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Volunteers: The Wind in Any Organization's Sails
By Venkatesh M. Raghavendra
An environmental organization, the Adventurers, is working in the
jungles of South India. It has an ambitious plan to protect the
biodiversity and culture of the region. There is plenty to do and not much
time. The precious forests are buckling under the pressure of the expanding
population and the avarice of poachers and timber smugglers. Dams and mines
that deplete natural resources haunt the indigenous people. Flora and fauna
are on the brink of extinction as their habitats disappear at a rapid pace.
As part of an "adventure therapy" program, street kids spend time at the outdoor campus and are weaned away from addictive drugs
It is not realistic for the Adventurers to pay more people to sustain
its projects; the financial resources are not adequate. But it is not in
the spirit of the organization to sit back and watch the rain forests
disappear. A solution has to be found no matter what the constraints.
S.L.N. Swamy, the founder president, has found the solution in the large
volunteer base he has nurtured over the years. His vision of energizing
people from all walks of life and drawing their attention towards the
plight of these forests has become a reality and created a win-win
situation for all concerned.
Swamy realized that people who come for the "fun" of adventure
activities gradually turn their attention toward serious conservation
issues. Determined to harness this awareness, Swamy drew out a strategy to
involve them in tasks that would check the degradation of the ecosystem and
revive the cultural heritage of the region.
The enchantment of the Western Ghats, its biodiversity and breath-taking landscapes have strengthened
Swamy's efforts to lure more people toward sustainable development in the area
His plan sought to match the interests of the individuals to the
existing problems. For example, someone interested in orchids would gather
data about their dwindling numbers. Someone keen about culture would
organize workshops to revive the folk arts. Side by side, he has been able
to infuse the values of a close knit family into the organization and has
insured that volunteers maintain a long-term relationship.
Sustaining and expanding his dedicated volunteers, he and his group have
made an impact on the South Indian forests. Together they have set up
co-operatives for forest dwellers and educated them about better
utilization of renewable forest resources like honey, wax and seeds:
planting endemic species that are decreasing in number, gathering data
about endangered animals, exploring forts and ancient monuments and tracing
their history, even managing eco-tourism trips. The volunteers gain
insights into an absorbing culture while exploring a prime wilderness area.
The forest communities and the fragile ecosystem now stand a better chance
as they get the attention deserve.
From Adventure to Conservation
The Western Ghats run parallel to the West Coast of peninsular India,
stretching nearly 1400 kilometers from Gujarat in the north to Tamil Nadu
in the South, running through Maharastra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. These
hills shelter a distinct biodiversity, and they are rich in natural
resources like iron ore, bauxite that support the economy of its vast
population. The many rivers and streams make the region ideal for growing
cash crops like coffee, cashew, rubber and a host of spices.
One of the innovative methods adopted by Swamy to involve volunteers has
been the means by which he draws attention to the plight of these tropical
forests. He strongly felt that merely preaching about the environment in
seminars, classrooms or other confined forums would have only a superficial
impact. His own concern for the Ghats grew only after his adventurous
pursuits there, and it dawned on him that only such a physical experience
could move people to act.
Swamy's romance with the Western Ghats dates back to the late 1970's.
Encouraged by the advice of noted Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the conquerer of
Everest, to explore one's own backyard, the Ghats became Swamy's
infatuation. Assisted by a core group of like-minded individuals, he began
exploring trails and running adventure programs for hikers, campers, rock
climbers and kayakers. His frequent outings were a revelation to Swamy: He
was taken aback by the disappearance of the forest and the erosion of the
culture. As more people came into the folds of the Adventurers through its
outdoor programs, they underwent a similar transformation. Swamy found the
human resources he was looking for and diverted their energies toward
conservation and cultural restoration.
In this part of India, unlike regions closer to the Himalayas, there was
little awareness of outdoor activities. It is only in the past two decades
that such activities have gained momentum. Swamy, with a full-time staff of
15 people, built a strong network of volunteers and supporters using the
novelty and excitement of adventure tourism, which has so far lured 100,000
visitors. What begins as an exciting activity – a hike in the forests, a
canoe trip or maybe a visit to a tribal family village – soon evolves into
respect for nature.
