Join a Grassroots NGO in the Himalayas: Sustainability, Education & Community Building in Kangra, India

Details

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  Description

  Hey! 👋 I’m Varun. If you’re reading this, maybe you’re thinking of leaving your comfort zone for a while, crossing a few time zones, and landing in a small Himalayan village you’ve never heard of. If that sounds exciting, keep reading.
  
  Where you’ll be
  We are in the Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh, in a tiny village called Trihada (near Chahdi), right in front of the Dhauladhar mountains of the Himalayas. It’s quiet here. No big city chaos. You’ll hear birds, village gossip, and sometimes the sound of rain on tin roofs.
  
  This area is beautiful, but it’s also at a turning point, unfortunately.
  - New concrete buildings are replacing old, natural homes.
  - Traditional skills and building techniques that worked for hundreds of years are slowly disappearing.
  
  Our small non-profit is trying to do something about that. We’re working on people, environment, and culture together, not as separate boxes, but as one living system.
  
  
  WHO I AM & WHY I’M HERE
  I didn’t grow up dreaming of mud walls and bamboo roofs.
  I worked in the corporate world, traveled to more than 40 countries, and, like you, I was once a Workaway volunteer.
  
  On those travels, I fell in love with local, traditional architecture: - Thick adobe houses in the US, Old half-timber Fachwerkhaus in Germany, and here in the Himalayas, the stunning Kath-Kuni style with wood and stone. I realized something very simple: These “old-school” buildings are actually smart. They are low-carbon, climate-friendly, and perfectly adapted to their environment. They are not just nostalgia or heritage; they are a practical answer to climate change and a more balanced way of living.
  
  So I came back to this valley with one dream: To connect local action in a small village to global ecological goals, and to create a space where people (from villagers to travellers like you) can learn, teach, and build a fairer, kinder future together.
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  THE FOUNDATION: MY FATHER’S WORK
  This project doesn’t start with me. It starts with my father. For over 15 years, he has been helping children and young people from underprivileged backgrounds: guiding them with studies, mentoring them, and helping them prepare for government and private jobs. Because of his work, nearly 50 people (many of them women) now have stable jobs. That means real change: families moving out of poverty, younger siblings getting better education, and a strong sense of hope in the community.
  
  This “proof of concept” is the backbone of everything we are trying to scale now, through education, sustainability, and community work.
  
  MY DREAM: THE “SUSTAINABLE MEETING HUB”
  My initial dream for this house was to renovate it using natural materials, like the traditional mud kitchen we already have, to explore eco-friendly solutions and inspire the local community. While that renovation is a long-term goal, it has evolved into something much bigger: a sustainable meeting hub.
  
  It is going to be a 1,000-square-foot, carbon-neutral community and learning centre. Built mainly from mud, stone, bamboo, and timber. Using local, low-carbon, traditional techniques (including Kath-Kuni). Designed as a living classroom, where the building process itself is a workshop
  
  Who will learn here?
  Villagers, local artisans, students, volunteers like you! Basically, anyone curious about sustainable living and traditional wisdom. If everything goes well, this hub will be ready around mid-2026. After that, it will become the main base for all our non-profit work here: classes, trainings, workshops, exchanges.
  
  Right now, you’ll be joining us in the building phase, not just of a structure, but of a whole community vision.
  
  WHAT WE FOCUS ON: OUR 3 CORE AREAS
  All our work falls into three big, connected areas. Think of them as three circles that overlap:
  
  1. Empowerment & Opportunity 🎓 – Building Futures -
  Here we focus on helping people, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, to create a better life for themselves. How? - Promoting, supporting, and facilitating education, skill development, and vocational training for children, youth, and women. Helping daily wage workers, urban maids, local youth, and women to find better work opportunities. Goal: Financial independence and confidence, so that people can stand on their own feet and dream bigger.
  
  2. Environment & Heritage 🌳 – Sustaining the Earth
  This is about taking care of the planet and respecting the wisdom that already exists here. How? Promoting sustainable living and ecological awareness. Exploring natural building, waste management, and low-carbon lifestyles. Celebrating and preserving local culture, architecture, and traditions. Goal: To live in a way that is kind to the Earth and honours local heritage, instead of replacing everything with one global, concrete-style lifestyle.
  
  3. Community & Social Cohesion 🤝 – Uniting Communities
  This is all about strengthening the social fabric - the relationships, trust, and shared responsibility within and between different groups. How? Supporting community events and local initiatives. Encouraging dialogue, peace, and understanding between different groups. Creating spaces where people (villagers, travellers, students) can meet, talk, and learn from each other.
  
  Goal: A more harmonious society, where people see themselves as part of a community and work together to solve problems.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You’ll experience the life of a Himachal village, learn about sustainable living, and explore local traditions and festivals.

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  Registered charity

  This host is a registered charity in their country and is looking for volunteers to help with their project(s).

