ABOUT- RURAL INDIA AWARENESS & EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY (RIAES)

Location:

We are based 550 Km North of New Delhi in the State of Himachal Pradesh. The city we are based in is known as Palampur in District Kangra at an elevation of 4500 Ft above sea level. The district of Kangra is very well known for its beautiful Tea gardens, Tourist Attractions specially Dharamsala which is just 30 Km east of Palampur. Dharamsala is the home town of The Dalai Lama and provides immense tourist and learning opportunities. The village of Billing is 30 Km North of Palampur which has hosted several International Hang Gliding competitions. Palampur is also close to the start up points of very interesting trekking routes through the Dhauladhar Mountain Ranges which are snow cap mountains with ample scenic sites .Palampur is blessed with natural water streams flowing from the mountains besides thick forest cover, culture and tradition promoted by the tribal herdsmen the Gaddis and also by the urban population which does not exceed 30,000 in this small hill city. Our base camp is in Bundla which is a small village 2 km from Palampur right next to natural water streams and the Neugal River

Climate:

Palampur enjoys a very tourist friendly climate throughout the year. The summers are mild with occasional showers unlike the hot summers in the plains. The monsoon can be very harsh from July to September causing heavy rainfall. The winters from Dec to Feb are full of sunshine but the nights can be cold. The rest of the year is full of greenery and wildlife. Temparatures in the Summer range from 65 to 86 F and in winters from 50-70 F with 1- 2 inches of snowfall every 2 years or so.

History and Current Projects:

RIAES started its adult education programs in a small village known as Thakurdwara, educating adults & children about oral hygiene and English teaching programs in 2004. RIAES executive board consists of locals from Palampur itself including educationists, doctors, dentists, local senator who makes all government related aid and process smooth for us & businesses who contribute generously to our cause. These programs were a success and the local community benefited immensely from them. Recently RIAES has started projects on oral hygiene for children in village schools and organizes dental camps to educate and treat about dental hygiene and problems aimed specifically towards the Gaddi Tribal Community. Besides the above projects we also have volunteers from New Delhi and Mumbai who come on a 4 week basis for English teaching classes in the remote villages to help out the Gaddis (the tribal herdsmen of Himachal Pradesh).Recently we tied up with our affiliate Physical Therapy clinic to organize camps to help people benefit from physical therapy programs. As people in the upper regions of the mountains are used to carrying lots of heavy loads on their back leading to muscular disorders. We are making an effort to educate them about various exercises that can help prevent problems associated to carrying loads. RIAES plans to train two youths from every village around Palampur in through the Physical Therapy assistant program and also First Aid technician program recognized by the State Government as medical help is not readily available in these remote villages for which we seek volunteers in specialist Medical Professions who can come and work with our partner physicians and dentists and train the recruits from every village in the process.

Besides specialty programs we are seeking volunteers to come and help us in Women empowerment programs that are basic English teaching programs in local girls schools and village schools centered towards independence in women by making them aware of the western equal ness of men and women. Volunteers of all education levels and backgrounds are welcome to assist in oral hygiene and school teaching programs besides specialist volunteers required for Physical Therapy and First Aid training programs for which we require Dentist, Physician, Paramedics, Dental Assistant, and Physical Therapist. Volunteer Internship opportunities are also available at RIEAS. We make every effort to provide a very satisfying and enjoyable experience for our volunteers as far as extra curricular activates and knowing the local area from a tourist point of view is concerned. Under the own grant and our own funding resources we are paying for for the air fare of 20 foreign volunteers for every English teaching program.

Accessibility:

Palampur is connected by a National Highway from New Delhi and is a 10 hrs drive from there. The nearest airport is Gaggal that is 30 km south of Palampur which shuts down on and off based on weather. The next nearest airport is Chandigarh which is connected by all major Indian Carriers and is a 5 hrs drive from Palampur. There is ample road transport connecting Palampur to Chandigarh and New Delhi throughout the year. The nearest rail link for express trains is Pathankot, 120 Km south of Palampur and has 7 to 9 trains daily to New Delhi which cover the journey in 6 to 8 hrs.There is also a toy train that starts from Pathankot through the mountains and brings your right up to Palampur but is time consuming but very scenic. We pick up all our volunteers from New Delhi airport.

Accomodation:

We have two 6 room houses located in the mountains 4 km from the city limit right in the scenic mountains by the river to accommodate up to 24 volunteers on a twin sharing basis for our medical and educational programs. One of the two houses would be operational Nov 2005. Rooms are spacious with attached bathrooms and basic amenities such as hot water, Microwave oven, Coffee maker and an Iron are provided to make the stay of volunteers as comfortable as possible. Besides the rooms we have a local cook to prepare hygienic Continental, Local & Indian food with a team of four servers and housekeepers. Their is an onsite office service center to take care of needs such as emailing, printing and any other needs that the volunteers might need to bring to the attention of the 24 hrs warden on duty. Palampur is an extremely safe city and with almost negligible crime rate. Just to keep a track of who comes in and goes out of the camp we have gate keeper who maintains a log 24 hrs a day.

Transportation:

We have two SUV’s on a lease basis to take care of the transportation needs of our volunteers to help them get to remote villages and recreation trips. We also provide bicycles on hire basis if there are any enthusiast volunteers who would like to bike their way up and down the slopes of the mountains.