Registration is now open for our next tour to the Bichli Haveli Project in India. Photo by Jamie Thornton We invite you to spend the New Year's holiday in a meaningful way: experiencing a new place and making friends while contributing to a worthwhile community revitalization project. Trip dates are December 29, 2017 [...]
With full hearts and abundant good memories, we said farewell to Udaipur and our new friends at the Bichli Haveli Project yesterday. We can't wait to see what the historic preservation crew has accomplished by our next volunteer trip over New Years. (Dates to be announced shortly!)
One of the joys of volunteering at Bichli Haveli Project is hands-on learning about traditional building and craft methods, which we're using wherever possible. Here, Gangabai and Restoration Works board member Gretchen demonstrate the first step in preparing natural lime plaster: grinding the lime into a fine powder.
This weekend, the volunteer team traveled a few hours outside Udaipur for a couple days of rest and relaxation near Kumbhalgarh Fort. What a beautiful and renewing stay!
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, building-related demolition and construction accounts for 2/3 of all non-industrial solids waste generation. But at the Bichli Haveli Project, as we make the necessary alterations to adaptively use the building, we are saving as much of the stone as possible to reuse elsewhere at the site and to [...]
Safety at the Bichli Haveli Project is important, not just for our volunteers but the local crew too, many of whom have become accustomed to preventable work injuries at other construction sites. With JanDaksha Trust's oversight, we're equipping everyone with their own safety equipment (including steel toe shoes), which will be stored securely and managed by [...]
One of the Bichli Haveli Project goals - and an RWI foundational value - is job creation. We're delighted to be partnering with local Udaipur NGO (nonprofit), JanDaksha Trust, who is assembling and supporting the project's crew of primarily women laborers who will be trained in restoration over the next three years. JanDaksha's work focuses [...]
In these early days of the Bichli Haveli restoration, much of the work on site is clearing debris, removing years worth of lime wash wall coating, and some demolition. We got to take part in it all today with the crew. (And we were thrilled to witness the old city's method of transporting debris off [...]
We've arrived! Project crew at the Bichli Haveli was incredibly welcoming and gracious today. We learned about the history of Udaipur and the building, toured the site from top to bottom with project architect Malvika and owner Mahim, and enjoyed a generous tea spread. Tomorrow, we start getting our hands dirty alongside the crew. [...]
Info Session and Q&A about July India Trip April 11, 1 PM ET/10 AM PT Already registered or on the fence about volunteering in India this July 10-21? Whether you're a seasoned traveler or a first-time overseas volunteer, a 12-day trip to India can be a big deal. We invite you to a live webinar on [...]