Hyderabad, India
About the Volunteer Work
Project TEN-B’Tzedek participants in Hyderabad work in groups of 2-4 on given projects. For the most part, you'll be working on more than one project at a time, and therefore will be helping with different populations and social problems.
Projects may include the following (among others):
- Teach for a leading organization which aims to abolish child labor and enforce children's right to attend school.
- Work (and sometimes even sleep over) at a "Bridge Camp", a live-in school for highly marginalized children who previously had been forced into child labor and who now need to "bridge" the gaps in their education so they can re-enter mainstream schooling at the appropriate grade levels. Most have never attended school before. The Project TEN-B'Tzedek volunteers facilitate informal education in computers and English for 40 children, and run games, dancing, and songs; they also teach subject content to teachers, enriching the teachers' skills and stemming burn-out and teacher turn-over.
- Teach computers, English, math, mnemonics, dancing and arts at both a boys’ and a girls’ orphanage.
- Assist the elderly and mentally ill with basic tasks through an NGO that provides healthcare for vulnerable populations. Project TEN-B'Tzedek volunteers feed, dress, and talk with the beneficiaries and organize sports lessons and games. They also are building a database of patient files for the organization.
- Teach English and other subjects, and boost self-confidence and communications skills for young unemployed adults, at an Institute for Livelihood Education and Development, run by a leading South-East Asian organization. The institute works to provide disadvantaged youth with marketable skills and entrepreneurship training.
- Assist with screening children for heart disease, and support activities for families dealing with pediatric cardiology diagnoses.
What is Project TEN?
Investing in Social Change
"תן", pronounced "Ten," is the Hebrew word for "Give."
It is also the name of a new initiative about to revolutionize the Jewish meaning of giving.
The Jewish Agency's Project TEN: Global Tikkun Olam is set to harness the energies and passion of Jewish young adults from Israel and around the world, who will spend three months working and learning together in onsite service projects in vulnerable communities throughout the world and in Israel.
By highlighting the Jewish values that speak directly to sustainable development, social justice, and leadership, Project TEN will serve as a unique immersive service-learning framework for volunteers wishing to engage in sustainable development as they themselves develop – forming an extensive Jewish identity-building experience. Volunteers in each of our development centers will be carefully chosen from all over the world, connecting the global Jewish family to one another and to Israel. Read more
Life at the TEN-B'Tzedek Center
Project TEN in partnership with B'Tzedek.
Details Coming soon!
Center Staff
Yonatan Glaser
Director of the TEN-B'Tzedek Initiative in India
Yonatan Glaser grew up in Australia, moved to Israel over 25 years ago, and is the founder of B'Tzedek, an Israeli organization that develops leadership for social change and social justice among Jewish and Israeli youth. B'Tzedek is Hebrew for "in justice" or "through justice." The organization specializes in service-learning programs in Israel and India.
Holding degrees in Law, Economics, and Jewish Philosophy, Yonatan is also a graduate of the Mandel School of Educational Leadership. He has worked in formal and informal education settings, taught at the university level, worked for Israel's Ministry of Education, developed curricula, and initiated new organizations and educational programs. Before founding B'Tzedek, he served in New York with ARZA-URJ as the Central Educational Shaliach to the North American Reform Movement. Yonatan has appeared in Israeli broadcast and print media to promote better policies regarding Darfur and African asylum-seekers in Israel.
Ofer Namimi-Ha'Levi
Director of the Hyderabad TEN-B'Tzedek Center
Ofer Namimi-Ha'Levi has a long history with Hillel, for whom he has served as program director at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and as the Founder-Director of Hillel at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev. After joining Tehuda-Bet Midrash for Jewish Leadership, he developed and initiated the vision for the establishment of Hillel centers in Israel's geographic peripheries. He then returned to Hillel to serve as Vice President of the national organization. He later became the CEO of the Association for the Recovery and Development of the Pioneers Colony of Rosh Pina. His commitments are to social change, human rights, and Jewish Renewal. He has proven expertise in initiating projects, training young leaders, and leading teams.
Ilana Levy
Educational Director, Hyderabad TEN-B'Tzedek Center
Ilana Levy has been working as a formal and informal educator for most of her life. She currently instructs other teachers in the field of Socially-Conscious Judaism at the Morasha school network. She is also the founder of the 10-year-old philanthropic organization Limmud Galil. For her work with Limmud Galil, Ilana has been awarded a sabbatical scholarship by the Avi Chai Foundation.
