ALICE PROJECT

INFORMATION FOR VOLUNTEERS

1. The ALICE PROJECT welcomes any contribution, provided it is serious and in compliance with its principles and compatible with its needs. The proposal to work as a volunteer at the Project in India has to be submitted by the candidate-volunteer and the ones responsible for the Project reserve the right to express their evaluation of the possibility and feasibility of such proposal.

1. The Project has limited dimensions and is financed solely by the founders and by private sponsors, thus the available means are very basic and the economic management is very careful and meets ethical principles, privileging as much as possible the final beneficiaries rather than the structure.

2. All volunteers join on their own initiative, for their own aims and operate by their own means and resources; thus they are neither at the Project's care nor under its responsibility for any reason.

3. The Project as a whole makes all efforts to the maximum possible self-management and self-sufficiency (cleaning, cooking, provisions, cultivation, labs, medical aid, micro-credit, etc…) and volunteers too are requested to share in this orientation.

4. The role of volunteers in the Project is to:

   • share in a peer-to-peer relationship (giving and receiving) and in a spirit of friendship ideals and experiences, independent of the specific professional contribution one can offer;

   • make available to others one's own talents, professional competences and abilities towards integration, support and useful confrontation with the final beneficiaries, without any claim to judge or replace the local operators;

   • find a role in the ongoing activities, while respecting rhythms, operational modalities and needs of the local operators, so as to avoid interfering with them, in accordance with whatever is suggested by those responsible of the Project;

   • interact with students, teachers, other people and the surrounding environment, with utmost attention to cultural differences, respect, humility, gradualness and patience, being aware of one's own educative role in witnessing selfless service;

   • define one's own targets and pursue them with autonomy and self-responsibility, while remaining at the same time open and flexible to the Project's needs at that particular moment;

   • experience personally the concrete reality of the Project and promote it in one's own context once back home, in accordance with one's own possibilities and availabilities.

5. It is of utmost importance right from the very beginning the attitude of the volunteer:

- many volunteers witness they have received from the Project, in terms of personal, human, spiritual as well as professional enrichment, much more than they have given to it.

In every case, considering how troublesome the operational environment and the natural difficulties of interaction with locals and other operators (especially for those coming to India for the first time) are, we strongly recommend to volunteers that they carefully reflect on their own motivations and desires –often unconscious- in order to prevent excessive expectations, misunderstandings and subsequent disappointments.

• It is always useful to focus one's attention on the fact that we are all rings in a chain. The Project avails itself of several volunteers, also for the same sub-projects or activities. So, generally speaking, nothing begins or ends with or remains bound to the work of one single person; on the contrary, it is advisable to put oneself in continuity to those who have already worked or will come later;

- for everybody, including those intending to cooperate in sectors other than teaching, it is advisable to prepare oneself before coming to India by reading about the principles and objectives of the Project (books, videos, articles and two websites are available), so as to introduce oneself with more knowledge and awareness of this educational reality. It might also be useful to contact other volunteers from the same or other countries, especially for practical advice, always without any responsibility on the Project

7. The Project can offer to volunteers (besides so much work to do):

• (when available) a very basic accommodation at the school itself (single room with toilet) with a small contribution (150 Rs = about 3 €/night); [otherwise in Sarnath many other accommodation solutions of different level and price are available and should be arranged on one's own];

• (when available) self-catering facilities, for the volunteers who prefer to cook their own vegetarian food;

• as an alternative (when possible), one can take advantage of the hostel residents' canteen (with a contribution of 130 Rs. = about 2,60 € for breakfast-lunch-dinner, of course simple indian-veg meals), by reserving in advance;

(NOTE: the very modest contributions indicated here are necessary to cover the costs met by the school for welcoming foreign volunteers, in order not to shorten the budget meant for managing the structure for the benefit of children);

• welcome and support for arranging the stay and the activities at the school; practical aid, if necessary, in arranging transfers, provisions for the school activities, currency exchange, personal services, etc…, even though, on the other hand, the Project recommends, encourages and appreciates the maximum autonomy by the volunteers;

• possibility to keep in touch with the Project in India and with other supporting groups or individuals around the world, to go on cooperating also in other ways;

• an official letter from the Alice Project ngo itself, attesting one's status as a volunteer, to apply for:

• an extension of the stowed baggage allowance on flights, which however remains at the airline's discretion;

• healthcare information and prevention aid by one's country's competent Health Authority.

NOTE In general, no interpreter service is provided. Some help with spoken language (to/from other languages than English) might be provided, especially in the beginning of one's stay, by other volunteers, if any present and available at the moment, but he Project requests from all volunteers, especially from teachers, a good degree of autonomy in speaking the English language.

8. The Project requires from volunteers:

• major age or presence of at least one adult relative;

• preferably a minimum stay of 2 months as continuous as possible (apart from free days and hours off the agreed activities), to ease a convenient scheduling of activities and use of spaces. If authorized by the Director of the Project, the volunteers' stay can be reduced (to one month or a period of different duration), in case of volunteers offering a specific competence (for the publication of books, teaching English, computer education, etc..) or however on the basis of a specific proposal of activities to be carried out and according to the specific needs of the Schools at that moment;

• clothing suitable to the place and respecting local traditions (e.g., for ladies, salvaar kameez / trousers and long blouse), that one can easily purchase after arriving in India;

• complete economic independence and covering of all costs related to one's stay and activities carried out;

• to agree in advance with the Project Director the period of stay and an overview of the activities to be held or of new projects to be started.

The Project reserves the right to evaluate the opportunity, sustainability and feasibility in the course of time of such proposals. Indeed, only projects and interventions having suitable funds and which can be carried out by local operators more and more independently in terms of resources, professionalism and correspondence to local real needs are started anew and taken in charge of.

9. VOLUNTEERS' FORM (download the form)

Filling-in the form is facultative and aims at collecting and exchanging information and experiences. .