India, 2019
Organization: YearOutIndia (YOI)
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"Being a part of the India 2019 team was one of the most incredible and unique experiences I have had yet in my life. I discovered new parts of myself, I developed a confidence and level of independence I had never known before, and I grew so many of the most important relationships in my life.
ASB gave me a new family. To this day, some of the best friends I have are people I met on my trip to India. I travel across the country every year to visit one of them and I am about to fly across the world to visit two more! Our shared experiences in India brought us so close, we developed life lasting bonds over the course of that one month.
I was grateful to have many weeks together with my team before embarking on the trip. That time and space was used to learn about the place we were visiting – the culture, the social standards, what to pack, what tools we would be using, and more. This gave us a better perspective of the place we were visiting and helped ease the nerves by having any questions answered.
Marayoor will forever be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The community was incredibly welcoming and kind -- I got to help with dinner often and learn new ingredients and recipes I still use today. The views of mountains, lush fields, and so much wildlife were incredible, and you could not be closer to nature. I hope to one day return here."
Organization: YearOutIndia (YOI)
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"After many Tuesday night meetings, plenty of fundraising, and lots of team bonding, we were ready to depart. We had found out we were going to India 6 months prior to our departure date, and the team couldn’t be more excited to finally head off. Our flight connected through Dublin and Abu Dhabi until we reached Kochi, Kerala, India after a full day of travel, the team was exhausted.
However, our excitement overcame our exhaustion when we arrived in country. We headed into Fort Kochi where we would spend the next couple of days staying in a hostel. After 3 nights at the hostel, it was time to go to the village where we would be spending the rest of the month -- Kozhimala. We hopped in a bus and started off on our approximately 5 hour journey. The roads were windy and the scenery was beautiful as we drove off into what seemed to be the middle of nowhere.
When we arrived in Kozhimala the locals were all there to greet us. They kindly helped us with our bags and brought us to our house which we were staying in. We started work the day after arriving. Our project was to help the masons build sanitation facilities for local families in Kozhimala. We would be mostly helping with the simple but time consuming work; moving bricks, moving sand, and digging holes for the latrines. Although simple, it wasn’t easy.
On our first two days in Kozhimala, the entire team worked together to move over 100 bricks up a steep hill. It was hard work, but extremely beneficial for the masons. If we were not there, the masons would have had to move the bricks up the hill one by one. However with our team of 16, we created a line that allowed us to move the bricks up the hill very efficiently.
We continued on our work in separate groups of about four or five. We split up and went to different homes all over the village. Each team at each home developed a relationship with the home owners, the mason they were working with, and all the other locals in the area. It was an amazing way to create a close bond with locals in the village. After work, the team had plenty of time to relax. We had a viewpoint about 30 steps out the back of the house we were staying at which had one of the most beautiful views I, and the team, have ever seen. We watched almost every sunset at the viewpoint, it was a great way to end the day.
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After dinner, most nights were spent playing cards with the locals. They taught us new games and we learned the strategies to keep up with them. We also played lots of camp-like games amongst the team (Mafia was a big hit). It was a great way to relax and unwind after a long day on the build site.
When it came time to leave the village, the team was sad. The bonds we had made with the people and the area would stay with us forever. Pulling away in the bus as the people of Kozhimala waved goodbye to us was very hard to do, but we knew the impact of our time spent volunteering would stick with us for years to come."
India, 2017
Organization: YearOutIndia
"In May of 2015, 16 team members packed up their bags and departed for Kerala, the south western state of India. We were greeted at Cochin International Airport by a wave of humidity and our in country representative, Navin.
After adjusting to the extreme heat and humidity in Kochi, our team packed up and departed for Kozhimala, the village that was hosting our stay. It was a long drive up a windy road into the Western Ghat mountains, but offered great views the entire way. Not to mention, the higher we climbed, the cooler it became. We were greeted in the village by so many new faces that would become our great friends in the weeks to come. After a delicious meal, we were shown our rooms and began to settle into the community that would be our home for the next month.
