave the other batch can join the project where previous volunteers left and continue with actions.
Accommodation: This will be simple in the school/village and the room will be shared by 2 volunteers. We shall provide mattresses but the volunteers are required to bring their own bed sheet and sleeping bags.
Food: Food offered will be simple authentic Indian vegetarian and freshly cooked. Three meals a day will be served. Cooking will be done jointly by volunteers.
