Welcome
to a little help for planning your trip to India and to Vijayawada City, the
home of SKCV. First of all there are a myriad myths regarding the filth,
poverty, water and horrible diseases from which you will die in India.
Please do not be bewildered by these. They are all mostly rubbish. India IS,
however, a very different place with different food, water, weather and
customs…. but then, so is Spain .... !
If you
are sensible you will not regret coming to India, we promise!
Volunteer
Work There are two options for volunteer work:
The first one is to be
placed in
the Non-Formal School (The Vidya Vihar - or Home of Love) of the children's
village at Bhavanipuram, the edge of Vijayawada. The setting is beautiful
with palm trees and green fields on the bank of the mighty River Krishna.
The Village has a 35-cow dairy farm and most of the vegetables are grown
by the boys. A Management Committee made up of older students manages the
entire school. The teaching staff is warm and loving. The main medium of
instruction is Bi-lingual, English and local language, Telugu. Volunteers
usually feel happier working in the school because other projects are
mostly Telugu speaking. In the school most of the kids and staff speak
English. Volunteers are encouraged to work on a curriculum topic or
booklet during their stay so that they leave behind something meaningful
when they return home.
The second option is to work at the girls
centre, which is in Vijayawada. It is the only residential care centre for
girls in the whole of Andhra Pradesh. Recently the girls moved to a new
building, where 60 girls found shelter, education and care. There is a
non-formal school at the girls centre where they teach subjects including
Telugu, English, math, arts, crafts, storytelling and tailoring. You can
assist in the lessons and help with the daily care of the girls. Receiving
love and affection means a lot to them!
Climate
Between
October and February is an ideal time to come to India. It is warm, but not
oppressive. March and April heat up and May, June and July are scorching (up
to 49C) then the monsoon comes and lasts to October. It will still be very
humid during this time but the temperature drops.
Please
note that we cannot accept volunteers during the April to October months.
Time
difference
4 ½ hours
ahead GMT, 5 ½ hours ahead BST.
Vijayawada City
Vijayawada is a big, busy, industrial city known as the gateway between
North and South India. The town is known as a temple city meaning it iwas
originally built around the major SRI KANAKA DURGA temple that is a must
see. It is home to almost a million people. Not many
Westerners get this far, so you will often be the centre of attention. Don't
worry, you will soon become a sister or brother to the people of Vijayawada
and they will help you in any way they can. People will stare, but usually
they are just curious and often simply want to know where you have come
from.
Visas
If you
wish to stay for a long or short period you must apply to your local Indian
High Commission (for the UK, Birmingham is best) who will issue an ENTRY
VISA (for more than six months) or TOURIST VISA. (London will not issue an ENTRY VISA easily)
Do
not say that you are going to do any kind of work while you are in
India, including working with children at SKCV. Your desire is only to
be visiting for a few days. You are just a tourist.
You cannot
extend any TOURIST VISA in India for any reason. You
have to go to your country of origin and re-apply (very expensive!) This
is a very strict rule. However, if you do not intend to extend your visit,
then just get a Tourist Visa.
If you
plan to spend many months in India then apply for an ENTRY VISA which will
need a letter from SKCV (India). In this case you SHOULD mention working
with the children.
Health
SKCV
certainly takes care of its volunteers and has its own small hospital.
Generally your health should not be a problem if you are careful. At SKCV centres there
is 100% pure electronically purified water available on tap. No need to buy
bottled water. You must drink pints
of water! People debate over whether to take malaria tablets here due to
resistant strains of mosquitoes (the side effects are terrible .. worse than
malaria itself) however, follow your doctor’s advice. Bear in mind that
volunteers have come with suitcases full of remedies which, they found
unnecessary. Local doctors advise that the best thing to do is allow your
body to get used to what it needs to cope with this climate. Most
medicines are obtained here cheaply. There is a medical shop at the
volunteer flat gate.
Toiletries : soap, sanitary towels and other items are available from local
stores (name brands). Sterile syringe packs are sold here over the counter.
Western shampoos, soap, toothpaste, plasters and mosquito repellent etc. are
all available. However, you may wish to bring conditioner with you as it is
hard to find. India also has the highly respected Ayurvedic (natural
medicine) toiletries and medicines which, are well worth a try.
