Unnati Sansthan operates a volunteer programme for both short-term and long-term volunteers. Though they have slightly different objectives and target audiences, both programmes aim to provide volunteers with a personal and practical insight into the particular issues that Unnati works with, whilst enabling Unnati and the communities that we work with to benefit from each volunteer’s particular skills and interests. If these programmes don’t quite meet your needs then please feel free to contact us and we would be happy to discuss alternative options for you.
Unnati will organize homestay accommodation for each volunteer, providing an opportunity to gain deep experience of local culture and making your time in Udaipur as easy as possible. This will include private accommodation and food (3 meals per day), with all bills included. All volunteers are provided with in-depth support and supervision within the office and will have regular opportunities to visit projects in the field.
Work projects will vary depending on your skills and interests, the length of time that you will be volunteering for and Unnati’s current needs. We always try to best utilise the interests of our volunteers within our work. Projects can be discussed before arrival, though we often feel that it’s best to let volunteers see the work that we are doing first before putting together a detailed plan. Common projects include:
- Teaching English in one of the schools/Early Childhood Education Centres that we work with,
- Monitoring project implementation,
- Leading small-scale research projects,
- Documenting impactful written/visual report of our interventions,
- Capacity building of our staff,
- Designing visibility materials/annual reports and social media work
Though we normally work with individuals, we would also be happy to discuss options for couples or small groups. We will take a maximum of 2 volunteers (or one small group) at a time so that our volunteers receive close supervision and support throughout their time with us.
All interested volunteers are requested to send their recent CV to unnatirajasthan@gmail.com.
Short-term Volunteers
We accept short-term volunteers for periods of between 2 weeks and 3 months. Though we are happy to accept volunteers of all types, we believe that this programme is particularly relevant to younger volunteers who are looking to gain initial exposure to rural development in India.
Long-term Volunteers
We accept long-term volunteers who have considerable experience in development or in a related field. This includes specialists in accountancy, marketing, project management, monitoring and evaluation, web design, communications, filmography and research.
For our long-term volunteers, we understand that your previous experience and the amount of time that you are able to dedicate to the project means that Unnati is able to benefit to a greater extent from your work. As such, we try to make your time volunteering with us as affordable for you as possible. We will cover all supervision and transportation costs, and don’t ask for any contribution to Unnati’s project costs. Long-term volunteers organise their accommodation independently, though we are happy to assist you in this or to organise something suitable on your behalf. Please contact us for more details. To be considered under this category, you are required to plan more than 3 months with us and support our interventions.
Your Contribution
Costs for the programme based on common time periods are detailed below. These costs assume that transportation will be based on a combination of public transport, travelling on the back of a motorbike and sharing jeeps with other staff conducting field visits. If volunteers wish to only use private jeeps for field visits then the transportation cost would increase to approximately Rs.20,000 per month. All costs include a contribution of 15% of the total cost to support Unnati’s projects.
- 2 weeks: Rs.14,950 (~US$210)
- 1 month: Rs.29,900 (~US$420)
- 2 months Rs.59,800 (~US$840)
- 3 months: Rs.89,700 (~US$1,260.5)
If you are looking to volunteer for a time period that isn’t mentioned above then please contact us. We would be happy to provide a quote for your expected duration.
Cost Breakdown for a 1-month placement (Costs in Indian Rupees)
| Accommodation & Food | Rs.15,000 |
| Transportation (including airport pickup and drop-off and all field visits) | Rs.8,000 |
| Supervision Costs | Rs.3,000 |
| Contribution to Unnati’s Projects (15%) | Rs.3,900 |
| Total | Rs.29,900 |
All interested volunteers are requested to send their recent CV to unnatirajasthan@gmail.com.
