Indian Work-Camps 2008

INSG003 & INSG007: Bangalore, Slums and Kids

In this camp volunteers will work for an underprivileged, suppressed and vulnerable community. Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cities of the world in the IT field (Information Technology). People are from different countries and from different states of India are migrating here to study, for employment, to settle or for business; 80% of the people migrating to Bangalore are from the lower and middle classes. There are more than 600 slums in the city. In Bangalore there are people living without any proper basic facilities like ventilated houses, roads, healthy and hygienic or water drinking facilities. The slum dwellers are involved in construction work, work shops, petty shops, domestic work and getting paid daily wages. The schools are suffering from a lack of proper attendance and the students are dropping out; all this as a result of parents not interested in their education (no parent motivation) and lack of school facilities.

Tasks:
- Teach Basic English
- Motivate parents to send their children to school
- Do health and social awareness programmes in the slums area
- Reforestation (tree plantation) in slums area
- Paint/Draw in school classes about Education, Health, Unity and National Integration
- Prepare library for the school and the community
- Motivate parents to provide proper immunization to their children
- Help teachers in the slum schools with their work by creating new teaching methods and
  Strategies.



INSG005 & INSG008: Salem - Orphan kids

Salem is surrounded by hills like Shevaroys, Yercaud hills, Amphitheatre of hills, the Nagaramalai in the north, and the Jeragamalai in the south, the Kanjanamalai on the west and Godumalai on the east. The fort is the oldest place of the town Salem also has Heritage Temples like shiva, Mariamman and kali.
In Salem, we have an orphanage with children from all above hill stations and from the local areas. In the orphanage they receive food, education, shelter, clothes and health services.

TASKS:
-    Teach in the school and by night give tutoring
-    Give health and moral awareness
-    Provide psychological counseling with the help of local social worker
-    Clean the orphanage and school campus
-    Paint and draw Educational and Social pictures in the class rooms to motivate the children
-    Help in the orphanage administration
-    Teach computer for the senior (18 and older) children
-    Take children to Yercuad hills for picnics
-    Conduct sports and talent competitions for both girls and boys.
-    Visit the nearby villages and make mass awareness campaigns on health, money saving for future and women development.


INSG004: Madurai - Female Infanticide

Madurai is the second biggest city in Tamil Nadu and the oldest city in India; it has its own cultural and religious heritage history. The world’s biggest Meenakshi temple, Nayakar palace, Gandhi museums and Noble Educational Institutions are there. Tourist visiting places like Kodaikanal, Alagar hills and Vaigai Dam are very near from this city (3 – 4 hour journey).
Rural Madurai is really rich culturally; it has activities such as Indian folk dance, song, music and local festivals (Meenakshi Marriage, Chithra). The main occupation of the people in rural Madurai is Agriculture (farming, cultivation, crop growing); these areas still live under poverty but are very rich in hospitality.
In the rural areas of Madurai we also can see much female infanticide, this as a result of the Dowry System. In the Dowry system, woman have to provide the man with money, jewels, house utensils, transportation according to occupation, etc. before marriage. If the women cannot provide all this, then she is not able to be married. When a woman is not able to get married she then becomes a burden to her family, which causes economical crisis. Even if a woman provides enough to a man, and is able to marry him, the woman’s family still has after marriage rituals to pay for which also causes economical problems. Due to this situation some families decide to prevent this kind of future expense and economical problems by killing their newborn baby girls. Government officials in Madurai and in India have taken lots of initiative to try to control and eradicate this social happening, but unfortunately it still continues in some parts of rural Madurai. 
This volunteer organization feels great responsibility to try to “SAVE THE GIRL CHILD” and give them a good and healthy environment for their future. So here we have started the volunteer service programme with the help of local partners, we are all working for this noble cause.
TASKS:
-    Make mass awareness campaigns in the villages to “SAVE THE GIRL CHILD”
-    Conduct house visits after new babies are born   
-    Teach English in the public schools
-    Paint in public places and walls about the importance of lives of baby girls
-    Coordinate and supervise an on-going project in which we are working to  “SAVE THE GIRL CHILD”
-    Conduct a talent and painting competition in the school about Gender equailty
-    Meet with the village women in the evening to have cultural conferences and inform about gender equaliry and girl childs.



INSG002 & INSG009: Thirupur - Family/village service

Thirupur is one of the cotton and hosiery cities in India; it gives life to more than 10 million people, and is also the city that gives more income to the Indian Government. This city is surrounded by lots of villages and some of the villages are facing untouchable problems between high caste and untouchables. Every village consists of at least 3 - 4% untouchable people. There are frequent problems between these castes which damage community peace. The volunteer organisation is committed to bring social change in this community through volunteer services to have rich experiences in some of the villages. At these days this communities have become so peaceful with one another and communal harmony is their strength.
The host organisation is encouraging volunteers to have their own family set up in these villages; the volunteers will be staying with a family and work with them in their Agriculture field, attend their family functions, marriage, be involved in their community festivals as well as teach their children. This camp is giving tremendous experiences to the volunteers as well as the families; they are gaining new friendships to the extent of having their own Indian family. With this family knitting project, we has achieved peace between castes by the volunteers. The volunteers can definitely bring a social change in all theses villages through their volunteer services.
TASKS:
-    Do village surveys with the help of local social workers
-    Teach in school
-    Conduct Night meetings with community people and make awareness about the unity and human equality
-    Conduct talent and sports competitions among the untouchable children and remove the inferiority complex from their mind
-    Attend all family functions, marriage and religious festivals and bring peace through your activities
-    Work in their Agricultural fields and help them prepare their family budget and family savings
-    Organize community gatherings and perform a country presentation (your own) to have a better understanding with the community
-    Visit, have Indian food, stay with them and be involved in their day to day activities like a family member
-    Gain long term Indian friendships and Indian family through the family knitting project