STUDENT VOLUNTEER CAMP
Mission
To provide unique volunteering and learning opportunities at a renowned NGO in a clean, tranquil and serene campus with world-class facilities in the heartland of rural India.
Objectives
- To bring youths from across the world together to provide a sense of global community, camaraderie, responsibility and spirit of volunteerism.
- To help youth get a glimpse of the rural/tribal community and their lifestyle.
- To create appreciation of how cutting edge technologies and renewable energy can be harnessed to meet needs of the society.
- To expose the youth to an integrated approach (education including vocational training, healthcare, childcare, care for the disabled and the elderly, women empowerment, sustainable agriculture and organic farming, and innovation in renewable energy and recycling of waste) taken towards the development of the rural society.
- To learn India’s culture in an Ashram setting that India’s forefathers envisioned.
- To explore different professional career paths.
- Provide comfortable and clean on-campus lodging & boarding facilities so that the students can focus on learning.
Program
The program covers Ashram’s multi-faceted work in health, education, social aspects, alternative energy and more. Approximately half of the time is spent on health care. The balance time is spent on education, social-care and sustainability. The following provides a partial listing of some of the activities that the students could participate in:
Healthcare
- Visit the state-of-the-art equipment at Kailash Cancer Hospital and learn how physicians work, i.e., distinguish a carcinogenic tumor from a benign one
- Shadow the medical staff and see how they see the patients, diagnose and treat the disease.
- Participate in ambulatory medical service or blood donation drives to nearby villages
- Understand various schemes and subsidies, provided to the rural poor by the government, and their implementation by the Ashram.
- Experience the working and operations of a world class medical facility in a small village in tribal area of Gujarat.
Education
- Experience the day-to-day life of students at residential schools (Gujarati medium Primary school, Gujarati medium Secondary school, English medium Secondary school and Vocation Training Center), their role in overall development of the volunteers and their influence on building brighter future for poor tribal children
- Spend quality time with children and participate in their activities to help broaden their worldview.
- Teach selected subjects like English, computers and basic medicine/Hygiene.
Social activities
- Spend quality time with the children of the orphanage, elderly of the old-age homes and the specially-abled at the home for mentally challenged women to understand their needs and the services provided by the Ashram to support them
- Participate in activities or programs to help the residents grow and develop physically, mentally or emotionally and spiritually
Renewable energy and organic farming
- Learn how solar energy can be harnessed for cooking food, generating electricity and even to create air conditioning for the hospital
- Learn how bio-gas is generated. Vsit the compression facility where it is compressed into cylinders ready to be used for cooking and as fuel in farm vehicles
- Visit plantations and farmlands to understand the use of organic fertilizers generated from bio-gas plants and vermin composting
- Visit the gaushalas (cow-sheds). Experience feeding and milking the cows.
What students and their parents can expect and should be ready for:
- MSA is located in rural India. There may be intermittent loss of Electricity that can last from few minutes to few hours. It should be noted that air-conditioners or fans do not work without electricity.
- Hot water for bathing is provided during the morning hours.
- WI-FI is provided in some areas of the ashram from where Internet can be accessed on students’ laptops and smartphones. Because of its rural location students may experience intermittent loss of connectivity.
- Students are provided air conditioned accommodation. Typically two students of same sex are housed in each room.
- Vegetarian food – some of which is organically grown at Ashram – is provided Milk and milk products come from cows at Ashram.
- Laundry facilities are provided.
- Meat, liquor and tobacco of any kind are prohibited.
- Ashram premises are periodically fumigated. Mosquitoes are not a problem at Ashram, however students are advised to bring mosquito repellent.
- Youth do not receive any academic credits. However they will be given certificate of participation which may satisfy requirements at some schools and colleges.
Recommended Age Group for Camp
16 years or older. Most of the students have completed their tenth grade.
Duration of Camp
We strongly advise that students should attend the full camp duration of 2 weeks.
Program Fee
Please write to student.camp@greenashram.org for details on program fees.
Camp Dates:
Student Volunteer Program is suspended for individual participants. We may offer this program if there are a minimum of 7 participants. For more info, kindly contact: student.camp@greenashram.org
TESTIMONIALS
The Muni Seva Ashram has been a memorable experience where the people have truly altered my outlook on rural life within India. The children we were teaching English at Baxipunch are amongst the most jovial, considerate people I have ever met. Never did I have to worry in this ashram, if I was cut while playing WWE with the children they would immediately get me water and dress my wounds. Teaching English to the children has truly piqued and developed my interest in teaching. Their wonderful personalities classic comments during class made teaching a task I looked forward to everyday. They would even take as much time as possible to teach me one word or one custom they followed, because they also cared that I learned about their country.
The talent these children withhold is boundless; there was a child I met who had taught the piano to himself and could compose music without the need of musical notes. Another case of talent and hard work, was when I met a national level kabbidy player who had gone from rural India to play on the national team. These children have slightly altered my goals in the future due to their love and kindness and revised it to add their country as one I must revisit and teach in once again.
Curren Patel