Ilana was ordained as a "secular rabbi" by the Tmura Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, and is committed to the deepening of Jewish identity through continuous dialogue with others.
She performs and teaches Yemenite liturgical singing and has an interest in modern Israeli poetry.
Manjula Pallipoyena
Deputy Director, Hyderabad TEN-B'Tzedek Center
Manjula has over 14 years of experience in the world of India's non-profit organizations. She has worked as a coordinator, project manager, staff trainer, supervisor, or consultant to over 500 organizations, including the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, the Mahila Abhivruddi Society, the Byrraju Foundation, and the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development. Her expertise lies in community mobilization toward sustainable outcomes.
Manjula holds a Bachelor degree in Economics, Political Science, and Philosophy from Sri Padmavathi Women's College in Andhra Pradesh, India, and a Master's degree in Social Work with accreditation from the Council of Social Work Education in Virginia, USA.
Michal Bar-On
Project Coordinator, Hyderabad TEN - B'Tzedek Center
A native of the Israeli town of Afula, Michal has dual expertise in education and computer programming, and an established volunteer ethic.
Michal holds a Bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education and is working toward a Master’s in Education Administration. She also has formally studied computer programming, tourism, and animal therapy.
Michal was an officer in the IDF, and has done extensive volunteer work in Israel Scouts. During a year-long sojourn in Africa, she volunteered in a kindergarten, where she taught the staff educational techniques, computer applications such as Microsoft Office, and the use of the internet. She was also once an arts and crafts teacher at the Eisner camp of the American Reform movement, in Massachusetts.
Before coming onto the Project TEN team, Michal was a coordinator at a public kindergarten in Tel Aviv.
Program Dates
The next Project TEN experiences in Hyderabad, India will take place on the following dates:
- February 5 - May 2, 2013
- May 20 - August 8, 2013
- August 12 - October 31, 2013
- November 5, 2013 - January 30, 2014
(Dates are liable to change; contact our staff at ten@jafi.org for updates.)
Photos
Cost
The cost for the three-month Project TEN program, including volunteer, social, and learning activities; transportation between the center and your volunteer placement; and subsidized food and lodging, is between $10-15 per day.
The cost does not include your airfare to the target country, health insurance, visa fees, or vaccinations.
Upon acceptance to the program you will be given instructions to reserve your place with a $300 registration payment through this website. The balance will be paid in two equal payments.
In the event that, after paying the registration fee, you must withdraw from the program, you will be refunded $200.
Financial Aid
For information about the Pay It Forward Fund, which might subsidize up to 50 percent of your costs -- with your pledge to pay back the scholarship in the next few years to provide aid to future volunteers -- please go to our FAQ section.
Hyderabad Culture and Economy
Hyderabad, the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, is located about 300 kilometers from India's southeastern coast, and is the fourth-most-populated city in the country.
Residents of Hyderabad are called Hyderabadi. The majority of the population are from the Telugu people, who speak Telugu and comprise one of the largest ethnic groups in the world. The city also houses large populations of Marathi (who originated in western India and speak Marathi) and Arabs. There are also a variety of minority ethnic groups from within India, as well as communities from Yemen, northern Africa, Armenia, Iran, Turkey, and other foreign areas.
The majority religion in Hyderabad is Hindu, with a very large Muslim presence. There are small communities of Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jain, and Parsi.
The official languages of the city are Telugu and Urdu, but English and Hindi are widely spoken, especially among white-collar workers.
In many senses Hyderabad has a stable economy. In 2009, the World Bank Group rated it India's second-best city for doing business. It is the center of the Telugu (Tollywood) film industry, and is a center of the diamond and pearls trade, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and information technology. It has an excellent airport and many universities. Hyderabad has a long and rich history in literature, music, and other arts.
However, the city itself contains almost a thousand slums, with hundreds more in the suburbs – totaling 1.7 million people out of the city's population of 6.8 million. Two-thirds of the slum-dwellers have lived in the slums for at least ten years. More than a third of the "chief wage earners" are illiterate, and almost three-quarters of the households live below the poverty line –meaning they earn less than US$478 per year. Many of the slums contain schools and community centers, but there is a small percentage of children (3.7%) who do not attend school, and 3.1% work in child labor jobs, including hazardous ones.
