Intern or Volunteer with Grassroots Environmental Organization in India

  India

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 Environmental initiatives in India:

* Conduct research projects on topics such as soil and water conservation, use of common and private land plantations, seed banks, crop cultivation, irrigation, and well deepening efforts.

* Support tribal rehabilitation projects which include tree-based farming that produces drought tolerant fruit species - improving the productivity and employment potential of degraded lands.

* Assist a National Environmental Awareness Campaign (in conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment).

*Secure access to safe drinking water resources and employment for local community members through watershed management and community capacity-building initiatives.

* Analyze the success of efforts to increase local self-governance and end the privatization of natural resources.

*Support implementation of various watershed development projects, invention of new methods for harvesting rain water, and ensuring equitable distribution.

* Assist community education programs that support the use of traditional medicine, seed banks, and composting to generate income and minimize depletion of natural resources.

* Help construct field bunds, gully plugs, check dams, farm ponds, and/or community lift irrigation schemes to protect communities from the devastation caused by drought.

For more environmental 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
India is currently experiencing rapid and widespread environmental degradation. Tremendous pressure is placed upon the country's land and natural resources to support the rising population. Mismanagement and overuse of India's once abundant forests has resulted in desertification, contamination, and soil depletion throughout the sub-continent. This has serious repercussions for the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Indians that live off the land. Without continual access to forest products such as fruit, honey, or firewood, communities experience debilitating hunger and are reduced to total poverty. Drought also has severe consequences for local people, affecting the availability of safe drinking water, the success of the livestock population, and basic food security.

In Rajasthan, numerous non-governmental organizations focus on environmental issues as they are extremely pressing concerns for this region. FSD works with organizations that have been enormously effective in protecting natural resources and minimizing the effects of drought. Other FSD partner non-governmental organizations conduct research projects on topics such as soil stabilization, organic farming, erosion prevention, and protection and management of forested lands. These organizations search for feasible solutions to environmental problems and then provide the local community with the necessary funding and infrastructure. Aid from environmental organizations has become an invaluable way for the poor to improve the condition of their local environment, directly affecting their quality of life.

Additional Programs are Available in: Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru, Uganda, and Kenya.

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: Varies Per 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 World Wide 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 Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• 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