Says Swamy, "In most people it leaves a feeling of wanting to give back
something to nature. We have been effectively translating this positive
feeling into meaningful action."
A Flexible Structure for Recruitment and Training
Visitors who want to join hands in the effort to protect the Ghats make
the transition from adventure enthusiast to volunteer. "Without
compromising on the safety and ethics, volunteers have a free hand to
promote our agenda," he says. "When we have a specific campaign or
program, there will be a game plan, which everyone has to adhere to." As
the volunteers get more involved, they gains skills and especially they
better understand the wilderness and the communities living there, and the
Adventurers gradually grooms them to handle projects, initially with some
monitoring and then independently. International volunteers also go through
an orientation lasting four to five weeks, then work in an area that best
matches their interests and the organization's needs.
Handicapped students get a helping hand at the outdoor campus of "The Adventurers"
The number of volunteers fluctuates. During the peak seasons, in the
summer months of April and May and later in the winter vacation of October
and November, there is a surge in volunteers, up to 250. Volunteers are
drawn from all across the Ghats and sometimes beyond. Since the activities
are spread over a vast region, most volunteers needed for a specific
project are drawn from the immediate surroundings. With this dedicated
army, the Adventurers has been able to enhance citizen participation and
its programs and projects are accessible to as many as 20,000 people a year.
Nurturing a Sense of Family and Kinship
The group functions like an extended family into which volunteers are
quickly absorbed. Most of the action is either at the headquarters
Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, or at the Adventurers' forest base in
a tiny hamlet called Honnemardu. This is the hub of all conservation
efforts and also the outdoor training campus. No matter where and how they
are inducted, volunteers are made to feel completely at home. Every day, as
they come to adopt local practices and try to communicate in Kannada, the
local language they come a step closer to the community. "We don't even
think of them as volunteers or as some outsiders wanting to help us,"
Swamy says. "We think of them as our family and we work for a common goal."
"Honnemardu" has become a hub of eco-tourism, attracting people from the far corners of the globe
The enchantment of the Western Ghats helps. To many this is a welcome
respite from their mundane surroundings. Some spare their weekends, some
just staff the Bangalore office for a few hours a day. People from various
parts of the country spend a week or two of vacations at the base camp and
assist in projects there. International volunteers spend six months to a
year.
Honnemardu's popularity has spread to the rest of the nation and far
corners of the globe as much as to the villages tucked in the hills. School
children, youth, families, defense and police personnel, teachers,
corporate managers, bureaucrats, eco-tourists from various countries –
everybody comes to get a taste of adventure. Open-hearted villagers who
make the pilgrimage to experience a ride in a raft or just to see this much
talked about place add to the charm.
Later when the volunteers fan out into the Ghats they will enjoy the
hospitality of these villagers. Rama Naik, hailing from Kanoor village and
a leader of the Nayak community who is always willing to offer hospitality,
says: "Swamy is more like one of us. Getting to know him and those who
come with him has changed the way we look at these forests and its wealth.
Now I think differently about city people, too. They are warm, friendly and
sensitive, just like us."
The sun going down on the backwaters of the Sharavathy River
The village people are at the helm of the restoration and community
projects, teaming up with volunteers from outside the forest areas to plant
trees, and draw up plans for benign use of forest resources as part of the
Western Ghats Restoration Project. Swamy and his volunteer brigade have
found their way into the hearts of the people by lending patient ears to
their problems and concerns.
Encouraging Volunteers to Find Their Niches
Swamy has been highly successful in using the diversity of the projects
to enable volunteers find their niches, an art that has rubbed off on his
colleagues and yielded a pool of volunteers from the spectrum of society,
including software professionals, college students, retirees, homemakers,
teen-agers, civil servants and teachers.
In addition to the adventure and awareness programs, the Adventurers
work closely with local communities like the Nayaks, the Halakkis and the
Kunubis. These communities rely on the forests around them for most of
their needs. For many volunteers who spend time with the Adventurers,
becoming an integral part of these communities, terms like sustainable
development begin to make more sense. All these concepts are debated and
discussed with forest dwellers, an approach that builds mutual respect.
