VOLUNTEERS FOR RURAL INDIA

meeting students at the local school

celebrating the colourful (!) festival of Holi

the village market

experience development: polio immunisation promotion campaign

volunteers wear Indian clothes to fit in with local standards of smartness and decency

meeting local students and project staff

meeting local students and project staff

Experiences you would never have in the UK

"Great conversations with local people and day-to-day experiences that you would never have in the UK. Celebrating the festival of Diwali was great and I enjoyed going to Star Tailors and getting Indian clothes made. "
Rosie, England, March 2006.

"My best moments were seeing all our hard work come to a crescendo in the Science Fair and going to a Hindu engagement feast."
Kate Jones, November 2009

Everyone was friendly and helpful

"Everyone was friendly and helpful and interested in the project visitors. I particularly enjoyed the social evenings with APK staff and students."
Shonad, March 2009

Step by step, I began to understand

"I didn't expect such a peaceful place. Step by step, I learned more about India in general and how to survive there. I also learned a little about how Indians tend to think, how they see things in another way from we westeners, and I learned to understand that way of thinking better. "
Jacoba, Belgium, October 2006.

Humility, tolerance and pink eyebrows

"I learned humility, tolerance, inquisiteveness and most of all, never to stop questioning why thing are the way they are. Celebrating the festival of Holi was great (though pink eyebrows for a week wasn't!), the dance contest was good and our performance at the environmental seminar will stay with me for ever."
Nick, England, March 2006.

The beginning of my education about rural India

"Visiting APK was not just a chance to participate in an inspiring project, but was the beginning of my education about the challenges facing rural India. I was able to participate in teaching English at the school at APK and to assist with painting a map. There were also links to other projects in India that the experience at APK gave me the confidence to go on and visit."
Vince, England, Sept 2005

"The co-ordinator who looked after us was very welcoming and the evening discussions were very informative, stimulating and thought-provoking."
Marcia, February 2010

Balance between independence and guidance

"The scheme was excellent. It was extremely well organised, and although I was terrified as it was the first time I had travelled on my own, everyone at VRI was helpful, patient and answered all my questions. My time in India was amazing. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was better than anything I could have imagined. I learnt so much, not just about India, but about other people, and about myself. VRI seem to have found a good balance between independence and guidance for PVs, so I could make the experience what I wanted it to be. Make an effort to learn some Hindi while you are at APK. It won't just help with practicalities, but will help you feel much more involved with what's going on. It will also come in useful if you go on travelling around India! The scheme was perfect for what I wanted to do in my gap year. I made some brilliant friends and have so many amazing memories. "
Katie, Jan-April 2002

Different way of life

"The scheme really opened my mind to a different way of life. My friends and I drew a world map on a classroom wall. It was really rewarding as many children had never seen a map before and they wanted to know where every country is. "
Daniel, November 2001

A different experience of India - the best way to learn about grass-roots development

"Despite the fact that it was my second visit to India, I found that the scheme gave me a totally new and different experience, which would never have happened had I merely gone back-packing in India. It really was excellent to have the opportunity to meet people from grass-roots projects. However much you read, nothing beats real experience - and I found that this definitely was the best way to learn about grass-roots development issues. I would definitely do it all over again."
Melanie Potter, Brighton, September 1996.

You don't need any formal training or skills - it is very flexible

"My visit to Amarpurkashi was a real personal challenge but immensely rewarding. This is a fantastic opportunity to live in a rural Indian village and be immersed into the culture and Indian way of life. I had a wonderful three months at the project and the locals were really friendly and welcoming. The great thing about the scheme is that you don’t need any formal training or skills – it’s very flexible and you can stay at projects as long as you want. VRI can also put you in contact with many projects across the whole of India. And if you wish to travel - never fear, there will always be a fellow VRI visitor to experience the magic of India with! I would recommend VRI to anyone!"
Katie, Sheffield, February 1997.

Blogs

For a more informal and personal view of the scheme, we suggest you have a look at some of the blogs created by previous project visitors. To help you, here are some links. (Please note that any views expressed in the blogs are the bloggers' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of VRI).

Lydia, Feb 2007, describes her APK experiences, including the festival of Holi

Ian, Nov 2005, describes a day at APK, and is inspired by his visit to the NSP project in Orissa

Howard, Nov 2004, talks about Indian life, APK and getting to know the college lecturers.

Paul, Nov 2004, describes a typical day as a project visitor

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