Under 18 volunteering in India
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world.
Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We are dedicated to responsible tourism. All of the projects that we support directly benefit the environment, the local community, or both. All projects are carefully chosen to offer our volunteers sustainable and responsible travel, with specific attention being paid to their involvement in the sustainability of all their practices / project goals.
All of our projects issue the participants with clear guidelines on responsible tourism and ecotourism, all specific to the particular environment / region. These cover a number of issues, ranging from waste disposal in remote areas, recycling materials and buying from local businesses, to not exploiting the area’s wildlife or harming the environment.
Our programs often work to rectify damage done to the environment by humans. By encouraging everyone to engage with climate change, we work towards the sustainable development of the environment and the future of our planet. On all of our programs around the world we aim to keep our impact to a minimum and many of our activities directly affect the environment, for example:
Across Latin America and Africa we are working with communities to replace and sustainably manage forests in areas where there is a high demand for wood as fuel. In Kenya we have trained community members in alternative methods of charcoal production which are sustainable, generate income and protect the forest. In Latin America we build and provide simple energy efficient stoves to poor communities which reduces firewood consumption by as much as 70% and dramatically improves living standards.
Community
We originally began working in Kerala’s poorest communities and the work focused on education, with volunteers running holiday programs, art and drama clubs, sports programs and one-on-one tutoring.
The sports program gives the children the opportunity to learn and take part in various sports and physical activities that will encourage healthy living and provide them with a positive environment to develop their social, mental and physical skills. Many of the children coming to the school are talented but do not have the facilities or a coach to help them practice sports as they are too poor to afford joining local sports clubs and at home they often end up doing house chores. The program will also provide them with the right equipment to play sports in a safe environment rather than on the streets.
The education and extra-curricular projects will greatly help the childrens development and provide them with necessary skills needed for attaining a better future and escaping the poverty cycle they are caught in.
The villages and towns share many common and preventable problems, examples include a lack of hygiene and sanitation infrastructure, poor access to drinking water and limited access to education and sports opportunities and together we have put plans in place to address these issues. Volunteers are a key part of these plans and you will assist in improving local access to clean water, which will have many health benefits, it will increase life expectancy and open up new opportunities for these wonderful communities.
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