Reforestration work stay project in India

The vision of the founders of Sadhana Forest is to transform 70 acres of severely eroded, arid land on the outskirts of Auroville, India into a vibran and indigenous Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest (TDEF).
This ecological project supports the local rural villages by retaining water and filling the aquifer which allows them to cultivate their food and prevents exodus towards nearby city slums.
More than 29 000 TDEF plants of 160 different indigenous species were planted so far, 20 kilometers of trenches have been dug and eight earth dams have been built, altogether storing more than 50,000 cubic meters of rain water.

Volunteer information

People of all ages and abilities are welcome to come to stay and get involved with the Sadhana Forest Porject.

Community members should not smoke cigarettes, use drugs, or drink alcohol, inside or outside of Sadhana Forest, during their entire stay. Only visit Sadhana Forest if you are 100% sure that you are able and willing to completely respect this.

Arrival and Accommodations

New guests can register on weekdays between 5:30AM and 6:00PM on site. There is no need to make any sort of reservation. Guests arriving before noon may choose either to join a seva team immediately or to rest and admire our beautiful living space until lunch. Lunch is erved at 12:30PM and can give a full welcoming, including tour and registration, between 2PM and 6PM.

Guests may also arrive on weekends between 9:00AM and 5:00PM. Please be aware, though, that the community is likely to be very quiet: there is no forest seva on the weekends, nor is there any lunch served inside Sadhana Forest.

• For citizens of foreign countries aged 40 and above and for families with one child or more the minimum stay is two nights is required.
• For citizens of foreign countries under the age of 40, the minimum stay is 4 weeks from December 1st to March 31st.
• For those arriving from April 1st to November 30th, the minimum stay is 2 weeks.
• For citizens or residents of India the minimum stay is 2 nights.
• Many choose to stay for a few months or more. Long term participants/interns can stay for a period of six months or longer.

Life in Sadhana Forest is eco-friendly  including: veganism, alternative construction, solar energy, biodegradable toiletries, recycling, food composting, riding bicycles, compost toilets, and purchasing local, organic foods whenever possible.

Accommodations are free of charge for guests working an average of 25-35 hours per week which includes additional community shifts such as cooking meals, cleaning after meals, maintaining solar panels. etc. Participants mainly plant, mulch, and water trees during the planting season, work on water conservation in the forest and around the community, maintain the community area, and spend time with the community children.

Free facilities include a small swimming pool, free 24/7 unlimited access to the Internet with your own laptop – weather and technical issues permitting, five hours each day (excluding Fridays) of AC power to charge electrical items (sun permitting), a small library, the use of several bicycles, and a playground for children. There are also daily workshops offered that are run by our community members and guests and vary each week.

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Map

Accomodation offer

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