Intern or Volunteer with a Grassroots Youth and Education Organization in India

  India

Jodhpur,  Udaipur

Term: Throughout the year 
Durations of Program: 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months and 1-2 years
Dates: Varies

Description: Examples of how you can support Youth and Education initiatives in India:

* Assist Child Labor Rehabilitation Centers in an attempt to curb child labor in the Udaipur area provide children with nutritional support and ways to deter them from taking up hard labor activities again. Currently, the center serves 100 girls.

* Support a 24-hour Child Line that helps children in emergency situations, whether because of abuse, abandonment, neglect, or other at-risk situations

* Teach classes to children of all ages in a variety of subjects English, Mathematics, Hindi, Environmental Science, Social Science, Fine Arts, Music, Disaster Management, Clay-Making, Medal Shop, Carpentry, Clay-Making, Computers, and Globalization. Improve literacy by privately tutoring struggling students and children of families facing migration.

* Raise awareness of the importance of education in rural communities surrounding Udaipur hold village meetings, organize village-level education committees, propagate enrollment in schools, hold motivational meetings for parents, and arrange the construction of basic infrastructure.

* Assist program which houses around fifty orphans, providing them with an education, room, board and emotional support.

* Support an organizations Home Based Care of Young Infants program which offers home based newborn and young infant care throughout local villages.

For more youth and education 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: Community Issues Addressed by FSD in India
The constitution of India, written over fifty years ago, guaranteed all Indian children up to the age of fourteen the right to "free and compulsory" education. Unfortunately, universal education has yet to fully materialize. With the rapidly expanding population, the goal is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. Public funds are insufficient to cover costs and schools throughout India experience shortages of teachers, books, and basic facilities. Retention of both students and teachers is alarmingly low, particularly in rural areas.

Gender discrimination is another problem within the education system. In Rajasthan, only forty-five percent of girls are enrolled in primary school and only thirty-six percent in secondary school. Culturally, the ultimate achievement for women is often portrayed as marriage, not the attainment of a solid educational background. Families who cannot afford to pay for the schooling of all their children will prematurely end education for their daughters.

Many non-governmental organizations throughout Rajasthan have developed learning centers to supplement government run school programs. FSD supports these local education centers and libraries by providing additional educational assistance for underprivileged children and their families. Tutors regularly visit these facilities to further the education of both boys and girls in need. Additionally, several nongovernmental organizations in Udaipur work with schools to provide skills training for adults. In the past, FSD interns offered courses for the poor and unemployed on various topics from math, to English, to art. Schools in this region are in dire need of dedicated teachers and tutors to combat the high levels of absenteeism and illiteracy that is prevalent in this region.

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

Program Work Addresses Issues in: Health, Community Development, Environment and Conservation, Micro-enterprise, and Women's Empowerment.

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: Varies with 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.

This Program is open to World Wide Participants.

Participants Travel to India Independently

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