The model
The café, the stays, the weekend happenings and the market earn a modest income. It goes back into the place and the people around it, and gives us room to keep trying things. It is one way of working among many, and we are still learning whether it holds.
Salaries for the full-time team from the local community. Wages for women who manage their households and still come in for a few hours. Steady work for local repair and maintenance teams and suppliers as the campus grows.
One kitchen that feeds everyone working at Kaaya, including the volunteers and interns who come to support community initiatives.
Honorariums for the two community volunteers who run the ISVC centre at Tilwari, where children and villagers gather for information and meetings. Kaaya also set up the children's library there, run by volunteers.
Women's Day, Independence Day and Children's Day with the women and youth of the village. Internships for local youth, and fellowships such as Padav.
Much of what happens here builds on what the village, government programmes and organisations working in these hills had already begun. We are grateful to learn alongside them, and we expect this model to keep changing as we understand more.
Some guests come back often enough to become part of the place: as members, as patrons, as people who plan events with us.
The Future of Changemaking? A Discussion with Santosh Passi By Zahara Czar, Intern at Kaaya Learning Center, May-June 2026 Third Year International Relations Student at the…
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part of the series on climate change and sustainable living initiated by Kaaya.
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