Assist Local Teachers in India with United Planet

  India

Rural Areas

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks and 5-8 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks

Description: Assisting local teachers in rural schools has been one of the most popular and successful projects. Volunteers participate in educational enhancement for students of 1 to 5 classes. The volunteer activities in the field include teaching children English and Mathematics, creating a playful environment while enhancing the creativity of the children, working with local teachers in creating low cost teaching materials, and training them in making education more interesting for the children. Also volunteers educate teachers about how to ensure regular health check ups for the children and about how to incorporate basic hygiene awareness in their lesson plans.

Also, depending on the needs of the community, volunteers might work on other community development activities, including health checkup camps for the children and their families, planting trees in the school and village, skill enhancement, and practical training for teenage girls and other needed activities.

United Planet works with a local non-profit organization in India that works with various non-governmental organizations to support social development projects in rural and urban areas. United Planet Volunteers work with other volunteers from various countries, having the opportunity to learn not only about Indian's rich culture and history, but about others cultures as well. Volunteers must participate for 4 or 8 weeks and begin on a designated start date.

Volunteers are greeted upon arrival and immediately following they receive an orientation. Depending on the time of year, the NGO offers programs in two different areas in India: Rajasthan (September - April) and Himachal (March - December).

Highlights: About Rajasthan
Situated in the northwest of India, Rajasthan is known for the most colorful folk culture in India and is India's most desired travel destination. Rajasthan boasts of a variety of landscapes from the Thar desert to the green Aravali mountain range. With its rich history strewn around in the form of impressive forts and palaces, it has been a fertile ground of the most popular forms to crafts, folk music, dances and cuisine. Home to the finest bird sanctuary in Asia and the rare Indian tiger, Rajasthan offers a lot of cultural, historical, and natural variety within a relatively small area.

About Himachal Pradesh
The Himalayan location is available for participants from March to December, around the regionally important town of Palampur in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The NGO "Himalaya Base " is located 30 kms from Dharamsala, the capital of the exiled Tibetan government and centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture, adding another cultural dimension to the numerous opportunities that the program offers.

Volunteer activities :
The activities in these projects primarily relate to education and childcare in various institutions that the NGO has identified as appropriate for the aid of the program.

Facilities and other Activities
The NGO provides volunteers' accommodations. The premises are comprised of ethnically made huts with private toilets and baths. There are also recreational facilities, video viewing equipment, and a well-equipped kitchen. The NGO offers a number of optional afternoon activities that would help the volunteers have a wider impact during their stay including additional tutoring for children struggling with their studies, maintenance of institutional facilities, and childcare in hospitals.

Cost in US$: 4 weeks 1,995 USD, 8 weeks 3,895 USD

    -   Rajasthan
-Camel safaris include all meals along with overnight camping in the desert.
-Tiger safari at Ranthambore National Tiger Reserve.

    - Himachal
-A one-night, two day excursion to Amritsar, the holy city of the Sikh religion, where the volunteers can visit a host of historical and religious sights. The famous Golden temple in Amritsar is the holiest shrine of Sikhism.
-Trekking in the Himalayas for 3 days and two nights with overnight camping inclusive of all meals and necessary gear.

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: United Planet requests five things of you: Flexibility, Courage, Open-mindedness, Tolerance and Compassion. Volunteer and educational travel around the world is often filled with unpredictable surprises, such as transportation delays, local holidays, etc. Cultures vary greatly. Some things may appear shocking and you might feel outside of your comfort zone in some situations. You might also experience disturbing poverty or suffering in certain areas. People, including the local population and fellow Quest participants, might have vastly different religious, ideological, racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. In short, you will be challenged and stimulated in ways that you may not be able to currently imagine. If you remember the UP code and maintain flexibility, courage, open-mindedness, tolerance, and compassion, you will build greater bonds with the people around you, attain a rich cultural understanding, and truly experience the ultimate educational adventure of a United Planet Quest, while having lots of fun along the way.

Age Range: All Ages

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to India Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

United Planet's Mission Statement: As an international non-profit organization, United Planet (UP) strives to create a world in which all people understand, respect, and support one another. United Planet's global network of leaders and volunteers fosters cross-cultural understanding and addresses shared challenges to unite the world in a community beyond borders. In 2008, United Planet was one of only ten organizations selected by CNN to be part of its "Be the Change" initiative.

Year Founded: 2001