Social Work Volunteering Opportunities

Hi folks… this beautifully tanned and happy Maria just returned from a wonderful holiday in Goa, India. You think its all about sun ‘n sand…no! no! was looking for some social work volunteering opportunities and banked on Le Passage Travel Foundation, Shaping Lives, to find a good volunteer holiday in India. Sent them my credentials on their request, before they agreed to give me 4 different options for social workvolunteering opportunities in Goa.

The one I chose was in Salcete, South Goa and the travel agent got me some nice accommodation close to my work location. This place is not an NGO but a school – cum – home for girls from less privileged or disturbed backgrounds. I chose the hostel work only leaving me ample time till 1.00 p.m. to enjoy Goa as well. The afternoons were spent helping the girls with their English and Maths homework and preparations for the next day. We then played games and after evening church, the study period was also utilized by me to improve computer skills of the senior ones. Sundays were special and we took long walks to the beach where the Sisters and children relaxed and spoke about their circumstances and dreams and it was so touching. I felt very satisfied over the 2 weeks on this social work volunteering opportunity and now as I gaze into my photo cache, I feel Maria went for the sun ‘n sand but returned with one additional asset …’soul’ …go there and find yours. The website also belongs to India’s premier DMC.

NGO in India for Children

Children welfare organizations in India were what Pravada and me where seeking when we planned to visit the country. Being active para-medics, Pravada and me prefer to engage either communities or NGOs working with children and there are esp such a large number of NGOs for children in India. Our travel operator while planning the itinerary suggested we do special children at Jaipur. That’s great we said but where and how do we set this up. He gave us the “Shaping Lives” and prompt came their response on all our queries regarding good NGOs in India for children. 

We elected to devote 7 days at Disha Foundation, a school for the mentally disabled at Jaipur. Shaping Lives liaised and even organized our stay in the Disha premises at a very nominal rental. The children and staff were absolutely astounding and we became Pravada and Janet Didi (sister) by the end of the second day. While Pravada devoted herself to therapy and exercises, I took on the challenge of creating some paintings and other fine arts with some of the more talented children. Mrs. Rainu Singh, the ED, Disha was wonderfully helpful, invited us to a special evening of Jaipur dances as her guests and made sure we worked, but in comfort. Both of us have fallen in love with the Disha children and will be visiting them soon enough and this is one NGO in India for children that I will recommend. The room is comfortable and it has affordable eating places just 200m away.

Volunteer Tour in India

My Mom went hyper ballistic when I told her I was planning a volunteer tour in India and trying to zero in on a summer volunteer program for students. Are you crazy Jill, she kept nagging. Of all the places Indiaaaa…. and she really lost it when I said I had sent in my application for a volunteer tour in India with an NGO working for wastepickers’ empowerment. Received their mail seeking lots of details and when I landed in Delhi, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group proved to be a marvel. Recognised internationally, it put me onto a familiarization round over two days and thereafter allotted me a clear and concise schedule and internship requirement after a detailed interview wherein I gave out my strengths and weaknesses. 

The travel by local transport was strenuous but the project work hours with children in one of Delhi’s waste landfills was so engrossing, that more often than not, I spent my leisure hours playing with the children, meeting their parents, understanding their backgrounds, culture, deprivations, dreams and much more. Also had a fun picnic organized for one of their projects ARMAN by Shaping Lives, it is the Foundation which finances this project. Their smiles and goodwill for me never stopped and I marveled at the resilience and inner strength of these less privileged outcasts of society. I stayed with Chintan for 6 months. Got a certificate to prove that in case you have doubts, but my hyper mother!!! …she is proud of the Jill who returned after that and brags no end about it to her friends and needles them to send their kids to the volunteer program in India …the one that Jill attended

NGO for Animals

Hello from Ireland. This is ‘Bob’ Muldowney and I have been working the horses and raising cattle and fowl as well on my little farm here. Thought I would take a holiday in India but realized I would be lost without a dose of animal care for the better part of the month. Explored the animal welfare organizations in India on Google and came across many NGOs for animals. Jaipur was my longest stay so I homed on to animal welfare organization in India specifically Jaipur. Was impressed by “Help in Suffering” and decided to visit it and take it forward if I felt satisfied. It ruined my Jaipur holiday. No! not because it was useless, but because it was so good …they care for every possible bird and animal in and around the city.

