Published: 19 March 2024 at 12:30
ARU volunteers to support with health and education projects in Indian village
A team of 11 students and staff from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is heading to India on Friday to provide their time and expertise to help locals living in a community in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Sainji, a village of around 400 people in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, faces many complex challenges, some of which are compounded by a rapidly changing climate.
As part of the Sustainable Sainji programme, ARU volunteers will work with teachers at a local primary school, helping with English language tuition and lesson planning, including encouraging the development of interactive lessons.
Midwifery lecturer Rebecca Percival is part of the ARU team and Rebecca will be helping with nurse training at the Landour Community Hospital, as well as observing antenatal care in a local village, and exchanging knowledge and skills with maternity workers.
ARU will also be assisting the Van Gujjars, or forest nomads, who are a marginalised group of semi-nomadic people. ARU volunteers will be working alongside a charity that is preparing the Van Gujjar children for mainstream school and will also run an antenatal clinic.
Professor Alison Greig, Director of Education for Sustainability at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and organiser of the programme, said:
“The Sustainable Sainji programme is a powerful example of how universities can be a force for good.
“This project is unique in that through collaboration with community leaders, it matches volunteers’ discipline-specific skills and knowledge with the community’s development priorities.
“This will be our sixth visit to Sainji, and over that time the programme has evolved and grown. Sustainable Sainji has inclusivity at its heart, and we make sure all students can apply to take part, regardless of income.”