Meet The Student Who Went To India And Helped Launch A Socially-Conscious Jewellery Line

More and more Australians are spending their gap years and uni breaks overseas, but not, as the tradition used to be, seeking out the planet’s best surfing spots or party destinations.

This post is presented in partnership with 40K Globe.

A new breed of young traveler is bound for underprivileged communities in developing nations, hoping to lend a helping hand, and, hopefully, discover themselves in the process.

So popular has this kind of trip become, it's now an industry unto itself, worth - as of December 2014 - $2.6 billion worldwide

Some of the more self-serving "voluntourism" organisations have been criticised for disrupting the lives of citizens.

However, one young Aussie believes her adventure to India was one of the more responsibly-organised treks.

Zofia Zayons was a 19-year-old student at the University of Wollongong when she learnt about the 40K Globe initiative, which was looking for students to help empower a mining village north of Bangalore.

“I’d been looking at doing something like that for a long time but I hadn’t found something that really spoke to me," she said.

“I always had doubts about whether it was the right thing to do, when ‘voluntourism’ was just starting to take off, and I knew from research that that wasn’t necessarily what I wanted to do.

“When I heard about 40K, it appeared more meaningful than that. I was looking but I didn’t know what I was looking for until I saw that.”

Photo above: A view of the colourful Bangalore streets. Source: Supplied.

After applying and interviewing for the placement, the International Studies and Communication & Media student was accepted and shipped to Bangalore, Karnataka in 2013.

“You’re putting your faith in an organisation that they’re going to look after you. You hear horror stories about people going over with some groups where the organisation totally abandons you on the ground,” Zofia recalled.

“There was always a lot of support from [40K].”

Stationed in the small villages about an hour-and-a-half north of Bangalore, Zofia and her fellow “Globers” were tasked with leading an “Impact Project”; in this case, helping the locals launch the Roka jewellery line made from the granite dust byproduct of nearby quarries, with the proceeds of their sales going to the extra-curricular education of children. (The profits of 40K Globe fund the not-for-profit 40K Foundation’s after-school education centers, christened “Plus Pods”.)

“It’s a self-sustaining idea; it’s not a charity and it’s not based on donations. It’s empowering locals through innovative ideas to keep money in the community,” Zofia said.

It took Zofia's team - only the second to be dispatched by 40K Globe - to jump in at the early stages and develop an easily-made mixture out of the granite dust from which the local woman could craft their jewellery.

Roka jewellery can now be purchased internationally, despite its humble beginnings - as Zofia remembers - looking like "Play-Doh."

Photo above: A festival celebration in the village of Marenahalli. Source: Supplied.

The experience was a rewarding one for Zofia – so much so, she’s returning in July, this time as a team leader – but the journey had its obstacles.

“Every day in India is a challenge, whether that’s a personal challenge or a group challenge; whether it’s working with new people, working with people from different backgrounds, working not only with your own group but locals and the cultural communication differences [that come with that].”

Even the Indian head wobble – a common South Asian gesture – confounded the Australian visitors.

“One time we were asking a rickshaw driver for directions and we were convinced the head wobble meant ‘yes’. We ended up so lost [laughs] and of course you can’t get angry, you can’t get upset about it. It’s just understanding these cultural differences. You learn a lot about yourself and about interacting with other people.”

As for her return trip, Zofia is excited to not only guide the next batch of young Aussies but to revisit the locals who made her so welcome.

Also, the food.

“I love Masala Dosa. It’s… oh, it’s so good.”

40K Globe offers you the chance to spend one month on the ground in rural India working towards helping local villagers develop a sustainable solution for better access to education and employment.

To find out more about the 40K Foundation and the 40K Globe initiative, head to the 40K website. Applications for the July 2015 program close April 26. Applications for summer placements are welcome until September 13.