We are a family of social impact entrepreneurs who run and manage a small non-profit in a beautiful hill station in South India. Our values are founded on Christian principles and we have been working for over 4 decades to uplift children, women and families through education, health care, conservation and agriculture.
The rural Elagiri Hills is also a popular tourist spot for people from Bangalore and Chennai, which are about 3 hours away as the crow flies.
We founded and ran a boarding school on a not-for-profit basis for over two decades on one of our four campuses, impacting numerous lives. As we lost support and funds, we suspended operations a few years ago. Since then nature has reclaimed much of our campus area, some of which has fallen into disrepair.
We are now focusing on a few projects to rebuild and continue making an impact, all are at the initial stages, some just in the ideas phase, and we would really appreciate skilled and knowledgeable people to help us at this important early stage as we are struggling to make progress with such a big area but limited capital and a small staff team.
1. Our Retreat Centre is being developed to use the income to support our other social/charitable projects.
2. Develop an Organic Farming & Food Production area based on permaculture principles.
3. Building a Social Enterprise Health Care Centre with the first of its kind dental clinic/hospital in Elagiri Hills.
4. Develop a Conservation Programme that will bring proper conservation of the local area to reduce pollution and exploitation of the reserve forests and help bring back the local wildlife.
We are looking for motivated, independent, organised and self-driven volunteers.
Help Needed across our 4 main projects / ideas:
Interior Design, DIY/craft-skills, Gardening, Marketing, Business support, Budgeting/Accountancy, Farming/Gardening/Arboriculture, Permaculture, Landscaping and Land use planning, Animal care, Fundraising, Healthcare expertise, Conservation planning, Ecology/Botany, Aesthetics, General help
For 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week (You are welcome to be more involved & again we do not micromanage so you need to be self-motivated)
What do we offer to you in exchange of your work and motivation ?
Accommodation - We have a varied assortment of accommodations on our campus that will be made accessible according to availability. We have dorm-style arrangements, attached guest rooms, independent rooms, cottage apartments with access to kitchens as well as tents for the more adventurous.
Food - Our food comes from a weekly farmer's market. We usually tend to have normal South Indian food, but we should be able to accommodate a diversity of food preferences.
You will have to cook your own Breakfast & Dinner using the Volunteer Kitchen, but an authentic south Indian lunch is provided daily by local village women.
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities - You will get to learn how life works in a rural area of India, with the impact of urban tourism on village life as well as on wild areas and wildlife. The Samaritans school is also a very interesting place to wander around and see how quickly nature can reclaim a space.
Time to reconnect with nature - There are several treks possible around here for you to go on and explore. There is also a lake, a nature park, a waterfall ... All you need to relax and reflect.
