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Month: October 2013

FSL’s support for long-term volunteers

FSL’s support for long-term volunteers

Months away from home, in a country not of your own, among people and cultures unfamiliar to you can be challenging, if not difficult to handle. But the rewards are worth it: the intercultural exchange and self-exploration it facilitates can be life changing. In fact the voluntary sector works to not only bring about this change at an individual level, but also to bridge cultural gaps that strengthen solidarity among nations. At FSL, it is this very transformation that we…

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Conserving Sea Turtles

Conserving Sea Turtles

In the year 2011-12, nearly 720 hatchlings* of the Olive Ridley sea turtle were released through sea turtle conservation initiatives mobilized by FSL India. For close to 8 years, our volunteers, local community members and conservation organizations in the area have been working together on the coastline of Udupi District, in the State of Karnataka, which forms the sporadic nesting grounds of these turtles. It is one of FSL’s oldest home based, self-funded projects. While there has been much progress,…

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Summer camps

Summer camps

On school days Shanthi (meaning peace in Hindi) Ashram is bustling with the sound of children going about their day-to-day activities. Located in Vijayadka village, Mangalore (State of Karnataka)* and home to some 65 students who reside there, the ashram works to provide children from disadvantaged backgrounds with a safe, nurturing environment that enables their education and future development.  The summer holidays in April provided an excellent opportunity for the ashram community to work on child-friendly infrastructural improvements. A group…

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Teaching in the Thar Desert

Teaching in the Thar Desert

The picturesque city of Jodhpur, the second largest in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is known for its historical forts and palaces. One of our work camps (which last between 2 to 3 weeks) is set in Jodhpur, against the backdrop of the great Indian Thar desert. Our volunteer, Anna Novikova, writes about her experiences in the work camp. ‘Dear readers,  I say it again: India is a fabulous country! The end of August I have spent two weeks volunteering…

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Work camp experiences

Work camp experiences

Galina, one of the volunteers to our work camps recently wrote back to us, reminiscing about her experiences. She also sent us a ‘friendship map’, traditional Russian sweets and candies, inviting us to visit her in Russia. Thank you Galina! You are always welcome back!  ‘Dear Friends, My name is Galina, I took part in [an] FSL project in Kerala in January 2013. It was my sixth international voluntary experience and I want to say: it was THE BEST project…

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Going back home after volunteering

Going back home after volunteering

Recently, we had the great pleasure of seeing one of our volunteers from last year, Caroline Pilling, revisiting us at our office at Kundapura. She writes about what it was like to go back home to Germany after volunteering in India and the sense of nostalgia she feels whenever she thinks of her experiences here. Thank you Caroline for still thinking of us, and you are always welcome back! ‘On the 20th of July 2012 the last volunteers of my…

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The Power of Volunteering

The Power of Volunteering

It is said actions speak louder than words.  On September 21, the joint endeavors of close to 600 local and international volunteers lay testament to this old adage. We came together to be a part of the world’s largest volunteering initiative to clean up waterways and the ocean: the International Coastal Cleanup. Our concerted efforts resulted in 11 tons of trash being collected in 1 day over 26 km of Karnataka’s coastline*.  

A glance into your first week as a long-term volunteer

A glance into your first week as a long-term volunteer

The month of September saw another enthusiastic group of volunteers coming to India for mid- to long- term projects of 1 month to 1 year. The mix of 20, hailing from Germany, Spain and France will be working in various projects ranging from environment-related initiatives such as sea turtle conservation to educating children of migrant families in ‘tent schools’. As with all of our long-term volunteers, their first week began with an orientation on India and Indian culture. This ‘orientation…

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