praktikabel.org is different from other internship facilitation projects. First of all both founders have experienced India the same way you are planning to. Therefore we have first hand experience of the potential of the experience, the expectations, the doubts and the problems that are bound to occur.

As a result, we, the founders of praktikabel.org, can guarantee an authentic work experience in India beyond the touristy monotony. We are both constantly available for any questions or doubts you might have, and can certify the credibility and the authenticity of our programs.

Unlike other organizations who structure their programs around recreation, an “adventure-escape scenario” or offer touristy commercial exploitation advertised as “authentic” or even so called “eco-tourism” exchange programs; praktikabel.org offers a real-world experience, community engagement and contact with the people and life of Kerala in a way that we feel contributes to both professional and personal growth.

Within the last decades Kerala has experienced rapid growth in the tourism sector, and unfortunately mass tourism has left its traces. Like everywhere where mass of tourism occurs, the consequences are not always as nice as the marketing praises them. Of course one can have a wonderful holiday in Kerala (eco-tourism can be warmly recommended) but every type of tourism leaves its traces; especially if the tourist himself is not willing to adapt to the local culture and his own entertainment weights more than his respect for the local customs.

Many study-abroad programs declare themselves authentic and beneficial for the local communities in the host country. We are very doubtful and uncertain whether the so called “poor” communities are positively supported through commercial exchange programs.

The time when industrialized countries (formerly colonial rulers) decide what the “poor” people need is luckily over. It is clear that exchange can be beneficial but it should never lead to patronization or narrow and misdirected “help tourism”. We reject to facilitate such “adventure-escape” experiences because we strongly believe that these are unhelpful and not truly directed to the people concerned.

On the contrary, we facilitate internships in internationally recognized and self-governed NGOs and other charitable institutions where you can actually help in the creation and the betterment of the social conditions in Kerala. However, we don’t want to give the impression that we hereby act altruistically only to win over internees.

There are a lot of things to explore in India and there are a lot of things that could be improved, but we think it is necessary to allow locals decide exactly how, when and where to project their own development. This means that certain places should be kept free from western world footprints, “modern” suggestions for improvement and commercial exploitation.

There is no doubt that tourism is profitable source of income for the people in Kerala. But tourism’s negative effects can be profoundly discussed.

The people who participate in our programs should be aware, that they are not tourists when they undertake an internship in Kerala. Some might say that what we do is educational but we do not strive for any type of “educational tourism”. We want to bring people together, in the hope that they can benefit from the experience and that the benefit lays beyond an economic value.
It is clear that our services are not free of cost, but we are not selling either poverty stereotypes or a tropical paradise. Neither do we try to make use of you as an development worker.
The authenticity of our internship programs is not a sales argument but a matter of fact.
You will be integrated into the daily routine of the people who work for their livelihood. In that case, India is not much different from Australia, Spain or the US. What is different is the way in which the people live and work. To get to know and to learn to respect this way is the first and most important thing which makes the basis for possible suggestions of improvement.

Merely by your presence and your contact with “normal” people you are already making a difference in their lives. The exchange is natural and dynamic. Ultimately, you will also experience change within yourself, you will experience a totally new realm (including its advantages and disadvantages) which will allow you to have a new perception of the world.

Thank you for your interest. For further questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Your praktikabel.org team