The following important information was provided by The World Bank (www.worldbank.org), a non-profit organization working to reduce poverty world-wide:
India Economic Overview
Achievements:
With a population of more than 1.2 billion, India is the world's largest democracy. Over the past decade, the country's integration into the global economy has been accompanied by impressive economic growth. India has now emerged as a global player with the world's fourth-largest economy in purchasing power parity terms.
Poverty has been on the decline. According to official government of India estimates, poverty declined from 37.2% in 2004-05 to 29.8% in 2009-10. Rural poverty declined by 8 percentage points from 41.8% to 33.8% and urban poverty by 4.8 percentage points from 25.7% to 20.9% over the same period. The government is now investing in a set of pioneering initiatives to bring basic services to the poor – in elementary education, basic health care, health insurance, rural roads, and rural connectivity.
Challenges:
With more children entering elementary school, the need for universalizing secondary education has emerged. Equally important is building the skills of India's rapidly-expanding workforce, whose ranks are joined by some 8 million to 9 million new entrants each year. Moreover, a large proportion of the population lacks access to good quality health care, and progress in improving health indicators is slow. India also has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world.
India's growing economy is placing huge demands on critical infrastructure – power, roads, railways, ports, transportation systems, and water supply and sanitation. While the government has raised its investments in infrastructure, the investment gap remains daunting with an estimated $1 trillion required to meet the country's resource needs over the next five years. Accordingly, India is encouraging private participation in infrastructure development.
India is also undergoing a massive urban transformation. By 2030, the urban areas will be home to 40 percent of the country's people – doubling the urban population within a span of thirty years. How India manages this urbanization will largely determine the long-term sustainability of its towns and cities, and quality of life for a sizeable part of its population.
India's remarkable economic growth has raised the issue of environmental sustainability. With its high population density, stressed ecological systems, and substantial dependence on natural resources, the country is very vulnerable to climate change, the first impact of which will most likely be felt in the water sector.
Profile of India's Jewish Community
Coming soon.
Sites of Interest
During your three months with Project TEN you will be working very hard at your volunteer service, Jewish learning, and other responsibilities. However, we know that you might be interested in touring the region. If you want to arrive in Hyderabad early, or stay after Project TEN, and visit the sites on your own time, you are welcome to do so.
Hyderabad has a large variety of attractions, from art galleries, sports events, and museums to religious and historical sites. You'll find many buildings, especially in the Old City, with spectacular architecture. Here are just a few highlights:
In the Old City
- The icon of Hyderabad is the Charminar (literally, "four minarets") mosque, built in 1591 by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golkonda to what is now known as Hyderabad. Atop the minarets you can find a panoramic view of the city. There is an entrance fee (higher if you bring a video camera).
- Near Charminar is the Chowmahalla Palace, the seat of the Asaf Jahi (Nizam) dynasty that ruled the Hyderabad region from 1720 – 1948, and is one of Hyderabad's most prominent sites. There is an entrance fee; more if you bring a camera.
- The ruined city at Golconda Fort was started in 1143, and was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Golkonda (c.1518–1687). Allow at least 2 hours to explore this site as it is expansive, and try to find a knowledgeable guide to enhance your tour. Just after sunset there is an English-language sound-and-light show (about one hour) that tells the story of the Fort. The entrance fee is Rs100.
- Mecca Masjid is one of the oldest mosques in the city and, with room for ten thousand worshippers, easily the largest. It was built in 1617; the bricks of the central arch are said to have been made of soil taken from Mecca itself.
- The Nizam's Museum is worth visiting if only to see the wardrobe of Mahbub Ali Pasha (reigned 1869-1911), who is said never to have worn the same thing twice. The wardrobe is built in two levels and occupies the entire length of one wing of the palace.
- Take a break in the relaxing environment around the Paigah Tombs. About 200 years old, they belong to the Paigah nobles, who were tied by blood and marriage to the Nizams. They are beautifully carved from lime and mortar, with marble inlay.
In the New City
- The AP State Museum displays a stunning array of artifacts dating from the last 2,000 years.
- The Birla Mandir is one of the best of the magnificent marble temples built by the Birlas. It is dedicated to Venkateshwara. If you choose to go inside, note that electronics must be checked at the entrance, and you'll have to take off your shoes, so go early when the ground is cool.
- The Natural History Museum has some rare and interesting exhibits.
- In the HITEC City neighborhood, across from the Cyber Tower, is the crafts village of Shilparamam, where you can purchase handicrafts and art work. There is also an area with realistic-looking sculptures of villagers performing their crafts, and a rock museum with natural rock formations that allegedly look life-like.
