Description

Living and working in the heart of rural Southern Indian villages, you could be helping families who do not currently have access to full basic hygienic sanitation facilities in order to provide a sustainable and healthy solution for the village. Participants will assist families to construct their own eco-sanitation facility - a composting toilet. The project will improve community health through access to safe drinking water in the community by reducing pollution of the local water sources. The Eco-sanitation Units require no water to operate and will also provide families with rich compost to improve crop yields and the nutritional value of produce from their own organic vegetable gardens. The compost is also saleable commodity through which to sustainably increase their income.

For further examples of volunteer community projects you may be working on, please see our website. 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.

Raleigh International is a youth and sustainable development 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.

We run different length gap year expeditions throughout the year to fit your study or work patterns. Choose from our unique 10-week (with 3 and a half and 7-week shorter options) or 5-week expeditions. You will be working with other young people from all around the world, on much needed community projects and environmental projects alongside our volunteer managers (aged 25+) and local skilled workers.

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.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

1,500 GBP - 2,995 GBP

Cost Includes:

• Emergency evacuation services
• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

Food
Housing
In-country orientation/Training
Pre-departure orientation/Training
Travel while in host country

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Age Range

17-24

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Home-stays
• Other

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of in groups of 8-12

Application Process Involves

• Written Application

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Raleigh International's Mission Statement

We are a youth and sustainable development 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 our overseas expeditions. 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