Twilight, speaker Natalie Jennings

VOLUNTEERING IN SOUTHERN INDIA

The International Citizen Service (ICS) is a volunteering opportunity open to all 18 to 25-year-olds, backed by the UK Government through its Department for International Development.

Natalie Jennings, who has lived in Henley all her life and has recently graduated from the University of Bristol, has been accepted by the organisation, which is led by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), on a placement in southern India for three months.

ICS was launched by the then Prime Minister David Cameron in 2011 and works in partnership with a hand-picked group of respected development organisations, one of which is Restless Development, with whom Natalie will be volunteering.

She was speaking to Henley Rotary Club at their twilight meeting last week (August 1) ahead of her 12-week stint, which will start on September 1. She emphasised that it was a youth-led international development programme which aims to tackle poverty and to lay the foundations for a stronger global society.

She will be living and working in the community with an Indian counterpart, meaning that she will be fully immersed in their culture and way of life. Restless Development are working in India since more than 235 million people there are between the ages of 15 and 25.  ICS volunteers aim to increase knowledge of diverse livelihood options, awareness of diseases such as malaria and harmful practices like child marriage.

With its population of 1.25 million people, India plays a huge part on the global stage tackling social, economic and environmental problems. In 2028 it is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country, yet sanitation remains a big problem with 157 million people living without toilets.

Of the four areas in India where ICS volunteer placements are situated, Tamil Nadu has a number of additional problems as households in the rural communities have limited access to running water and few schools have appropriate toilet facilities. Also youth unemployment is also an issue and girls and young women in the region face challenges relating to their sexual rights and their lifestyle.

Natalie then went on to explain what she would be concentrating on during her placement, particularly the WASH project, (water and sanitation hygiene) and young people’s development in and out of school.

All volunteers are asked to raise at least £1,500 for the charity before they leave and Natalie achieved this by various events such as a sponsored £1 food challenge, where she ate for only £1 a day for a week, selling doughnuts at university, running a parish breakfast at St. Mary’s Church and holding a garden tea party.

A further £575 was needed to cover additional personal costs, such as mosquito protection, medication, walking sandals (her homestay is nearly an hour’s walk away from her placement), visa expenses and travel insurance.

Henley Rotarians were extremely impressed with Natalie’s single-mindedness, having supported her studies throughout here time at university with part-time jobs and working full-time during holidays. Also, she has done much voluntary work in the Henley area, having been an active member of the Henley Sea Cadets for nine years, attaining the rank of Leading Cadet before becoming a staff member and a volunteer windsurfing instructor.

After a number of questions, Peter Thomson voiced the club’s admiring thanks and president Maria Bunina presented her with a cheque for £575 to cover her additional personal expenses for the placement. She promised to come along again to the club after her return to describe her experiences.