Practical Details
Obtaining an India Visa: You can apply for a visa to India in person or through the mail. We recommend applying through the mail to avoid waiting time and for greater convenience. Whichever method you use, you will need to get 2"x 2" photos yourself. Check this website: http://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com/
Immunizations for India: After consulting with an Israeli physician who is an expert on travel to the Far East, we can offer you the following advisory to share with your doctor. Nothing here is meant to replace advice from your own physician, but the following suggestions may come in handy in terms of knowing what questions to ask your doctor.
Required immunizations:
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Tetanus (updated in the last 5 years)
- Polio (updated in the last 10 years)
- Typhoid
- MMR (mumps, measles, rubella)
Additional immunization considerations:
Your doctor might recommend inoculation against Japanese Encephalitis (JE), which requires two shots, 2-4 weeks apart. From our perspective this is optional. The disease does exist in India, but is extremely rare.
South American participants must show proof of vaccination against Yellow Fever to avoid being barred from entering India.
Participants from the USA might be advised by their doctors to take pills against malaria before leaving for India. Be aware that the risk of malaria is low, but the side effects of the pills can be serious. As always, the decision of whether to take them is to be made between you and your doctor.
Climate across India: It is said that there are only two seasons in India: wet and sweat. However, there are regional differences to keep in mind. No matter your destination, the months of March–August are hot and humid throughout the country.
June–July is monsoon season; it is very humid, with plenty of rain. The monsoons may not conform to a pattern: you might have a few hours of torrential downpour followed by sunshine, or you might experience days or weeks of drizzly rain. Do not count on staying dry with a raincoat, as the extreme humidity will make wearing one exceptionally uncomfortable. Most Indians simply carry an umbrella at all times, and sandals; they accept the fact that they will get wet often, and have chronically muddy feet.
December – February is winter in India, and most of the continent is cool and comfortable. Temperatures average 20C (68F) and can get cooler in the evenings. In the Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir regions it is colder, with much of Kashmir under snow.
April – November is a good time to visit the Himalayan regions of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, as the temperatures are cooler than the south. Kashmir does not have a monsoon season, so you can trek through November.
Time Zone: Hyderabad is in GMT +5.30, which puts it 10.5 hours ahead of New York, and 3.5 hours ahead of Israel.
Currency: The currency used in India is the Rupee, which is divided into 100 paise. Rupees are available in the following paper denominations: Rs 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1000. Coins are available in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 25, and 50 paise, and Rs 1, 2, and 5.
Rs 100,000 equals one lakh. It is written 1,00,000.
Rs 10,000,000 is one crore, and written 1,00,00,000.
You are unlikely to come across paise. Conversely, you will find that many people have difficulty giving change for notes larger than Rs100.
Electricity Supply: India uses 220-250 volts, 50 cycle AC. We recommend you bring a multi-outlet plug adaptor.
Helpful Phrases in Hindi
Hello = na-ma-skar / na-ma-ste
Goodbye = na-ma-skar / na-ma-ste
Please= kripaya
Cold=thanda
Hot= garam
Thank you = dhan-ya-vad / shu-khri-ya
It is nice to meet you= aap se mil ke khu-shi hui
Where is the bathroom?= bath-room kid-har hai
How much does this cost?= yeh kit-ne ka hai
How are you? = aap kaise hain / kya haal hai
Where is the phone? = phone ka-haan hain
What time is it? Kya sa-may hai
I want drinking water = mujhe pine ka paani chahiye
I want a ticket = mujhe ticket chahiye
Are you open tomorrow = aap kal khule hain
This is too expensive = ye bahut mehenga hai / bahut jada dam hai
Make your price less = bhaav (daam) kam karo
Help = ba-chow
I do not know = mujhe malum nehi
doctor = doctor
police = pu-lis
pharmacy = chem.-ist / da-waikhana
taxi = taxi
train = train / relgari
subway = Metro
bus = bus
street = sa-dak / rasta
left = ba-yen
right= da-yen
fish = mach-li
vegetable = sub-zi
salad = sa-lad
Indian circular bread = ro-tee
bread = bread
cottage cheese = pa-neer
rice = cha-wal
potato = a-a-lu
chocolate = chocolate
dessert = mit-hai
coffee = coffee
tea = tea / chai (Indian tea made in milk)
milk = doodh
water = pa-a-nee
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Questions
For any questions, please write to us at ten@jafi.org