Stay and
Accommodation
There are hotels, (around 7 pounds a night) guest houses and lodgings,
of all kinds to suit your budget. Normally volunteers like to stay with
SKCV Trustees Manihara and Bhakti in their lower floor flat. Here you
can cook for yourself or choose to eat out cheaply. The apartment is
huge and can hold up to six volunteers. It has three bedrooms, a large
TV room and the washing machine will be there
to do your washing and cleaning. The
apartment is situated on a quiet street, the gate is always locked at night
and Jansi, the large German Shepherd, will protect you at any time! The cost is Rs.150 a
night
which includes free meals at any of our three centres, the nearest being
our Children's Village.
Facilities
Email,
Fax and Internet are now available all over India. E-mail is also available
any time for volunteers at SKCV, but please offer to pay. Remember SKCV is a
charity. There are many internet and fax centres near the volunteer flat.
The cost is about Rs.10-30.
International faxes can also be sent from the SKCV office (around! £1.50 a
min). The line is dedicated to FAX at the office.
Banks
The Exchange rate fluctuates around £1=65r
(rupees). The Canara bank near SKCV Office, changes just about anything and
will even open an account for you to have money wired direct. VISA is the
most widely accepted card but there
are hundreds of "holes in the wall" now in the city centre that accept most
international cards.
Post
Office
Mastan,
receptionist and one of the future group members, will be happy to post your
letters. You can also give the SKCV Santosh Bhavan address to your friends
and family at home and he will be pleased to give any letter that arrives
for you!
SKCV Children's
Trust
A K Rao Santosh Bhavan
Opp. Press club, Gandhinagar
Vijayawada 520 003
Krishna District, AP, India
There is
post office near the SKCV office in town and one near the Krishna Residency
Hotel, Governor pet.
The post office has STD and FAX service. You can also have goods packed to
send home.
Public
phones can easily be identified by their mustard yellow facades. They boast
computerised billing, so you can watch the cost mount up, (Rs.60 for a min.
to UK). It is the same rate 24 hours a day for International calls. Some
periods are cheaper for National calls within India. Do not expect your
calls to be private. It seems to be a form of public entertainment for those
waiting to use the phone.
What to bring
Bring
very little. Clothes are washed in a jiffy (by someone else for a
ridiculously small fee) and you will regret the extra weight if you decide
to travel around. The SKCV tailoring workshop can run you up clothes quickly
with local materials. Anything you do bring should be loose and made of
cotton. A smartish outfit for semi-formal occasions would be useful but
could be purchased locally. A sunhat with a generous brim may be a good
idea.
Etiquette
– Women
India is
a magnificent melting pot of religion, culture and customs. You will really
enjoy the experience. However, bear in mind that this is a conservative
country and you will draw unwanted attention and offend or insult of you do
not follow the rules. ("When in Rome…")
Women are demure all over India and particularly in this area. As you will
be working alongside respected and respectable Indians at SKCV and will also
meet them in the community, it would be greatly respected if you bear this
fact in mind. Volunteer ladies are expected to wear
ONLY Punjabi suits
... comfortable and cool, (available very cheaply as soon as you arrive).
The staff, trustees and even the older
children prefer the ladies wear this type of dress at all times.
Sandals are most comfortable as in India one must remove their shoes upon
entering any building and are
available everywhere cheaply and
proper undergarments
are a must at all times
You will be encouraged by the children to
swim in the river at the village. Women usually bathe fully dressed and
cannot swim with the men or boys.
NOTE:
We have had some serious problems in the past with female and male
volunteers unwittingly under the impression that our SKCV older children are
the same as Western older children of the same age. This has led to severe
managerial problems, and even extreme embarrassment of both the involved
volunteers and boys and girls. India is VERY different and there is no
comparison between the relationships shared in the West, and anything in
India. Any intimate friendship or
sexual deviation or relationship on the part of an India boy or girl who is
not married is not condoned by Indian Society
and such occurrences will be dealt with by the boy or girl and/or volunteer
being asked to leave SKCV immediately.
As such, volunteers are held responsible for their actions and
any
volunteer
inviting or allowing boys or girls or young men or women into the volunteer
quarters at ANY
time (whether SKCV inmates or not) will be subject to immediate termination
of volunteer services. This is a strong statement, but as we are a public
charitable trust, we have
to conform to the rules and normal
behaviour of the country we live in. We
know you will understand.
