Volunteer abroad in a village in India
VTINVV1 - Kanjar Villages Development (Jhalawar, Rajasthan)
Volunteers here are welcome for a minimum of 4 weeks.
The Kanjar are a traditionally nomadic people in several parts of India and Pakistan. They are reputed to have previously made a living by kidnapping, theft, prostitution, and other criminal activity. Because of this, they were forced to register as a “criminal tribe” under the colonial-era 1871 Criminal Tribes Act. Even though this British system of tribe and caste classification was abandoned in 1952, the community continues to carry considerable social stigma. They live in small family units and survive by engaging in basic agriculture.
 This project is part of a larger undertaking that covers a total of 16 villages in the southern part of Rajasthan. It began with 176 members of the community and now serves 2046 people, of which 1123 are children. Participants would be engaged in work in 4 villages: Ralayeti, Biriakhedi, Jarel and Chandiyakhedi.
Volunteers help in activity-based learning in schools from Grade 1 to 3 (6-14 years old), basic English education, organising and coordinating educational visits for children, showing educational films and documentaries, maintaining health records, painting of infrastructure, making fences, cleaning nearby playgrounds, planting trees and more. They conduct various creativity and activity events like poster and drawing competitions and sports events. Also, they help develop skills by holding singing, drawing, craft making, drama, street play and role play workshops. They also help teachers and community members in creating new games, activities, songs, rhymes and more.
 The community also benefits if the volunteers organize regular surveys to update data records relevant to the overall development programme. They lead hygiene and health awareness campaigns regarding issues such as the utilization of clean drinking water, cleanliness in household, nutrition and more. Education awareness programmes can encourage increased enrollment of children in schools and provide information to parents about the importance of education in the progress of the community.
Accommodation is located in Jhalrapatan (also called Patan, and known as the “City of Bells”), a small town of 30000 located 6 kms from Jhalawar, 335 kms from Jaipur and 6 to 7 kms from the project area. There are several temples in Jhalrapatan, some of which date back to the 10th century.
The guesthouse is located close to the Patan market which provides basic grocery items and edibles. The other available facilities include a post office, ATMs, Internet cafés and international calling booths. There are very basic room facilities with electricity and water supply that hat contain Indian style (squat) toilets & bucket showers. Food is cooked and made available at set meal times. Please note that electric power cuts are to be expected.
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