Grassroots Community Development

  India

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Trimester, Winter 
Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks and 5-8 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: All year round

Description: Scholarships Available for February, March and April 2009. Email us for scholarship details and the application form.

Work with local NGOs in rural areas outside the city of Mumbai. The visiting students work with social workers in the area of health, women's empowerment, micro-credit, community development, child sponsorship, HIV/AIDS intervention and awareness programs, health education and teaching programs.

These organizations are community based institutions working on the grassroots level for provision of health, education and village development services. Students are given a general orientation to all aspects of organizational work and are placed with a department of their choice.

Highlights: Program Details
A variety of internship projects are available depending on your interests and the local organizations' needs. Areas of work include:

- Women's Empowerment
- Micro-Credit and Self Help Groups
- Income generation projects for rural women
- Community and Village Development initiatives
- Child Sponsorship
- HIV/AIDS intervention and awareness programs
- Health Education and teaching programs
- Program Development and Evaluation: For those interested in getting work experience on the management side, can work with the staff on grant proposals, monitoring, evaluation and strategic planning and program development.

What do students do on the program?

Students visit the nearby villages with the social workers in their area of interest. They gain valuable field experience working with the staff and then help with program management, strategy, program evaluation and monitoring. The social workers are very skilled at field work but lack good English skills to help them articulate their work and prepare good analysis and reporting documentation.

Students help the social workers with the documentation, office administration and analysis aspect of the work when they are not visiting the field. This way the students get to see ground realities and learn about development programs and give back back to the community and organization.

Even if you are young there are many ways to give back to the community. Past students have helped with data collection and analysis, report writing for foreign donors and project evaluation in addition to working in the field.

Qualifications: This program is ideal for students wanting to gain experience in the area of international development.

The placement involves lots of field trips to villages and an opportunity to get involved with and observe a variety of development issues (women's empowerment to micro credit etc). No prior experience or other training required. Participants must be over 18 years of age easygoing and flexible. They must be committed to working with underserved communities and be able to live in rural areas. Individual or groups of students can apply to the program.

Volunteers must be open minded, willing to take initiative to contribute and learn from their environment and be respectful to their surroundings. The students should be able to adjust to inconveniences caused due to disturbances in power supply and water supply in the remote areas. Students need to respect the local traditions and norms of the community they stay with and be careful not to disturb others in any manner.

Cost in US$: $900 for two weeks, $200 each extra week

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18+

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to India Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 5

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

India Study Abroad Center's Mission Statement: India Study Abroad Center (ISAC) offers a variety of experiential learning programs. These programs are designed with the particular student's interests in mind, allowing the participants to explore and learn about the country with special focus in their area of interest. We strive to ensure that our programs are most affordable to allow people from all walks of life to be able to participate. Our aim is to provide students with an unforgettable learning experience.

Year Founded: 2006