A 3-month placement to develop a plan for the town of Baddi Sandholi to inform its water and sanitation strategy.

What work will I be doing?

The project seeks to improve the local environment of Baddi Sandholi by providing a strategy that will allow the town to expand without compromising the health and wellbeing of its inhabitants. The plan will address the issues of excess surface water, lack of public toilets and blockages from waste disposal and flooding. The project will also involve undertaking a topographical survey of Baddi Sandholi and working with local government engineers and RUCHI staff to develop a sewage and sanitation plan.

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 and 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 live in and help a rural hill side community. RUCHI staff are locals and speak English well. www.ruchin.org 

What skills or experience do I need?

Required:

• Knowledge of urban water and sanitation systems
• Competency in topographical surveying
• Practically minded person
• A desire to interact with those around them and ability to persevere where communication is difficult
• University undergraduate or graduate

Desired:

• Ability to speak Hindi