The Live-in-Labs™ program aims to expose international youth to problems faced by rural communities in India. Through experiential learning opportunities, participants put theory into practice by generating innovative solutions, thereby facilitating critical and collaborative problem solving abilities of participants. The program allows participants to study, observe, and interact with rural populations while living in rural communities to gain a better understanding of challenges in the areas of Health & Livelihood, Education & Technology, Environment & Farming, Energy, and Infrastructure & Basic Facilities. Learn More about the Amrita University’s program.
Alex from EPFL Switzerland builds toilets along with women in Gujarat.
Vidya from the University of Ottowa helped kickstart WE Sanitation in Bhoi Sahi, Orissa.
Cristina Mayumi from the University of Porto designed an innovative origami fabric course for women artisans.
Luisa from Germany and Julie from the Netherlands met with women self-help groups in rural villages.
In my own words!
 | Alex Bouchet "In the village my experience was being truly unplugged from the wired world we know nowadays in big cities. We had time to immerse ourselves in a brand new lifestyle, modeled on the villagers’ one. Waking up with the sunrise, taking care of the animals, drinking tea with villagers: such details shaped our mind and body during the stay in Gujarat. People are overall happy to see us and come to give them a hand. Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned is: Patience, patience and patience." -Degree in Environmental Engineering, EPFL, Switzerland -Pursuing a degree in Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development, EPFL, Switzerland |
 | Luisa Gojowy “My internship experience at AMMACHI LABS taught me that neither mine nor other cultural values are right or wrong. For that reason I understood that there is only one need all people have in common: the need that their individual needs will be respected.” -University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer |
 | Johanna Fernandez "I always wanted to go to India because I had the feeling that I will feel good here and I was right! Moreover, for an environmental engineer there is a lot to do. I really wanted to contribute to a project like this. I think sanitation is a basic need that everybody deserves. During the second visit to Byse Village, I felt much closer to the women and it was exciting to plan the ceremonies for the finished toilets. The women were very friendly and prepared food for us and even dressed me in a sari! It was nice to connect with the villagers and their children. It was sad to leave from Byse and felt very connected with the women. I am really happy when I am able to be on the field and being of use. I can't wait to come back!" -Masters student in Environmental Engineering at EPFL, Switzerland |
 | Marius Klinger "This was my first experience in the village doing humanitarian work which meant a lot to me. My goal is to help people who are in need of basic sanitation. I found a great opportunity apply my skills on the field in working direclty with a water and sanitation project in a developing country. The diversity of Indian culture, geography and climate, food was very striking. Teaching measuring to someone who cannot read and other challenges made us come up with innovative ideas to work around the learning curves. The experience in the villages was amazing, I met a lot of people, built some good connections with them, even if I didn’t speak the same language as the villagers." -Environmental Engineering and Sciences degree, EPFL, Switzerland |
 | Vidya Nair "My experience in Bhoi Sahi, Odisha was absolutely incredible. Working with a different culture, maneuvering through local dialects and working with multiple people was a learning experience. Moreover, AMMACHI Labs enabled me to pursue my passion of health and development by pairing me with an initiative to teach rural women to build and maintain their own toilets in order to end open defecation. My experience on the field in India encouraged me to pursue my Masters in Development Practice in my home country to further my knowledge of sustainable initiatives." -Honours B.A in Arts, Specialization in Organizational Communication, University of Ottawa -Pursuing Masters of Development Practice, University of Waterloo |
 | Marc-Edouard Schultheiss In the village I witnessed that all the women are hard workers. The village is poor because they don’t have any belongings or running water for example, but the village in Gujarat were self-sufficient. All the villagers were happy to live and to meet and welcome strangers. In this way they seems much more richer than we can be in Europe. Hard work, very few comforts and belongings, but still very happy and warm. Amazing experience, I will do it again with no kind of hesitation. -Civil Engineering Degree, EPFL Switzerland |
 | Cristina Mayumi Ibanhes Nakagawa "AMMACHI Labs is a real living lab, a free and alive environment which gives us the opportunity to make experiments with freedom and trust. It is also a place where our mistakes and success are trusted on equally. By working here I could learn that the act of trying can be much more important than getting its results. I've learned that experimenting projects in a free and trustful working environment + persistence + efforts is the basis and the key point factor for accomplishing our aims. AMMACHI Labs taught me that successful projects are the results of an open effortless learning mind mentality above the brilliant mind myth and it made a big impact on how I give positive value to any kind of experience in my life doesn’t matter if I fail or succeed in them. I’ve learnt here that the real success is about the capacity of being always a great learner and an eternal apprentice." -Master Degree in Themes in Psychology, Psychology of Child Development and Education (November, 2014). Research on Child Sexual Abuse in India.Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences in the University of Porto (FPCEUP), Portugal. -Licentiate degree in Portuguese Language and Literature (2007). State University of Campinas– Unicamp, Brazil |
Other participants include:
| Aleix Carreras | ESADE Business School from Spain |
| Simone Van De Goor | Utrecht, Institute for Social Work, the Netherlands |
| Louise Bagein | ISTOM, College of International Agro-Development, Paris, France |
| Estelle Guillerm | ISTOM, College of International Agro-Development, Paris, France |
| Lukas Beuvry | ISTOM, College of International Agro-Development, Paris, France |
| Simon Leprince Diffo | ISTOM, College of International Agro-Development, Paris, France |
| Julia Tran Tranh | France |
Live-in-Lab™ Program Gallery!
