“India Fellow” Social Leadership Program

It is a unique journey of self-discovery and finding one’s true calling. The fellowship is a learning experience by working hands-on with grassroots organizations and also accessing high-quality training and expert mentorship. This is alongside being a part of the wider network. Above all, you need not pay any fee for it.

Stipend

• In terms of monetary contribution – fellows collectively fundraise, which is INR 1,25,000 per head.
• All the travel cost to reach the four in-person trainings is to be borne by the fellow. All costs and arrangements during the training (accommodation, food, resource persons, material costs, etc.) is borne by the fellowship.
• For the duration when the fellow works with the host organization, the organizations pay them a stipend, which is basically to cover the living expenses of the fellow. To keep parity, this amount is as follows: –
  • For rural areas, if the organization provides accommodation (some organizations have their field offices and/or guest house where you can stay) the stipend is INR 15,000 per month. If the organization does not provide accommodation, then the stipend is INR 18,000 per month
  • For metropolitan areas of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Hyderabad, the stipend is INR 17,000 and 22,000 respectively with and without accommodation
• The fellow is expected to use the stipend for living expenses like accommodation, food and local transport. Please remember that it is not a salary but a stipend. For long-distance travel, which is work-related, the organization reimburses the amount. Any other personal travel has to be borne by fellow. While the organizations are not mandated to provide accommodation to fellows, their team will be supportive and will help you make suitable arrangements on arrival at the assignment field areas.

What are fellows expected to do in host organizations?

• The fellows will be assigned to projects after careful consideration of various factors like skillset, aspirations and experience of the fellows along with those of the requirements of the project. While the expectations may be high from a fellow, there will be some time to settle down and understand the new ecosystem that you would be in.
• Because this is a big decision from the fellow’s point of view to invest 18 months of their time in what could be an entirely new experience, everyone will expect fellows to be proactively taking initiative in whatever they are engaged in. Wherever there is some technicality, they will be trained and equipped with skills accordingly by the host organization and the fellowship. Community immersion, development program management and communication, engaging in team capacity building are some key ingredients of all the projects.

What do fellows do after the fellowship?

• Fellows are supported to define their private dream and are equipped with the skills to pursue them, but fellows are expected to be independent and find their own way in pursuing their dream – which is the basic idea of the fellowship. Almost 70% of the alumni have stayed back in the development sector by: –
  • Continuing to work in their fellowship host organizations
  • Working with other grassroots organizations
  • Working with social incubators, funding agencies, fellowships and CSRs
  • Starting a social venture of their own to solve a problem
• Quite a few have also gone ahead and pursued their higher education, work with corporates, government and bureaucracy.

Eligibility Criteria

Please ensure the following is true before proceeding:

• You are between 20 to 30 years of age
• You have completed graduation (in any discipline) or will complete before the fellowship begins
• You are ready for an 18-month full time commitment
• You understand that this will expect you to be engaged 24×7 with the local community
• You understand that you can be placed in any part of India and in any thematic area
• You have read, understood and align with the philosophy and values of fellowship.

For more information, visit India Fellow.