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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

  UPDATE - DEC 2025
  First, I’d really love it if you read the 'Description' above slowly and honestly. Ask yourself: “Which part of this excites me? Where do I feel I can really contribute?” I don’t want you to just “fill hours”. I want you to feel connected to what you are doing. That said, here are some concrete ways you can help:
  
  1. Hands-on Building: Mud Bricks, Foundations & Walls 🧱
  From December onwards, we are getting into the most exciting part: actually building the Sustainable Meeting Hub.
  December – Mud Bricks
  We’ll start making mud bricks using local soil, water, straw, and a lot of laughter 😄
  You’ll learn: - how to mix the mud, - how to fill the moulds, - how to dry and stack the bricks.
  It’s a full-body, hands-on, very fun experience. If you’ve ever wanted to say, “I built this place brick by brick,” this is your chance.
  
  January – Foundation
  In January, we’ll focus on the foundation of the building. digging, levelling, understanding the land, and preparing the base.
  You’ll see how a natural, low-carbon building actually begins from the ground up.
  
  Following Months – Walls, Roof & More
  Step by step, we’ll move to: - building walls with mud bricks and stone, - working on the roof structure, - and all the little details that turn a building into a welcoming space.
  
  2. Cultural Exchange & Conversations
  - Spend time with village children, youth, women, and elders
  - Share stories about your country, your daily life, your values, and learn theirs.
  - Talk about things from your culture that could help us here - for example: waste management habits, simple organisation tools, and even about how school education is in your country?
  Sometimes, one conversation can open a completely new world for someone.
  
  3. Environment & Practical Projects
  Waste management in this area is very bad. I have no idea how to solve it. Help me with your innovative ideas. Or design and build a raised bed/compost area for organic waste (to turn kitchen scraps into natural manure). Share any simple ideas you know for waste reduction, recycling, upcycling. Join in small experiments to make the house and the village more eco-friendly.
  
  4. Digital & Creative Support
  If you’re comfortable with technology or creativity, you can support us in:
  - Social media strategy – helping us share our story with the world in a clear, honest way
  - Website design – improving or building our website (Please take this only if you feel you can start and complete it)
  - Helping us think about how to present our work online so that it reaches the right people
  
  5. Tools for the Future: Project Management & AI
  The youth here are bright and ambitious. What they often lack is exposure and tools.
  You can help by:
  - Introducing simple project management tools (Trello, Notion, Kanban boards, anything you use)
  - Showing us and the youth how AI tools can save time, help with learning, planning, or job preparation
  - Sharing how people in your country use technology in smart, ethical ways
  The idea is to prepare them not just for local jobs, but for a global, digital world.
  
  6. Identity, Confidence & Heritage
  Sometimes people here don’t realise how unique and special their own culture is.
  You can:
  - Reflect back to them what you find beautiful here: the mountains, their architecture, the language, the food, the festivals. Help them see that what they have is not “less than” big cities or foreign countries! it’s something the world actually needs. Encourage them to document and celebrate their own traditions
  
  If you have skills like photography, storytelling, video-making, or art, this can be a fun and powerful area to explore.
  
  7. Your Own Ideas 💡
  Maybe you have an idea I haven’t thought of yet:
  - A workshop
  - A small research project
  - A piece of art or design
  - Something related to sustainability, education, or community that you’re passionate about
  
  As long as it: respects local culture, is realistic in the time you are here, and moves us towards a more sustainable and caring place …I’m very open to co-creating it with you.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Hindi: Fluent
  German: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  * Accommodation: You’ll have a simple and comfortable room, or you can choose to camp in the backyard. We also have outdoor toilets and bathrooms.
  
  * Food: Meals will be prepared together using local ingredients, giving everyone a chance to share and learn new recipes.
  
  Rules -
  * We are a smoking and drug-free zone. Please respect it.
  * Respect the local culture. Wear modest clothing to align with the community’s values. (Avoid wearing tank tops, tight or see-through clothing, shorts above the knee, or low-cut tops)
  * Keep the noise levels low. Instead of loud music, enjoy the sounds of nature around you
  
  Important Note for Winter -
  In winter, the rooms become colder, as typical rural houses in these areas often lack insulation. We don’t have a centralised heating system to keep the house warm from the inside. Most people in this area wear layers of warm clothing to stay comfortable. Please come prepared with sufficient warm clothing and bedding, if needed.

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  What else ...

  In your free time, you can visit some beautiful places nearby, like:
  
  1. Dharamshala and McLeodganj: Explore Tibetan culture and the residence of the Dalai Lama.
  2. Palampur: Known for its tea gardens and natural beauty.
  3. Bir-Billing: Famous for paragliding.
  4. Local temples: Discover ancient temples rich in history and culture.
  
  
  We ask volunteers to:
  * Be respectful of the house, the local community, and its traditions.
  * Share copies of their ID for safety reasons.
  
  If you have experience in working with children, community development, or sustainable living or ideas in interior design, sustainable construction, or creative projects, that’s a big plus! Otherwise, a positive attitude and willingness to help are all we need.

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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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  Can host digital nomads

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

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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