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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Grassroots Rural Internship Program

Grassroots Internship Program is a 4 week residential program for Young professionals and graduates from various backgrounds to participate in several development projects.

Frequently Asked Questions Grass Roots Internship Program

1. When will the internship start and end? The internship will start on 1st June and end on 30th June. 2. How many people would be in my team? There would be a total of 4 interns in the team. 3. What all do I need to do in the 4 weeks? You will be expected to enable the self-help group of women to start a soap making enterprise in the village. The key activities of the internship would be:  Research: Doing a thorough local market and product research to make a business plan.  Business Planning: Enabling the village group to create a feasible, viable and desirable business plan.  Supply Chain Development: Supporting the village group establish and manage the supply chain.  Prototyping: Helping the village group create prototypes of the product.  Fund Raising: Supporting the village group to raise funds for their enterprise

4. What is my internship location? What is the profile of the place? The internship will be held in Jhinjhwa Gram Panchayat (GP), Bichchiwara Block, Dungarpur District, Rajasthan. The village falls under the tribal belt where majority of the villagers are from the Bheel Community. Jhinjhwa GP is 7-8 kms away from Bichchiwara block. Bichchiwara is 109 kms away from Udaipur and 131 kms away from Gandhi Nagar. Public and private buses going from Udaipur to Gandhinagar cross Bichchiwara.

5. Will there be someone to support me in the village? A GRIP coordinator will be present with you during your initial days in the village. You will be staying with a reputed host family in the village. There will also be a team of village volunteers who will help you during your stay, the Ward Panch will be your key resource person. The sarpanch of the village will also be there to help you during your stay.

6. What living conditions would be provided to me? You will be provided the same living conditions as the villagers. It will be safe and all necessities like bed, room, washroom etc will be provided. Before you arrive at the location, we will send you the pictures of your accommodation. This will ensure that you come with the right expectations. 7. What type of food will I get? You will be provided the home made food the villagers eat. The food will be nutritious and healthy. The menu of the food will be decided by the villagers and we don’t expect the intern to give any special requirements. If you have any health specific diet requirement then please inform the GRIP team in advance. 8. What all do I need to carry in the village? All selected interns will be provided with an itinerary that will have all the required information. 9. Is the village safe for me? The area was selected after the GRIP coordinator spent a month in the village himself. As per the locals, the area is relatively safe. Since a village is a cohesive community, all individuals abide by the cultural norms of the village. The youth volunteer and the community guardian would always be there to ensure that the interns are safe. As a pre-caution, we have communicated with the panchayat members about the stay of the interns. However, to ensure complete safety the interns need to make sure that they are in their respective homes by the evening. 10. Does phone work in the village? Vodafone and Airtel networks mostly work in the area. 11. Will I be able to use my laptop there? Is there internet? The interns will be able to use their laptops as there is electricity supply. However, there is no internet facility available for the interns. There is a

village resource person who can enable the interns to use his internet on request. Interns can bring internet dongles if they want to. Though we expect the intern to work without internet for 4 weeks as adaptability is a strong growth area of the internship. 12. What are the village cultural norms that I have to follow? What expectations should I have before I go in the village? The village does have its cultural norms which are mostly about gender sensitivity, clothing, abstention from intoxicants & restriction of movement during the night time. However, all these norms aren’t very difficult to understand and follow. There will be a detailed orientation before the internship to ensure that the intern is prepared for the village experience. 13. What are the environmental factors that I should be prepared for? There is no tap water supply in the houses. Households fill water from centralised water pumps. Hence, the interns are advised to optimally consume water. They might also be required to help the host family fetch water from the central pumps. The terrain is hilly and you can expect yourself to walk a lot across the village. Hence, a lot of movement on slopes can be expected. Interns are advised to carry suitable clothes and shoes. 14. Is there any agreement between GRIP and the village? Yes, we have collaborated with the Village Sarpanch to run this program in the village.

15. What will happen incase of a medical emergency? The interns will be provided a medical kit. There is an outlet of public health centre in the village. In case of an unexpected severe condition, the nearest government hospital is 7-8 kms away in Bichchiwara. The village guardian will ensure that the individual is sent to the hospital as soon as the condition is reported. 16. In what language the villagers speak? The villagers speak a local dialect called vagdi (mixture of meawari and gujrati) and basic Hindi. Hindi would be the main language of communication.

17. How is the weather in the village? The district has a dry climate with a hot season from April to June; however the climate is milder than in the desert regions of Rajasthan to the north and west. The maximum temperature in the district occurs during the hot season and ranges between 40°to 45° Celsius. The monsoon season, which runs from June through September, can bring some amount of humidity as well. 18. Will I be prepared for the internship? There will be a 10 day pre internship preparation and work agenda that will equip all interns to deliver the internship effectively. 19. Who all are running GRIP? The initiative was started by a Teach for India Fellow and a Gandhi Fellow. Now the programme is run by a collective of young people coming from diverse backgrounds 20. My parents are concerned about my interning in a village? What to do?  The GRIP team is constantly available to address any concerns and provide support in any way possible.  We can get you/your parents to talk to the urban young people who have already visited Bichchiwara or done internships with GRIP.  GRIP team will be taking strict measures to ensure the safety of the interns in collaboration with the panchayat authorities and community members.  We will send you the pictures of your accommodation before you start the internship, along with the contacts of the village representatives.