The Barli Development Institute for Rural and Tribal Women was set up in 1985, originally to empower disadvantaged women living in small, rural communities around Indore. The Institute has now grown and is also training women from all over India. Barli runs two types of program: year long training for Area Coordinators and a six month training for Community Volunteers. Each year, nearly 200 women are trained in literacy, health and vocational skills.
The primary objective of the Institute is to train rural and tribal women from villages, and thereby empower them with the knowledge of their true selves and to give them the skills and knowledge needed to improve the quality of life for themselves, their families and their communities. 

The Institute is developing and experimenting with a range of environmental conservation techniques, such as solar cooking and rainwater harvesting. Most of the Institute’s food is cooked with solar power, and the huge solar dishes on the roof have to be seen to be believed! Barli also has the only working solar storage cooker in the world, which allows chapatti to be made after dark using energy stored up in the cooker during the day.

Volunteer work changes depending on the current priorities of the organization.  Recent volunteers have been involved in a lot of practical work – mainly helping to build new solar dishes, but also general maintenance, farming and gardening.  Most long-term volunteers will get the chance to go to one of the rural villages where Barli works to help install the solar cookers, and there may occasionally be opportunities to do research there.  There is sometimes work to be done in the office, for example editing documents / leaflets in English, assisting with emails…

Accommodation

Volunteers working at Sewa Mandir will live in a flat located about 20mins rickshaw ride from the school. The flat is also home for the Sewa Mandir volunteers.  The flat adjoins Mr. R. Mittal’s house (landlord) in the neighbourhood of Old Palaisia which is a relatively quiet residential area with a little green area with benches to sit on. Mrs. Mittal is also very friendly and welcoming, she will happily give you cooking lessons if you ask her.

Indore itself is a typical bustling Indian city with extensive markets and places to eat. It is a unique experience to be in a city untouched by tourism and to get the feel for what a fast industrialising Indian city is truly like.

About You

Volunteers need to be committed to the work of Barli, and prepared to work very hard, mainly doing physical work.  They should be mature, genuinely interested in development and able to use their own initiative.  Volunteers should also be flexible and patient and willing to take on any tasks required.

Volunteers should have religious tolerance. While Barli is run on the principles of the Baha’i faith, volunteers from all faiths, agnostics and atheists are welcome and treated equally. You will be expected to understand that God is a fundamental part of the day-to- day life of the Institute and be tolerant of that.  There may be additional costs incurred.