12/16 week Community Volunteering with the Lepcha tribe in India

Wanting to preserve their identity, the Lepchas have built tiny cultural centres, or ‘night schools’, in each village where children are taught Lepcha traditions. Set in a rural village of the Darjeeling District in the foothills of the Himalayas, you will teach children and some young adults English in the morning and evening at the ‘Lepcha Night Schools’, as well as learning about their Lepcha traditions (songs, dancing, language). School facilities are extremely basic with a lack of Government funding, but the confidence that you give the Lepcha children has meant that they do much better at local state or Christian schools, where you will teach for 2-3 hours during the day.

Spare time in the evening or at weekends is spent preparing your lessons or with your host family and volunteer partner. This could involve helping with the cooking, cleaning, milking cows, ploughing the fields and simply becoming part of family life. There will be the opportunity to meet up with other volunteers in nearby villages too.

Your teaching project is followed by an optional 4 week period of independent group travel in India all with 24-hour support from our local representative.

If you are looking for a group based project and a truly unique cultural experience then volunteering with the Lepcha tribe may be for you.