Indian Institute For Rural Development

We are based out in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, right near the bus stand in Subhash Colony. Being the Indian Institute For Rural Development, our location actually makes a lot of sense because we are close to the people we are trying to work with. The roads around here can be a bit rough and the sun gets incredibly hot, especially in the middle of summer. Our office isn’t anything fancy; it’s a functional space where we plan our projects and meet with folks from the surrounding villages. There is always a lot of dust in the air and the sound of buses pulling in and out nearby. We spend a lot of our time looking at maps and figuring out how to get resources to places that don't have much. It’s not an easy job, and it’s definitely not a glamorous one. We drink a lot of water and try to stay productive even when the heat is draining. Most of the staff here grew up in this region, so we understand the problems people face. We don't use a lot of big academic words. We just talk about things like water, farming, and schools. It’s about trying to make things a little bit better, one day at a time. The office is full of old folders and a few rickety chairs, but it gets the job done for us. It’s just a group of people working hard in a small town.