Intern or Volunteer with a Grassroots Health Organization in India

  India

• Other Cities in India: 
Jodhpur,  Udaipur

Term: Throughout the year 
Durations of Program: 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months and 1-2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 3-6 months
Dates: Varies

Description: Examples of how you can support Health initiatives in India:

* Support a Mobile Hospital program that involves doctors conducting regular visits to villages in rural areas around Udaipur to attend to the poor and sick villagers, giving them medicines and bringing critical patients to the main facility in Udaipur.

* Assist on a Health Awareness/Education Program through immunization of pregnant women and infants, registration of births, facilitation of health camps and check ups, training of birth attendants, and facilitation of workshops.

* Support a 24-hour 'Child Line' that helps youth in emergency situations such as abuse, abandonment, and neglect.

* Draft impact assessments on projects concerned with giving the rural poor access to health services and research ways to improve child care and parent counseling through an organization's Integrated Management of Childhood Illness program.

*Assist animal health initiatives that provide preventative medicine, education, and inoculation programs that support animal rights in the community.

* Help with a Care Givers program, teaching individuals how to effectively work with the developmentally disabled.

* Support development of Traditional Health Systems Project - identify, train, and aid networking of health practitioners and their methods. Assist with traditional medical clinics and garden projects to cost-effectively support community health.

For more health opportunities in India, visit our website or contact us directly.

About FSD

The Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1995 to support underserved, international communities in a collaborative and sustainable manner. Our model incorporates three overlapping programs:

1. Sustainable Development Training Programs for Interns and Volunteers
FSD provides comprehensive training and immersion programs for interns and volunteers seeking hands-on experience in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Program participants come from countless professions and more than 300 universities worldwide to collaborate with our partner organizations on community-driven projects that reflect sustainable practices.

2. Grantmaking to Projects and Initiatives Led By Our Partner Organizations
Donations and grants given to FSD are used to support projects and initiatives implemented by our partner organizations, site teams, interns, and volunteers.

3. Sustainable Development of Community-Based Organizations
Our professional field staff, consultants, and program participants provide on-site technical training and capacity building to more than 200 community-based organizations.

Highlights: Development Issues Addressed by FSD in India
Since its independence, India has become a world leader in medical advancement due to its incredible medical education system and state-of-the-art private medical facilities. Unfortunately, quality healthcare is still inaccessible for many regions. In rural communities it is estimated that only eighteen hospital beds are available per 100,000 people. Even when medical treatment is available, public hospitals are frequently understaffed and undersupplied.

The poor are forced to rely on overburdened, unsanitary facilities as their only source of healthcare. In Rajasthan, the result is that roughly half of the children suffer from malnutrition, forty-nine percent of women are anemic, and approximately one third of births are under-weight. Additionally, HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant problem; there are currently around 6 million people infected by the virus living in the country. Public hospitals have insufficient funds to support their communities, and since only fifteen percent of Indian citizens have health insurance, quality healthcare remains unattainable for millions in dire need.

Thousands of public health NGOs are attempting to intervene with the necessary medical care, support, and treatment. In Udaipur, FSD collaborates with local organizations that provide supplies and medical advice. Additionally, FSD supports programs that host educational workshops to promote the importance of hygiene and sanitation and assists healthcare centers that provide immunizations to at-risk children. FSD partner organizations are working within the communities with the greatest need to ensure that all citizens are guaranteed their basic health rights.

Additional programs are available in: Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru, Uganda, and Kenya

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: Varies with Program

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: FSD supports participants who boldly wish to initiate the change they believe is necessary in the developing world. Interns are passionate about sharing their practical knowledge, heart-felt enthusiasm, and economic resources with communities abroad that suffer unnecessary hardship. They wish to gain hands-on, grassroots development experience because they believe change is most powerfully cultivated on a community level. The aim is to experientially learn how their work can empower the community toward applying sustainable development solutions, rather than increasing reliance on foreign aid. Participants choose FSD because the program structure enables them to design and implement their own sustainable projects in collaboration with their host organization. They are able to test their ideas and theories in the most direct way possible, giving them the experience and knowledge they seek. The flexibility of the host organizations allows for participants at all stages and levels of experience in international development to participate, thus opening the programs to a diverse group of capable applicants.

Age Range: 18-65

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to India Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 3-10

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Job and Internship Network

Foundation for Sustainable Development's Mission Statement: FSD supports the efforts of grassroots organizations in the developing world that are working to better their communities, environments, and the economic opportunities around them. We believe community development is only sustainable if it empowers the people to effectively use and cultivate their own resources in a conscious manner. Through our programs, we aim to raise international awareness of the economic challenges in developing countries and to support cross-cultural communities in finding more effective solutions to development issues.

Year Founded: 1995