Apprenticeship in Ecological Nurturance

Apprenticeships

Along the lines of the L&L course, we offer internships for 4-6 individuals during the dry season. The idea here is for learning to be work based, to develop a sense for nature and community through direct participation and shared responsibility. 8 hour work days gets you free food and board. 4 hour work days will require some payment, negotiated on an individual basis.

Eco-System Gardener Training

The Sanctuary has trained around 100 conservation gardener-assistants till now, all of them local women. The bulk of our extensive, carefully detailed conservation work is conducted by a small group of 'ecosystem gardeners', whose skills in designing and executing experiments have been critical to establishing the gene pool. Oddly, gardeners (maalis) have no visible place in the array of recent conservation strategies. Yet they are indispensable in the global plant conservation cause. Unless we can increase the pool of skilled conservation gardeners, habitat restoration efforts are less likely to succeed.

For this reason we have launched a vocational programme to train rural women from outside our district as Ecosystem Gardeners. The Ecosystem Gardener training includes instruction and practice in the cultivation of endangered plants. Trainees are provided with meals, lodging, and a stipend. English language classes are available. Graduates of the one-year course will be expected to continue in fully-paid work at the Sanctuary for at least one more year. After this, they may stay on or return to their own communities to support projects in land care or afforestation. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please give this information to them:

Requirements for Admission: Candidates should be female, understand enough English or Malayalam to receive instructions, and offer a minimum 2-year commitment. Working at GBS requires an open mind, the ability to work co-operatively with a diverse group of people, and to be comfortable living in