Friends of Orchha

Website: www.orchha.org
E-mail: friendsoforchha@gmail.com
Phone: Dheeraj Pateriya: +91 90 9835 3799

Community

Friends of Orchha work with the Hindi and Bundelkhandi speaking people of Ganj. In their home-stay neighbourhood, the families have strong ties with the land and know about farming and traditional medicine. Several of them are artisans – potters, carpenters and basket weavers. They are simple, spontaneous and hospitable.

Orchha attracts many Hindu pilgrims because of its Ram Raja temple. One sees how vibrant Hinduism still is. Many shops sell articles used for offerings in the temple and there is a colourful fair at least once a month. Occasions like the nine-day Durga festival are celebrated with fervour accompanied by chanting and beating of drums.

Who they are

Friends of Orchha was created in 2006 in Switzerland in 2006 by an Indo/Swiss – Dutch couple, Asha D’Souza and Louk Vreeswijk just before they moved from Geneva to Orchha. The organisation was created in order to give families of small farmers, who had suffered from four years of drought, access to the economic opportunities that tourism engenders. The main aim is income generation for families below the poverty line. Simultaneously, Friends of Orchha encourages the youth to protect the environment of their town and contribute to a clean, green Orchha. The organisation sees tourism as an opportunity for the residents of Orchha to discover other cultures while affirming their own cultural identity. This is facilitated through positive interaction between visitors and local youth.

What they do

Income generation:
For families of small farmers, artisans and labourers through the home-stays and art for livelihood programmes.

Women’s empowerment:
They have a savings and microcredit group of women who also take up various issues affecting their neighbourhood like water and electricity supply, road maintenance, etc. with the municipality.

Environmental protection:
Cleaning and greening Orchha through better waste management and sanitation. Their youth club has launched a campaign for a polythene-free Orchha.

Water and sanitation:
They have built toilets in several homes with a view to stopping open defecation. They, have also cleaned wells that supply drinking water. Our home-stay rooms are built to conserve energy and are equipped with eco-friendly baths and toilets.

Cultural exchange:
Making tourism a ‘window on the world’ by organising cultural evenings and facilitating interaction with interpretation between residents and visitors.

Handicraft promotion:
Some of the women of Ganj do clay paintings on hand made paper. Friends of Orchha purchase their products at a fair price, package and market them. Profits from sales are entirely invested in improving their homes and neighbourhood.

What they offer

The experience of staying with a local family and enjoying home-cooked traditional meals. Friends of Orchha arrange guided tours of the monuments and bicycle tours to villages around Orchha or in the Nature Reserve where visitors can observe wildlife and relax along the river side. In summer, these visits include a swim in the Betwa or Jamni rivers at picturesque spots.
Please note: Host families receive 80 – 90% of what visitors pay for lodging and 100% of what they pay for meals.

The Friends of Orchha Youth Centre is open for two hours every evening and allows visitors to interact with local youth and practice sports like badminton, cricket, football and volleyball or play indoor games like chess, carrom, etc. We have also introduced our youth to the French favourite – pétanque.

Sometimes, cultural evenings with a local orchestra, dance or drama troop or the projection of a good Indian film (subtitled in English) are organised. This is followed by dialogue with interpretation between visitors and residents of Orchha.

Volunteer opportunities:
Volunteers are required to spend at least three months working with Friends of Orchha and have expertise in areas such as civil and environmental engineering, marketing, English language teaching, and design of handicrafts.

Location

Friends of Orchha are located in Orchha, 18 km away from Jhansi train station and 180 km from Khajuraho. Several trains link Jhansi to Delhi, Agra, Gwalior or Mumbai. Friends of Orchha can arrange for a taxi to pick up guests from the railway station in Jhansi. Travellers can also find their own transport at the station.

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What to bring

It is recommended that you bring a torch.

Accommodation & Amenities

Well ventilated, tastefully decorated rooms with a separate entrance in the courtyard of the house of the host family. They have tiled roofs, brick walls and are equipped with lights and fans. They are furnished with two beds, bedside tables and lamps, easy chairs and a low table. The beds have mattresses, pillows, blankets, clean sheets, and a mosquito net. Towels and toilet paper are provided.
The bathroom and toilet are shared with the family. In winter, the family provides a bucket of hot water for bathing. Most bathrooms do not have running water. The toilets are Indian style, Ecosan (composting, dry toilets) or linked to a biogas digester. The wastewater from the bathroom is recycled for irrigation. The room, toilet and bathroom are cleaned daily by a room boy.
There is electricity with occasional power cuts
Indian tea (chai) is included in the room rate. Breakfast and traditional, vegetarian, home-made meals are available on request. These can be eaten with the family.
Double room per night: US$9.00; Single room US$6.70.
These rates include a cup of tea and, in winter, buckets of hot water for bathing.
Breakfast is available at 70 US cents per person and vegetarian meals for US$1.20 per person.