Partner:                   Rural centre for human interests (RUCHI)

Title of placement:  Shyamaghat Model Rainwater Village, India

Start date:               1st July 2009

Duration:                 3 months

No. of volunteers:   2

A 3 month placement to improve access to water and provide basic hygiene facilities. To assist RUCHIs dedicated health workers in educating villagers on hygiene and health.

What work will I be doing?

The volunteer will work with RUCHI and local people to design and construct building latrine, washing facilities and rainwater tanks to help provide safe clean water for the villages served by RUCHI. The facilities to be built include:

• Latrines and washing facilities for 9 houses
• A ferro cement rainwater tank and guttering to 11 houses
• Drainage around 11 houses.
• 2 community recharge tanks and 2 community irrigation tanks.

Who will I be working for?

RUCHI began in October 1980 in a remote village in Chopal in Shimla District, Himachal Pradesh. It was created in order to provide a platform to initiate the process of development at the grass roots level. RUCHI’s head office is currently located in the small village of Bandh in Solan district, and works in 100 villages in the steep mountainous terrain of Sirmour and Solan districts.

The major thrust areas of RUCHI's work are: Natural Resource Management; Technology Promotion & Transfer; Education and Empowerments; Community Health Services; Media and Documentation;

RUCHI transfer their knowledge to the people through education, awareness raising and empowerment. They aim to help the underprivileged to improve their own living conditions, leading them a life of dignity and self-respect. To this end they strongly believe that participatory collective action is required for sustainable and balanced community development.

The placement is a great opportunity to living in, and helping, a rural hill side community. RUCHI staff are locals and speak English well. 

What skills or experience do I need?

Required:

• Practically minded person
• It is essential that volunteers have a desire to interact with those around them and will persevere where communication is difficult.
• University undergraduate or graduate

Desired:

• Ability to speak Hindi
• Knowledge of concrete construction and water engineering