South Asian Village Empowerment International

Volunteers from India and also foreign countries are welcome to contact us about opportunities to work in our various projects and programs.

Unlike some other Non-profit organizations, we do not charge volunteers any fees although they are expected to fully pay for their room board transportation and other personal incidental expenses and if possible contribute to the costs of any programs or projects with which they are involved. For example, If you are teaching spoken English then you should consider purchasing materials such as books, charts, chalk etc. relevant to your classes which we do not already possess.

Accomodations for volunteers in villages are limited and the conditions may be very unlike what you are accustomed to in your home country but every effort will be made to satisfy your needs.

Volunteers are expected to commit to at least three months of service although exceptions can be made in exceptional circumstances.

Following is a report on their experiences with our Tution School Program in both German and English from a Volunteer from Switzerland.

In August 2009, entirely by accident Julia Grafl and I, Chantal Fink, met Sonny Saravanan. He told us about his social work in several Dalit villages out side of Mamallapuram, Tamilnadu, India . For Julia and this was an ideal opportunity to visit two of these villages.

In so doing we got to Karanai and attended the "Afternoon Sewing School" for women of all ages, where they pass through an apprenticeship for tailors. So the women get the chance to sell directly the sewed goods without the intermediary trade.

In the evening in the very same rooms is held an "Evening School". The children of the village can go there voluntarily between 17:00 and 19:00 and have the opportunity to do their homework and to deepen their understanding of theior school subjects. When they have questions they can ask the attendant teacher and get help. The second village with the same idea and composition is Salvankuppam.

Behind this work exists the professional development of C. John Degler. He is the President and Director of the U.S.A. NGO South Asian Village Empowerment which is working in partnership with a local Trust known as Tamilnadu Village Outreach(TVO). Sonny Saravanan is the Director of TVO and the Manager of the project.

Julia and I volunteered at the Tuition School in Salvankuppam for more than one month. There the teacher A. Sharmila instructs outstandingly the coed students of all ages. The ambiance is agreeable and supports learning in its best way.

C. John Degler has compiled an extensive and handpicked library of about 350 books donated to the Salavankuppam Tuition School for the use of their students and teachers and any in the village who want to read.

In general the books are in Tamil with a selection in Tamil/English and some in English. In this library are an atlas, dictionaries, many story books, biographies and histories and also exam preparation texts. In addition material for painting and drawing, and several outdoor games and indoor games are available. In this way the children have the chance to read good literature, to express their creativity and to pursue their natural need to activity.

My observation was that in many schools conversational English is not given enough attention. The children have a huge word pool and are able to read topical texts and to reproduce it but they are not able to form a correct and full sentence in English.

In my view it is very important to support and enhance the teachers in their self-competences and to give them the chance to attend further education.

Chantal F.

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Durch einen Zufall lernten Julia Grafl und ich, Chantal Fink, Sonny Saravanan kennen. Er erzählte uns von seiner Sozialarbeit in verschiedenen Dalit Dörfern ausserhalb von Mamallapuram. Für Julia und mich war das ein Anreiz zwei dieser Dörfer anzusehen.

So kamen wir nach Karanai und besuchten dort die Nachmittagsnähschule für Frauen jeden Alters, die hier eine Schneiderausbildung erhalten. So haben die Frauen die Möglichkeit das Genähte, ohne gut verdienende Zwischenmänner, zu verkaufen. Am Abend findet in den gleichen Räumlichkeiten eine Evening School statt. Dort können die Kinder des Dorfes von 17.00 bis 19.00 Uhr hingehen und haben die Möglichkeit betreut Hausaufgaben zu erledigen und den Unterrichtsstoff zu vertiefen. Wenn sie fragen haben, können sie die anwesende Lehrperson fragen und erhalten Hilfe. Das zweite Dorf mit dem gleichen Aufbau und Idee heisst Salvankuppam.

Hinter dieser Arbeit steht ein professioneller Aufbau von C. John Degler. Er ist der Präsident des Projektes Tamil Nadu Village Outreach. Sonny Saravanan hat das Managing in den Händen.

Julia und ich besuchten die Tuition School in Salvankuppam. Die dortige Lehrerin, A. Sharmila leitet die Schülerinnen und Schüler aller Altersstufen hervorragend an. Es herrscht eine angenehme Lern-Atmosphäre.

C. John Degler stellte eine umfangreiche und sorgfältig ausgewählte Bibliothek zusammen. Die Bücher sind hauptsächlich in Tamil. Eine Auswahl in Tamil/Englisch und einige auf Englisch. Die Bibliothek verfügt auch über Atlanten, Wörterbücher, Malutensillien, Papier und verschiedenen Out- und Indoor Spielen. So haben die Kinder die Möglichkeit gute Literatur zu lesen, kreativ zu arbeiten und ihren natürlichen Bewegungsdrang zu fördern.

Meine Beobachtung war, dass in vielen Schulen der Englischkonversation zuwenig Beachtung geschenkt wird Die Kinder kennen viele englische Wörter und können ganze Sachtexte lesen und reproduzieren, jedoch kaum einen korrekten Satz auf Englisch sprechen.

Meiner Ansicht nach ist es sehr wichtig die Lehrpersonen in ihren Eigenkompetenzen zu fördern und ihnen die Möglichkeit geben an Weiterbildungen teilzunehmen.

Chantal F.