A project to restore the Bheemeswar Temple is turned into a trust-building exercise
"I feel I have gained a lot through these interactions," Subramanya, a
business entrepreneur and volunteer from Bangalore. "Their lifestyle and
proximity to nature amazes me. They grow their own food, they build their
homes, they make their tools and implements and they treat their own
ailments. I take back wonderful lessons of self-reliance from my escapades
here." The kinship that Subramanya and his wife, Vasantha, establish with
different kinds of people and the satisfaction of giving back something to
nature are the key incentives.
Another important aspect of the program is the interdependence of
volunteers. The best example is the way the international and the local
volunteers state work together. The local volunteers know the language and
customs, and thereby act as a bridge between the international volunteers
and the local population. They melt down the barriers of communication and
culture while learning new skills and techniques like windsurfing or
kayaking from their international counterparts. "I have met and made
friends with other volunteers from the far corners of the globe and it has
been my window to the world,"
says Hemanth Kumar, a young software
engineer, who spends a few weeks in summer running adventure camps for
school children.
The large pool of volunteers does drain the time and energies of the
full-time staff. Effort put into training may be wasted if volunteers drop
out, sometimes for personal problems, sometimes for lack of attention. It
is also not very easy to keep the motivation high in a setting where there
is no direct tangible benefit.
"The immense number of our volunteers can at times be overwhelming,"
says Nomito Kamdar, a key member of the Adventurers. "There have been days
when I have just spoken with them, addressed their concerns – and done
nothing else." Swamy adds: "I remember once when one of our very active
volunteers was terribly upset that I did not attend his sister's wedding.
In India, if you are part of the family, you are expected to attend every
social function in the family. We try our best to be a part of our
volunteers' joys and sorrows, but at times it may be practically impossible
to participate in every social gathering."
While some volunteers love to work on outdoor programs with school
children, others want to interact with the indigenous people. Some are
passionate about wildlife; a few others may want to liaison with Government
agencies. The organization tries its best to utilize the skills and talents
of the volunteers, rather than expecting them to be proficient in specific
skills. On the other hand, when volunteers are willing to learn new skills,
there are plenty of opportunities to do so.
"It is important for the volunteers here to strike a balance between
doing what they are most comfortable at and adapting their skills to the
ongoing projects," says Lisa Garfinkle, the organization's international
coordinator. Garfinkle, who is from Montreal, arrived in 1990 as a
volunteer, stayed on and is one of the stalwarts of the organization. She
helps in recruiting international volunteers by spreading the word among
outdoor organizations in North America and has also been garnering
international support for the projects. Her work was the subject of a
documentary for a Canadian television series, "Man Alive."
Global Attention and Local Co-operation
The Adventurers has gained broad visibility. Recognizing Swamy's
entrepreneurial skills, Ashoka granted him a fellowship in 1996. His work
has been a subject for regional, national and international media. But the
best publicists have been those who participate in his programs. The
eco-tourists from abroad spread the word in their countries. The United
World College in Europe and Canada recommends the Adventurers programs as
volunteering opportunities for its students. Many of the Adventurers staff
who been trained at outdoor schools across the world maintain ties and
reach out to outdoor enthusiasts there.
Keeping the street kids interested by teaching them new skills
A year ago the wildlife artist Robert Bateman of Canada spent two weeks
in the forests with the Adventurers and was impressed with their work. At
the end of Bateman's trip, the group held a farewell dinner that was
attended by all the active volunteers. Chandrappa, 72, a retired electrical
engineer, was asked to honor Bateman by presenting a silk shawl.
Chandrappa's eyes were moist with emotion as he performed this ritual, but
there was also a glint of pride. It is this pride and this sense of
belonging that draws volunteers to this intimate family called the
Adventurers.
To volunteer with The Adventurers:
The Adventurers hosts about a dozen international volunteers every year,
depending on the number of projects. Criteria change as projects change,
but the essential requisites are respect for the outdoors, interest in
working with groups and interacting with villagers and willingness to spend
time in wilderness settings.
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