Village Reconstruction Organization

Background
The Village Reconstruction Organization was founded in 1969 to provide relief to the cyclone that hit coastal Andhra the same year. Ever since, VRO has been an advocate for "village rights", stemming from the belief that the village is an important socio-economic entity that has quite a few lessons to teach modern cities.

The VRO philosophy is closely allied to the Gandhian concept of Sarvodaya and the Christian Social philosophy. VRO endeavors to make villages self-sustainable - empowering them with the resources to bargain with the larger world and equipping villagers with skills to face modern challenges.

Activities
Industries, health, survey and research, education, personnel & training, construction, village-building, tree plantation and agriculture are important sector-wise activities of the organization. VRO has branches in countries like Belgium, Austria, Germany and other European countries that help fund the projects in India.

Volunteer Opportunities
In India, VRO functions with the help of about 500 full-time volunteers who work in select areas of AP, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Pondicherry, Karnataka, MP, Maharastra, Rajasthan, Delhi and J&K. Once you register as a volunteer, you can work with them either full-time or whenever you have the time to spare.

Individuals, organizations and institutions are eligible for membership at VRO (details can be obtained from the office). Initial membership costs Rs. 500, and thereafter the annual membership is Rs. 200. Cash donations are welcome, and can be made in favor of "VRO".

The office is tucked far from the madding crowds of Himayatnagar. You have to make your way up a long winding slope lined with a well-manicured garden before you reach it. The unpretentious place belies the magnitude of work done by the organization, as you will understand once you go through organization literature. Like they say, it really would be wrong to judge a book by its cover and an organization by the size of its office!