Many RIDE members saved with LIC but were not paid their settlement money at maturity but were instead told that their policies were no longer worth what they had been promised. RIDE fought with LIC for many months and has finally held LIC to account. RIDE DIrector and staff distribute the cheques to the RIDE members, the money returned ranges from Rs 2,500 to Rs 30,000/-.

Local Lions Club International welcomed the visitors and hosted a meeting with local village leaders. They met many of RIDE’s beneficiaries as well as staff members.

Here are a few photos of the program:

We are currently looking to recruit a Marketing and Promotion Assistant as part of our Long Term Volunteer Program, based in our RIDE office in Little Kanchipuram.This is an unpaid, voluntary position.

You will be responsible for the promotion of RIDE through various channels in order to raise awareness of our current programs and grow our network of supporters both on and offline. You will be responsible for preparing and distributing the monthly newsletter via email and keeping the news page up to date on our website. You will therefore be required to stay up to date on current events at RIDE which will give you the opportunity to go out into the field and attend our programs in order to document and take photos. You will be involved in various other promotion and marketing campaigns and are encouraged to input your own ideas into this. English language and computer skills are essential for this role, especially Microsoft Word, Excel, internet and social media (Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn etc). Previous marketing experience would be an advantage.

The candidate will ideally be able to commit to a minimum of 3 months. We are looking for someone to start in the next couple of months however are also happy to receive applications for future start dates.

The successful candidate will be provided with an in-depth induction program led by RIDE directors and staff who will be at hand to support and assist throughout your time with RIDE. You will be give the opportunity to get involved in debate and discussion to support your experience working in rural India as well as assist your personal development. On completion of your volunteer placement you will be provided with a letter of recognition for your work.

Please feel free to contact us via email and ask any questions you may have, we have tried to answer as many as possible throughout the website but are aware that we cannot answer them all.

If you are interested in volunteering with RIDE, please download our Volunteer Information which gives you further detail on what to expect from a volunteer placement with RIDE.

If you would like to apply for this role, complete the Volunteer Application Form and return, along with two references, to marketing@rideindia.org, stating in the subject that you wish to apply for this role.

The group were given a big welcome when they arrived ad RIDE’s Arpakkam training centre, being greeted with drumming and tribal song performed by a local group. They also received a performance from RIDE director Jeyaraj of a song in Tamil about human rights which is very close to his heart.

The group were shown many things in and around the local villages including silk worms, spinning and weaving of silk sari, they visited some of the more remote temples around Kanchipuram, and were given the opportunity to wander freely round one of the local villages to touch and feel and get a real impression of village life in India.

If you would like to find out more about the Eco-tourism programs which RIDE offers please visit our website.

We are currently looking to recruit an Eco Tourism Assistant/Guide as part of our Young Indian Internship Scheme. The successful applicant will assist RIDE in delivering our Eco-tourism programs and in communicating with visitors from across the globe. We are looking for someone who can speak both Tamil and English and ideally is able to commit to at least 3 days per week for a minimum of 3 months. We are looking for someone to start immediately however are also happy to receive applications for future start dates.

This opportunity would suit a tourism student looking to gain experience in the field of rural Eco-tourism. You will have many opportunities to converse with the local community as well as visitors of all nationalities. The candidate must be open minded and able to translate information in a clear and non-judgmental way to people of all backgrounds.

The successful candidate will be provided with in depth training from RIDE directors and staff. You will have the opportunity to get involved in debate and discussion to aid your understanding as well as assist your personal development; we are open to support you in any particular area of interest you may have.

Our Young Indian Internships are unpaid, however you will receive a letter of recognition on completion of your volunteer placement.RIDE will provide all transport while you are at RIDE and will provide lunch.

Please feel free to contact us via email and ask any questions you may have, we have tried to answer as many as possible throughout the website but are aware that we cannot answer them all.

If you are interested in applying for this role please complete the Young Indian Internship Application Form and return, along with a reference from your tutor, to marketing@rideindia.org

English Teacher (Working Volunteer)
Closing Date for Applications: 24th February 2012.

We are currently looking to recruit an English Teacher as part of our Working Volunteer Program. The successful applicant will assist RIDE by teaching both written and spoken English to our First School teachers and RIDE staff. We are looking for someone who has a high level of spoken and written English, preferable a qualified teacher,TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) trained or with equivalent experience. The candidate will ideally be able to commit to at least 3 days per week for a minimum of 3 months. We are looking for someone to start in the next couple of months however are also happy to receive applications for future start dates.

The successful candidate will be provided with an in depth induction program led by RIDE directors who will be at hand to support and assist throughout your time with RIDE. You will be give the opportunity to get involved in debate and discussion to support your experience working in rural India as well as assist your personal development. All our volunteer programs are unpaid however you will receive a letter of recognition on completion of your volunteer placement

Please feel free to contact us via email and ask any questions you may have, we have tried to answer as many as possible throughout the website but are aware that we cannot answer them all.

If you are interested in volunteering with RIDE, please download our Volunteer Information Pack which gives you further detail on what to expect from a volunteer placement with RIDE.

If you would like to apply for this role, complete the Volunteer Application Form and return, along with two references, to marketing@rideindia.org, stating in the subject that you wish to apply for this role.

Visit our Current Vacancies page for details on all our openings.

RIDE first provided the women with half a days paid work to clear the ground of weeds at the RIDE training centre. Two of our volunteers, Emma and Letizia, also took part in the program, which gave them invaluable insight into the daily life of female labour workers.

At the end of the day RIDE held a discussion with the women where they were asked about the problems affecting them and their families. Their main issues were not having a sustainable income. Also, many of the women have husbands who work in the stone quarries and are dependent on alcohol, which is where a lot of their wages go. Some are also beaten by their drunken husbands. One woman told the group that she finds it best not to ask her husband for money or challenge him and instead she makes do with whatever money he gives her plus whatever she can earn. This highlights how important it is for these women to have their own income in order to support themselves and their children, the majority of whom are now in full time education and changing their future paths!

Many of the women we spoke to are members of Self Help Groups (SHG) which they find gives them a support structure for dealing with many of the issues they face day to day. The SHG meetings, which are women only, are usually held once a month and as well as discussing issues including their children, families, money and communities, the women also save a small amount of money each month through the group, which is then loaned back to individual members when they need it.

What is important for RIDE is to have a presence in these women’s lives and for them to know that they have people on their side who they can turn to. Jeyaraj the director of RIDE, gave a talk about human rights so that the women may understand a bit more about their rights. They were also explained about multi-crop farming and the possibility, even with little land, to grow some vegetables in order to feed their families during hard times.  Loving children was also discussed, and the importance of making sure your own children are being taught to be good and honest (things which seem obvious to many).

After the discussion the women were given a free lunch, served by RIDE staff, plus a gift of a sari each, donated by a local doctors surgery – most of the women only have one sari which they wear every day.