Internship

Description

SOS Organcis is an ongoing experiment dedicated as a model for holistic sustainable living in the villages of the Himalaya.

Inspired by the work and philosophy of Osho, J.Krishnamurti, E.F.Schumacher, Mahatma Gandhi, Masanobu Fukuoka, Robert Hart, Bill Mollison, Wilhelm Reich and V. Schauberger amongst others.

We incorporate holistic technologies, livelihood projects, traditional knowledge systems together with agriculture, plant biodiversity, culture and environment. Our concerns include local, organic and bio-diverse farming; re-forestation; the preservation of traditional crops and the environment; eco- education; and strengthened local communities.
We welcome mature and experienced people who would like to participate in the Himalaya to help initiate positive changes in the environment and in the community, to explore on ways to rejuvenate damaged land and benefit the Himalaya for a sustainable future.. we ask for creative involvement, self motivation and initiative. We want to excel in holistic nature observation and soft innovation.

Work

We are building a site to encourage and inspire sustainable ways of farming and living with the earth.Volunteers who are able to contribute their skills to the development, design and implementation of ideas are always welcome.

The site itself hopes to fulfill a diversity of ecological purposes. It should ideally provide food for the people who are staying and working here, act as a model for organic farming methods, and can be utilized for experimenting with new methods of holistic farming, bio-diversity and environment care.

We hope to be an educational centre for the exchange of ideas to do with earth care, organic farming, permaculture, natural and holistic farming, etc. Anyone with experience in these areas is very welcome. We encourage observations, new ideas, and the contributions of open-minded people.

We currently sre developing a unique food forest along the line of work of Robert Hart and the design understanding of permaculture. We are also experimenting on the site with seed balls as a potential reforestation tool in the area. There are opportunities for eco-construction, rainwater collection, cooking, gardening, developing communal spaces, local product development, and interaction with the local people. There is also a local family-run school keen for the involvement of English-speaking volunteers.

We have an organic food and cosmetics factory on site for which we source herbs and herbal teas, seasonings, grains and pulses from Himalayan organic farmers. We provide a market for small scale local farmers to sustain traditional lifestyles, create local income, prevent migration to cities, and help to care for the earth (maintaining bio-diversity, eliminating chemical pesticides, and preserving traditional crops through organic farming methods). The factory employs local village ladies for processing and packing. There is space for people to get involved with the developments in organic herbal teas, super food and health food and natural cosmetics if they wish.

Local foods are a potential area in which to get involved; Working with the cook and the local people to share ideas and techniques in cooking and growing is a key aspect of our project. We want to develop some of the local organic produce such as millet, amaranth, corn, soya beans, rosehips, chives, etc. We aspire to spark interest in local foods and create a consuming market for the organic produce from small-scale farms, thus reconnecting the local people with healthy and traditional foods.

We also work on building connections with organic farmers in the remote Himalaya. By adopting villages, we can communicate organic farming methods, provide technologies, and offer organic farmers a market to supply us with their produce. These projects are open to initiation and participation from volunteers. This will work towards supporting sustainable agriculture in the Himalaya; enhancing the standard of living in remote villages; preserving traditional communities and preventing migration. In this context, the SOS Organics site is a model and inspiration for the possibilities of organic methods, and a base camp for people wishing to connect with an external project site.

We welcome anyone with a particular knowledge of or interest in plants, farming, and earth care. This is an evolving project and we are always open to new ideas. We welcome interested people to call us or write to us for initial exploration of a potential association.

Languages spoken

english, hindi, german

Accommodation

volunteers presently have to organize their own accomodation in the vicinity of Chitai or Papersali.