Hello, my name is Louis and I have been doing my volunteer service in India since August 2016. I am working at a place called Sristi Village, close to Pondicherry.

I have found a second family in the Sristi community. From the moment I arrived, I felt a part of the community. All the members and staff accepted me and made me feel welcome. After a short time, we became like brothers and sisters.

Sristi Village is an inclusive, eco-friendly community for people with learning disabilities and those marginalized in society. The villagers have 8.39 acres of land and have begun to grow their own crops and keep cows, poultry and ducks. The community members are taught organic farming and everyone works as a team. There are now 30 members living, learning and working on the land, but the project and farm are still in development.

Rajesh is a community member and every morning when you wake up and you’re still a little bit sleepy and grumpy, he comes to greet you with a big smile and soon you are smiling too – he always lifts everyone’s energy and brings happiness. Even though he can sometimes be really annoying and disturb you whilst you’re working, you just can’t be angry with him for long, it’s just like having a small brother.

Arun, another member, is always caring for everyone, filling up water bottles whilst you are working and putting them in the fridge, so when you finish work you have cool water to drink. Or he is bringing you some biscuits, always making sure you get a cup of tea and you don’t miss out. The fact that he is always looking out for you makes you feel cared about and relaxed.

These are just a few examples – all the community members care for you in their own way, doing what is possible for them, even if it’s just a hello and a good morning when you wake up, or calling you 3 times because you are working in the field and food is coming soon.

I’m very impressed by Karthik, the founder of this project. He always makes time to listen you even if he is run off his feet, he cares about every single member of the community and all the staff and volunteers. You know he would give his last shirt to run the project. That’s the reason why I want to contribute as much as possible and spend all my time here. I moved from the volunteer accommodation in another village 3 kilometres away to live at Sristi because this community became so important to me.

I know everything that I contribute to this project will help, as it is still being set up.  We can be very independent here and choose what we contribute to Sristi Village. My co-volunteer Malte and I designed a waste water system to treat the grey water and improve the water situation. There is not much water here, so we need to save as much of it as possible. Now, we irrigate the whole banana field just with grey water. Sristi gives you space to use your creativity and are open to whatever you offer.

This project has given so much to me, everything I have given has been returned to me ten-fold in friendship and experience. I feel part of something bigger than myself. Living here is very basic and sometimes, with the heat, it can be very hard, but I don’t even think to complain about it because it is all more than worth it. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to have this experience.

I will always come back to Sristi because the people here are my annas and akkas (brothers and sisters).