Help our NGO fight Dharamsala's waste, keep Himalayas clean and engage the community in India

Details

• 

  Description

  This is a non-governmental organization (NGO) working on solid waste management solutions in the hills of Lower and Upper Dharamshala and Bir in Himachal. We also have projects in the city of Dehradun, in the villages around Corbett National Park, and in the beautiful mountains of Rishikesh, Uttarkashi and Mussoorie. We organize community clean-up drives, dry solid waste collection from businesses and Govt offices, school education initiatives, public awareness programs, upcycling workshops, murals and art installations, composting, and much more.
  
  We are doing our best to save the hills of Dharamshala from large amounts of waste left and littered by tourists, or dumped by cafes, guesthouses, or households, and ignored by local authorities. We are always in need of enthusiastic and environmentally conscious people who want to make a difference and help us with our various initiatives and are willing to try creative ideas and engage the community.
  
  Our project has moved to the main office in Lower Dharamshala which can be found on Google Maps. We are an team of enthusiastic people who are from Dharamsala as well as different parts of India, who are all here to do their part in protecting our environment, saving the delicate ecosystem of Himachal & the Himalayas, and informing tourists and locals about doing their bit, too. Come join us!

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
• 

  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

  ×

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  What's this?
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  There are few places as welcoming and relaxing as Himachal Pradesh, and even more so in the area where we are, in the area of Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, Bhagsu, and Dharamkot. These places are certainly quite different from the rest of India, and apart from learning about all the extensive environmentally conscious work that we do as an NGO, one can learn a lot about Tibetan culture (the Dalai Lama lives here), the Himalayas (we're on the edge of where they start in Himachal), hiking/trekking (you can go on several beautiful treks from here), and lastly you can interact with other travelers from all over the world who come to these towns. When it comes to our work, you will be part of an active team trying to solve one of the biggest problems of these touristy mountains: the waste that is produced. And you will learn what the challenges are and what can be done creatively and dynamically.

• 

  Help

  We appreciate if volunteers can stay for at least 3 weeks and we are looking for people to help with:
  - Assisting in regular clean-up drives.
  - Planting and gardening fruits/vegetables using upcycled materials as prototypes.
  - Painting murals and creating upcycled art projects.
  - Joining our street teams to raise tourist awareness on their responsibilities.
  - Assisting in teaching waste management in schools and in organizing public awareness events.
  - Planning and implementing neighborhood-level composting.
  - Helping us with social media updates and blog posts (if you've got both an objective and creative style of writing).
  - Designing printable awareness-raising materials (using canva/photoshop/illustrator).
  - Our office also occasionally needs help with basic data entry.

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Hindi: Fluent

• 

  Accommodation

  We can provide accommodation at our Guest House in Rakkar (Based on Availability) if you are planning to visit for at least a month. In case the accommodation is full, we can help you find cheap accommodation in upper and Lower Dharamshala based on your preference of stay.

• 

  What else ...

  During your time off, you can explore the hills of these towns, as there are many beautiful roads and trails to walk and hike on. You can also explore the Tibetan culture of McLeod Ganj. You can hike to Triund, a popular mountain ridge with beautiful views of the valley below and the Himalayas.
  
  To get to Dharamsala, you will have to take a bus or flight from Delhi, or a bus or train to Pathankot in Punjab and then a bus from there to Dharamsala. Our main office in lower Dharamsala is about a 20-min walk from the main Dharamsala bus stand.
  
  All the hundreds of volunteers who have spent time with us over the last few years (before we joined WorkAway) have really enjoyed their experience with us and have learned a lot about the work we do and how they can help do their bit in saving the environment.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  Hours expected

  12 hours a week (food and accommodation not included)

Feedback (18)