We set to work straight away on our project, which was the construction of several latrine facilities within the community. The latrines are built with locally sourced materials and they have a toilet and shower facility within. Our team split up into smaller groups, some working within Kozhimala and others taking an always eventful public bus to the neighbouring town, Murikatiguri. There was lots of heavy lifitng, rock collecting, plastering and painting. We worked so hard, that we managed to almost complete six latrines before our halfway point!
On our days off, we spent time at the favourite spot of our team, nicknamed "the viewpoint". It was just steps from our residences, and was a great spot to read, journal, chat and just relax after working. We also ventured down to a nearby lake, went into the nearest town, Kattappana, helped out in the kitchens, and played lots of cards with people we met in the village.
For our weekend excursion, we participated in a 17km hike that went through both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Upon returning, the team hit the ground running. We quickly completed the six latrines, and began construction on a seventh. With all hands on deck, this proved quick work, and we managed to build our final latrine in less than a week's time. We also got to decorate the outside of the latrines with the help of the local families, which was a great way to conclude our project.
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ASB is so delighted to be a part of such a successful volunteer project. Seven latrines were built and are in use within Kozhimala and Murikatiguri right now, and our team feels very proud to have been involved with the process. Saying goodbye to the village was not easy, but it made it easier to know that we had left something wonderful behind.
We are eternally grateful for the lessons that the Mannan people taught us, and for allowing us to stay in their home."
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Organization: YearOutIndia
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"In May of 2016, a team of 11 Ryerson students packed their bags and departed for an experience of a lifetime. The team flew into Cochin airport where the in-country representative, Navin, greeted them. It soon came time to leave Fort Kochi and head out to the village in which we would be staying in, Marayoor, Kerala.
After just a few short days in India, the team became more equipped to handle the hustle and bustle of the city, the high temperatures and the humidity. However, thankfully where we were headed was located at a much higher elevation where the temperatures were much cooler and a lot less humid. The six-hour bus ride ahead of us to the more rural village was filled with twists and turns, vehicles overlooking the cliff sides of the Western Ghats. After safely arriving at the local school in Maryoor town where we would be residing, we were greeted by the school nuns, local women, and many children.
Soon after our first meal we settled into our room. For the remainder of the day, we spent our time getting to know the school grounds and nearby area, as well as interacting with the main locals we would be spending our month with such as our builders and nuns.
The next day, we jumped straight into the work of our project. Our project consisted of building four new latrines, renovating three older latrines, renovating six showering facilities and installing twenty-seven solar panel units. The solar panel project was a joint project with the Light Matters Foundation from San Francisco and Kanan Devan Hills Plantations. Throughout the month our team was split up into interchangeable groups that rotated between the construction projects on the school grounds and surrounding village, and the solar panel project in the tea estates of Munnar. The work primarily consisted of digging, transporting materials such as rocks and concrete, plastering and laying brings, and painting. Though the work was quite tough, it proved to be very rewarding for the entire team and we successfully completed all aspects of our project by the last day!
During the time not spent on the project site we primarily relaxed. However, we also went trekking, got to know the locals, ran a team scavenger hunt, had dance parties, played cards, read on the rooftop, etc. The school grounds had absolutely stunning views that we did not take for granted in any spare time. Though, the most enjoyable thing about our down time was having team bonding moments that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
When it was time to leave the village at the end of our project, we said our tough goodbyes
and spent time together as a team. During this day, we reflected on the trip and spoke about moments that really impacted each and every one of us personally. We shared a final meal as a group before departing for the airport where many very emotional goodbyes were said.
Ultimately, this years Team India was overjoyed to be part of such an amazing experience and very successful volunteer project. ASB is very proud of all the work that has been accomplished with YearOutIndia and we are delighted to see where the future takes us with this organization. We are perpetually grateful to have had the opportunity to have this experience. The people of Kerala will remain in our hearts forever as some of the most hospitable and gracious people we have had the privilege of knowing."
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