It was fascinating and I simply decided to restrict sightseeing to late evenings and devote the day at H.I.S. The team there was extremely kind to take me in and for 5 days, I went the whole hog. Cleaning kennels, assisting in the ABC surgery of stray dogs, going out twice with the camel care teams to markets where this lovely desert animal is unfortunately used as a beast of burden. You looking for animal welfare organisations in India??? …. Make it a one stop affair…just contact HIS. The city of Jaipur is wonderful and for an animal lover HIS adds the ‘oomph’ …..cheerio ….

Sustainable Development Projects in India

Sustainable Development Projects in India have a varied range. Often they entail working outdoors in the so called model villages or other green tasks. I have been a keen water environmentalist and it was rather difficult to find Socially Responsible Projects of my field outside the domain of the Indian rivers, until the Google search channelised me onto an event by a unique CSR Foundation run by Le Passage to India, a prominent DMC in India. Their CSR website, www.shaping-lives.org mentioned a place about 50 miles from the pink city of Jaipur. I requested my travel agent to assist me in spending time on such a Sustainable Development Project in India. It helped. The DMC gave details of the Shaping Lives head and not only did he provide me every possible detail I wanted but also set up a meeting with ‘The waterman of India’… a man who has walked the length of all major rivers in India and whose NGO near Jaipur has changed the arid land into fertile cultivable area. 

It was a delightful experience meeting him and learning so many low cost but extremely effective water management techniques from his team of trained locals. Some members of the team were even illiterate women …illiterate in reading etc perhaps but ‘hands on’ work …whoa!!!! … I had a lot to learn. What a wonderful week I spent in their hamlet. Pure vegetarian local meals, early morning to dusk work and water management experiences and the evenings filled with the smells and songs of the desert wafting in from the surrounding village. 

Child Welfare Organisations in India

Surprisingly India has millions of homeless or less privileged children and the Child Welfare Organisations in India are a dime a dozen. Some of them are fantastic while others can take you for a ride. My focus as a student of child psychology has always been to spend time with special children and since I wanted to do the ‘Golden Triangle’ tourist trip of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur, I decided to indulge in some volunteer – cum – study work with a good NGO in Delhi. Lots of Child Welfare Organisation in India offered me grand opportunities and avenues. I was a bit confused and mentioned this to my local travel agent. She merely smiled and said ‘Susan, please access www.lepassagetoindia.com.” 

Seems they were travel partners and this Indian agent, one of the biggest in India, had its exclusive Foundation to facilitate good CSR for inbound tourists like me. She was correct. The site gave me knowledgeable inputs of their work and a small mail to the Foundation head brought in prompt multiple options. Need I say that when I landed in Delhi, I was taken to a wonderful school located in the heart of a slum. The special children just walked in or were wheeled in from their homes and what a beautiful time we had. I learnt that you do not need high technology or air-conditioning to look after special children …. love, compassion and a bonding is enough. I was introduced to their parents, most of them earning less than GBP 3 a day and yet content, I visited their homes to understand their lifestyles. By the time I finished, I had a whole notebook worth of observations, I was Susan didi (that’s sister in Hindi) to the entire lot and the families in that slum, both male and female …wow!! …they were so helpful, hospitable and respectful… I felt at home … I am going back to them soon ……….

Volunteer Holidays in India

India is such a rich and vibrant land full of heritage and quaint customs and traditions, that it draws me back every time I am thinking of a holiday. With a very limited source of income I normally opt for volunteer holidays in India or access for offers on volunteer trips for college students. Summer is really a very cheap time to take a holiday in that country provided you can stand the tropical heat. I don’t mind that as I am quite selective while doing volunteer holidays in India. Last year I did Agra and this year I headed for Jaipur.  My itinerary with the NGO or NPO as we call it here is simple. I will do volunteer work from early morning to around 5 p.m. and thereafter be on my own. It gives me 2-3 hours of daylight to explore and indulge in sight seeing at a time when the heat and outside temperatures are a bit more bearable. 

This time I homed on to a wonderful NGO dealing with street children and since the schools were closed for summer, I could spend loads of time with the young imps in the hostels. I taught them Basic English conversation and for the fun breaks we did some great work and murals on the dormitory walls and their dining area. It was 15 days of pure fun and if any one reading this is really interested in enjoying a volunteer holiday in India, I suggest you click on www.shaping-lives.org. That’s the site which got me this NGO and the children and people there were all praise for the work Shaping Lives does for them. In fact, it was through that Foundation that I could also get hold of a good home stay opportunity in close proximity. So guys, if you are planning volunteer trips as a college student. I suggest you check this website out.