A 100-week Fellowship for serving “Bharat”!

Sewa Fellowship

---

The 100-week long Sewa Fellowship by Sewa International caters to all states of India. Immersive projects are in domains like healthcare, livelihoods, skill development and education

Sewa International is a volunteer based non-profit organization. It aids and empowers local communities, serves humanitarian causes, and promotes volunteerism. Present in 25 countries, Sewa International engages with Indian diaspora since 1993 to drive contributions during natural calamities like floods, tsunamis, cyclones, pandemics, that need huge resources for recovery. Their team played an active role during 2nd wave of Covid to mobilize timely support.

Sewa International is presently working in the domains of health, education, livelihood generation, environment protection, skilling, community/rural development, women empowerment, water conservation. They are active across 20 states in India, through direct interventions as well as with the help of committed grassroot organizations.

The recently launched Sewa Fellowship is an effort to engage young innovators at grassroots level to solve some of India’s pressing problems. It will provide extensive mentor support and equip the fellows with the much needed skills and knowledge to serve.

Who is eligible for Sewa Fellowship?

If you are between 21-30 years of age, and have 1 year of volunteer experience in the community, you can apply. June 4, 2022 is the deadline to submit applications.

There is no restriction on nationality. Citizens of countries other than India can also apply for the immersive fellowship. Though it would be helpful to have a knowledge of few Indian languages to engage better with local communities.

The idea is to bring together motivated youth with a long-term commitment towards social development. Hence, there are no requirements of academic qualifications. Some of the qualities they look for in prospective fellows are self-awareness, a passion to serve, and optimistic sense of purpose.

For more details on the application process, please write to contact@sewainternational.org or sign up for updates.

You may also use this link to directly fill the form for the fellowship. Please note again, deadline for completing and submitting the application is June 4, 2022

What are some of the live Projects?

The Sewa Fellowship will be a 100 weeks (2 years) long engagement across diverse geographies and villages. One can expect to work on the following kinds of projects:

• Himalayan region – Building awareness of communicable diseases in rural women
• North East India – implementing a sustainable tourism plan
• Jharkhand – training tribal youth in microenterprise
• Rural Karnataka – setting up agricultural seed labs to increase farmers’ productivity
• Rural Maharashtra – satellite medical centres for primary community health
• Ground water harvesting, river rejuvenation, learning activities in urban slums

Mentors at the Sewa Fellowship

Eminent personalities from the field of public service and grassroots reform will guide the selected fellows. Some of these mentors are Prof MK Sridhar (Member, UGC), Milind Thatte (tribal empowerment expert) and Dr. R. Balasubramaniam (development scholar, author and founder of GRAAM), among others.

A network of 30+ organizations in 18 states of India are partnering in the fellowship to provide support.

The Selection Process

The selection process of Sewa Fellowship will have mainly three stages. Stage 1 is to get to know the candidate. The applicant has to submit a SOP video essay. The next stage involves assessment of knowledge and skills through problem solving, real-world assignments, personal conversation and rigour for community work.

3rd and final stage of the process focuses on behavioural aspects, temperament evaluation, vision, and ability to work in a collaborative manner.

The Unique Learning Methodology and Curriculum

What sets apart Sewa Fellowship from others is their focus on philosophical foundations, social impact, value system and sensemaking. The curriculum is built with extensive consultations with grassroots leaders, domain experts, and senior academicians.

The fellows would undergo 300 hours of curriculum in each year. It would comprise residential bootcamps, retreat camps, and online lectures. This is over an beyond the learning experiences that would happen while working on the ground.

The curriculum is an outcome of a deep reflection on India’s current and future needs, and the preparedness needed to fulfill the same. The fellowship on-ground experiences would be highly localized, hands-on, and aim for long-term social impact.

LocalFeedback.Org Team has interacted with few members of Sewa International at social entrepreneurship events. The volunteers are highly skilled in their respective domains and have extensive on-ground experience. We found their commitment to service quite exemplary and purpose-driven. We hope that the same spirit of “service before self” will reflect in the fellowship too!

Will Fellows receive a Stipend?

Yes, there is a monthly stipend of INR 30,000/- in the Sewa Fellowship. In addition, a sum of INR 15,000/- per month would be invested by the organization towards each candidate’s training.

Upon completion of the 100 weeks fellowship, candidates can join organizations working on social change. They would be equipped with hands-on skills after the intensive training they receive during the fellowship.

More Details of the Sewa Fellowship

You can also watch an introductory video of the fellowship on YouTube. In case you don’t meet the eligibility criteria for the fellowship, the video will still inspire to work towards nation building!

If you wish to participate in Sewa International efforts and programs, please check this link for more information on campaigns, volunteering and ways to partner.

If you have further queries, drop a mail to yourlocalfeedback@gmail.com

---