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Dharamsala or Dharamshāla, (literally "Rest House") is a town in Kangra district
in the northern regions of India in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
The town is notable as the capital of the Central Tibetan Administration, a
Tibetan government in exile led by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th and current Dalai
Lama. The government's headquarters are in McLeod Ganj, a suburb that is also
referred to as Upper Dharamsala or "Little Lhasa".
Dharamsala is also very famous for
its numerous meditation centers & retreats (Vipassana, OSHO etc). Its a haven
for spiritual seekers. Dharamsala is located in the foothills of the
Himalayas called the Dhauladhar ranges, offering a majestic view of the
Himalayas, a very calm, spiritual and a serene environment.
Our program in Dharamsala is
located in " Mc Leod Ganj" Or Upper Dharamsala. Refugees from Tibet arrive in
Dharamsala at the rate of about 8000 per year but with limited scope and
exposure to the modern world they face problems in adapting, finding jobs. Our
program is aimed at helping the local refugee Tibetan community which are
on exile from their home country.
Program Itinerary
( 4 weeks) * :
| Day
1: |
Arrival at New Delhi
International airport, transfer to a local hotel. |
| Day
2: |
Transfer to Dharamasala via
land or Air, depending upon availability. Further transfer to accommodation.
Accommodation in Dharamsala is shared and is very basic either at a home
stay, Hostel, Serviced apartments. |
| Day
3: |
Orientation: Introduction to Dharamshala, Street Life Lecture providing a general overview
of the diverse populations living and working together in Dharamshala.
Local transportation, food, do's and don'ts . Orientation to Volunteer program, Schedule and tasks.
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| Day 4
- Day 27 : |
6.00
AM : Morning Yoga/Meditation Lessons, these are optional but we
recommend all your volunteers to take these.
8.00 AM :Breakfast with home stay
family/at meditation center/Hostel. We also ask volunteer to help the family in their
daily work not restricted to cooking, as it helps them to understand the
culture better
9 AM - 3.30 PM (Includes 1 hour Lunch
Break) : Perform
volunteer work in Hospitals, orphanages, old age homes, Schools in villages
which are deprived of quality resources. You can help them to learn English ,
Mathematics, administrative work or any other skills you are good in, may it
be arts, music or sports. Most of our volunteers participate in a number of
activities ranging from teaching, sports, helping the elderly to computer
education. You can choose the activities you want to do and which are of your
most interest. You can teach English in the school during school timings and
then in the afternoon till evening can teach sports or painting in the
orphanage or work in the old age home and help the elderly.
4.30 PM - 8.00 PM : This is the leisure time and the volunteers are
free to do whatever they feel like. Volunteers do a range of activities during
this time as per their preferences. You can go shopping, visit the local
markets, learn local sports/dances, cultural lectures/workshops, yoga lessons,
massage session, visit temples and shrines, chat with locals,
cooking classes and do many other things.
Weekend (
Saturday - Sunday)
Weekends consists of activists which are longer and require more time.
Some of the activities that volunteers can do are:
- Trek to Triund
- Weekend meditation
retreats.
- Trip to Amritsar
- Visit the nearby hill
stations of Bir, Billing, Dalhousie etc
- Visit the Monastery and
shies in Lower Dharamsala
- Tibetan Cooking /Massage
classes
- Intuitive painting
classes or Healing classes
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| Day
28: |
Transfer to New
Delhi and further to International Airport for onward flight |
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Program Costs>> |
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* this is a sample itinerary, the actual
program may differ a bit depending upon arrival dates, program placement,
availability and personal preferences. Changes would be advised to
participants before arrival. |
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