Restoration Works International
We are a non-profit that uses volunteer tourism to restore cultural heritage sites alongside communities around the world, advancing sustainable development, cross-cultural understanding and celebration of their cultures and histories.
Volunteering Activities
What We Need
The Bichli Haveli Project is restoring and rehabilitating a 140-year-old haveli located in the old city of Udaipur, transforming it into a community and heritage resource center with revenue-generating accommodation to ensure its ongoing operation. In addition to the restoration of the Bichli Haveli, the project aims to bring benefit to the community in which it is located.
- Restore and rehabilitate the Bichli Haveli
- Establish a community engagement program including alley greening, composting, graywater treatment and provide public meeting and play spaces
- Train and employ Udaipur’s migrant women laborers to create teams of skilled restoration specialists who can use these skills in the future
- Provide economic benefit by hiring local staff and supporting local suppliers and services
- Demonstrate to the larger community the viability of restoration as a tool of community renewal and improvement, and provide them with the resources to embark on similar initiatives
DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?
Anyone can join a Restoration Works International trip. No previous construction or building experience is required – just a desire to make a difference in the lives of the local community.
WHAT KIND OF WORK WILL I BE DOING?
The tasks vary depending on the project, its need and the work progress. Generally, the mornings begin with a group gathering in which the architect, project manager or Group Leader will update everyone on the goals for the day, and make work assignments. You will always find a variety of jobs available. You may find yourself laying a slate courtyard, building a rooftop parapet, shoveling and sifting dirt for plaster, cleaning wooden sculpture and carvings or repairing wall paintings and artifacts.
When & Who
What we Provide
Your tour fee includes:
- Pick-up and drop-off from Udaipur’s airport with transport to and from the guesthouse
- Comfortable guesthouse accommodation in Udaipur from evening of Day 1 to the last evening of the trip
- Meals from Day 1 dinner through breakfast on Day 12
- Select tours and recreational activities during your trip dates
Our Fees
Reservations are secured with a US$500 deposit. The balance is due 45 days prior to your departure date.
All participants are responsible for:
- Transportation to Udaipur, India
- Indian visas
- Travel health insurance, including emergency evacuation
- A review of our Welcome Package, which you will receive upon payment of your deposit. It contains important information for pre-trip preparation including RWI’s packing list and additional information about the site and area.
4 Reviews
It was very clear to me while in India that RWI concretely acts out its values and fulfills its mission. RWI expertly manages and brings together teams of people from around the world to work alongside the local community to preserve and renew historic sites (in my case, a haveli in the historic part of Udaipur). On a daily basis, I saw RWI's tireless efforts to empower local women to help them provide for the long term financial security of their families. I worked alongside those women, got to know them and a little bit about their families, and they taught me so much too! RWI is interested in creating an awesome experience for its volunteers while 100% committed to ensuring the longevity and success of its projects far beyond any single trip.
My own contribution during the two weeks on the project was small, but I will forever be grateful for the honor of working alongside an organization and group of people (local and volunteer) that truly practice what they preach."
Contact Person
Additional Info about Us
OUR VALUES:
We believe that communities prosper through preservation and renewal of their historic sites.
We believe that by bringing people of different cultures together to restore these historic sites, we can help communities in developing countries achieve economic benefits.
We believe that rebuilding, renewing and protecting cultural heritage advances sustainable development, provides opportunities for cross-cultural understanding and helps communities proudly celebrate their unique place in the world.
We believe in the value of work as the universal language that connects an individual’s commitment to a group effort, benefiting the larger community.
HOW WE FULFILL OUR MISSION:
We use national and international volunteer tourism as the catalyst for our mission to help communities around the world protect their cultural heritage sites and prosper through preservation and renewal of their history.
When you join a Restoration Works International project, you can be assured that at least 90% of your donation stays in-country, circulating within the local economy. More than 80% your fee goes directly to the project, paying for costs that include local staff wages, building materials, and supplies and more.
I was very impressed with how Restoration Works International sets out with the objective of meeting the local community's need through historic restoration. They don't have an ulterior agenda that they are pushing, but they focus on facilitating and advising the project to meet the community goals. This seemed to stem from true respect for everyone involved in the project and the deeply held belief that the project is owned by the local community, not a feather in the cap of the organization."