Join us to help the local community in the areas of health, education & tourism in Himachal Pradesh, India

Details

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  Description

  We are a bunch of friends from different countries who've known each other for a decade now. Paragliding is what attracted us and brought us together, but the sheer beauty of the surroundings and the simplicity of the lives of the local mountain people here, is what made us stay. Nestled on the Dhauladhar Range in the Kangra Valley, our place is situated at 2250 mts ASL with incredible views of the Himalayas. We are registered as a not-for-profit organization and work with the local community in the areas of education, tourism & medicine.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Teaching

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  Self development

  

  Sustainability

  

  Videography

  

  Culture

  

  Charity work

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Photography

  

  Music

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Carpentry

  

  Art & design

  

  Architecture

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Team sports

  

  Nature

  

  Hiking

  

  Mountain

  

  Camping

  

  Adventure sports
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  There is no road, electricity or shops around our house. Most of the locals live a very basic life. It is difficult to define the kind of learning one takes back from here. This intermingling with the local people and landscape, is creating an interesting new paradigm, from which, we are all learning and benefiting. In fact, we're looking forward to your feedback on this!

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Healthcare: Since this area is quite remote, access to healthcare is limited. Awareness is also limited. Hence, we conduct seasonal workshops on specific issues that the locals face, by collaborating with other organisations who have expertise in the given subject. Our job is to connect the stakeholders and enable them to create an impact on the ground level. Your task would be to help us in conducting these workshops. Trained Medical personnel with some experience in dealing with rural communities is our first preference. However, we're also open to hosting people who have practical experience in healthcare.
  
  Education: The education project is a collaboration with the existing government school in the local village, called Jhatingri. Although they do learn English at school, most kids don't land up speaking with confidence due to several factors. We plan to engage the kids in certain topics. The task is to help in conducting workshops, contribute to innovative games / ideas / techniques. Trained English teachers with some experience in dealing with kids is our first preference. CELTA / TEFL certified teachers are welcome.
  However, we're also open to hosting people who have practical experience with kids.
  
  The village / school is a 40 minute walk from the house, through a deodar and rhododendron forest. Due to the nature of the task, we prefer volunteers who enjoy trekking in the mountains, and are willing to stay for relatively longer periods. Basic fitness to trek for a couple of hours in the mountains everyday, is an absolute must! We're looking for people who genuinely care about others and are serious about making a difference.
  
  House Maintenance: While we're busy at the village / school, we need help with cleaning, cooking, painting, oiling, wood-work, stone-work, gardening and other such tasks.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Hindi: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  Our place is a beautiful private house, situated on top of a mountain. Made with a lot of love by a bunch of us, it is made for community style living, comfortable enough to accommodate 10 people. We wake up to some incredible scenery of the Himalayas every day. It is situated right on top of a mountain ridge at 2250mts, with spectacular 360 degree views. The house is powered with solar-panels and is off the grid.
  
  The house is a strange shaped structure, that is completely unplanned and still evolving. It's what Robin calls anarchitecture. We have a large common space, a breakfast/music room, the kitchen, the workshop, the bath/toilet complex, a couple of private rooms and a small terrace. The main common space in the house has 2 beds downstairs and a loft where 6-8 people can sleep comfortably. This is the area where the volunteers will live!
  
  We cook simple Indian food on a daily basis, although we do love experimenting from time to time.

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  What else ...

  There are many interesting things to do in this region. It depends on the season you are visiting.
  
  - Sight-seeing: Some famous places close by (2-4 hours) are Bir, Dharamshala and Manali. There are many places to see and things to do around here.
  - Trekking: There are many paths leading to different villages. The entire area is so beautiful and the villagers, simple and welcoming.
  - Fishing: The valley behind us has a river full of trout fish. You can trek down the mountain and come back up with fish for dinner.
  - Music: We have a bunch of live music instruments, complete with amplifiers and all.
  - Carpentry: We have a full-fledged workshop with wide variety of hand and automated tools.
  - Besides this, we have WIFI, a ping-pong table, a mini library and some board games.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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