Global Programs System

 

About: The Agency for Non-Konventional Urban/Rural Initiatives (ANKURI) works to create sustainable livelihoods for people of local villages through means of educational empowerment, income generation for women, and optimal utilization of local resources. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas outside of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, ANKURI aims to address the most pressing needs of the surrounding rural communities and wishes to create an ecosystem of mutual learning and development in the rural pockets of Uttarakhand. The ANKURI Centre at Thikana, Bharatwala is a confluence of ideologies and practices envisioned by ANKURI, and aims to alleviate poverty, teach useful skills in knitting and business practices, facilitate quality education, and build upon the rich community of the people who have lived here in the foothills for centuries. ANKURI started organizing local women into knitting groups in 2000. The Knitting Centre was inaugurated in Bharatwala in 2008, formalizing the knitting program which engages and employs local women. The Literary Centre was initially conceptualized to provide academic help to the students of the women knitters associated with ANKURI, but the other children from the village soon joined in. The Summer School was first started by the student members of the International Internship Program in 2007. The classes were initially held in the village. From 2010 onwards, the IIP interns started conducted medical camps for the villagers in response to the need assessment survey conducted by one batch of interns. The Summer School for students was resumed in 2010 in collaboration with local (public and private) schools in the region. In the past, ANKURI has hosted interns from institutions such as Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan, Clarke University, and Westmont College. These interns have worked on various projects including: teaching English to children ages 5-13 at local government and private schools, setting up health clinics, and working with local women to provide income opportunities through knitwear crafts.
 
Intern Responsibilities:ANKURI has a number of programs interns may become involved with based on interest and competence. ANKURI has several ongoing projects in education, agriculture, and design, for instance, and there will be tasks required of interns who are not taking up any projects of their own. In general, interns assist with one project in a main area of focus while taking up a smaller side project for themselves. IIP interns are generally expected to contribute to any of ANKURI's ongoing projects, however ANKURI also encourages students to take on projects of their own! Regular reflections and group discussions will take place as well in order to evaluate the IIP intern's work throughout the internship. Project areas are as follows:

• Education: ANKURI has an active outreach program which sends interns to local grade schools where they will teach short class sessions to children ages  5-14. The IIP intern will teach English and has the ability to find creative and interesting mediums for their lessons. In the past, IIP interns have used theater, arts and crafts, song, and dance to assist with lessons, and have taught various subjects such as environmentalism and sustainability, gender equality, and poetry to present the English language in productive and exciting ways. ANKURI tries to accommodate the schools’ syllabus in any way possible. Past IIP interns have conducted four hour-long classes, each in a different school with commute times no longer than the minutes, and one two-hour-long games session in the evening, however this schedule is subject to change, depending on the schools’ wishes.
   
• Agriculture: ANKURI is looking to expand its community outreach by addressing the needs of local farmers such as: farming technique education, soil health preservation, disaster risk prevention and small-scale irrigation farming, as well as health and hygiene education. ANKURI has a facility in a small region called Rikholi, where several villages with a total population of about 350 live and work. Many of the villagers own small areas of land, where there is the possibility of subsistence and small-scale irrigation farming. ANKURI is looking to host IIP interns with interests in farming/agriculture at the Thikana at Rikholi Mussoorie Campsite to work on these various projects.
   
• Design: ANKURI’s Design Program has multiple operating facets, however the program centers around the knitwear project Purehands™ by ANKURI. ANKURI from its very beginning engaged in working to provide sustainable livelihoods to women in local villages. Purehands™ by ANKURI is a brand that sells knitwear crafted in the homes of local women, who then gain a source of income and independence. IIP interns in design work on projects with Purehands™ such as developing new knitwear designs and marketing ANKURI's products. However, IIP interns may also work in media for ANKURI by developing short films, photo campaigns, and graphic design for the organization’s online and visual presence. ANKURI is always seeking help in regard to both aspects of design.

Qualifications: IIP candidates with interests in teaching, communications (social and digital media), design (including fashion and graphic design), agriculture, farming, community development, livelihood and social entrepreneurship, theater and/or documentary film-making are encouraged to apply.