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.

Responsible and Interactive Tourism in India

Responsible tourism in India opened new avenues for me even as I browsed multiple options of contributing my art skills to a needy organization during my holiday in India. Most websites channelised me into art galleries when I fed in my interest area but the one linked to Interactive Tourism, put me onto a new Foundation called Shaping Lives. It claimed to create bridges between travelers and reliable researched NGOs. It spoke of Responsible Tours in India linked to smiling children. I liked the option of assisting special children afflicted with various mental and physical disorders in expressing suppressed desires through painting. In fact I was pleasantly surprised to read that these paintings were purchased by the tour operator which had raised this unique Foundation, as gifting ideas for their premium clients and the children were treated like VVIPs when invited to gift it themselves. 

Simply out of the world …. I knew then and there that if I was to do any responsible tour in India, it had to be through these wonderful and caring people. I was not disappointed and my memories are full of the joy on each special friend I made as I helped them complete their ‘expressions’ through art. I think I went their to seek peace for my soul but have left my heart behind. Must save …so that I can go back soon ……..

Volunteer Trip To India

Hi, I am Thomas and I just did 15 days in India. The weather was hot but did it matter to me ??? ..not at all, …. because I had planned this holiday focusing Volunteer Trip to India. It’s a habit for me to devote at least 40% of holiday time to working with less privileged children. I browsed India Volunteer Tourism, looking for an option which allowed my mornings free for sightseeing and social work during the hot desert afternoons of Jaipur. It was a tall order, something like a customised volunteering scheme.

I matched and counter-matched with Volunteer Tours India and found some lovely event write-ups on Shaping Lives of visits in an NGO which worked with children from local slums in afternoon classes. They also gave contact details to assist me in my volunteer effort and suggested low budget home stay options should I be interested. That for me was simply WOW! … I hooked on and my holiday at Jaipur became memorable. I enjoyed the free mornings and looked forward to being with the lovely children every afternoon. Taught them English and basic maths, and learnt some exciting local dance steps from them. I have planned on a fundraising for the NGO back home and I really must suggest that any and everyone at least have a look at this website whenever they have wish to do Volunteer Tours India. You won’t regret it.

Tomas,

Student, California

Socially Responsible Tours in India

When two of my friends returned from India, they said ‘Julian, it was beautiful but the NGO we visited was so disorganized and we had a bad experience’. That got me thinking overtime as I had planned on good quality time with an animal NGO. Immediately sat and searched socially responsible tourism in India. All the sites offered the moon, but there was one run by a premium Indian travel operator, which caught my eye. The corporate social responsibility tour they promised looked authentic. I ran a check and found that they were associated with various grass root level NGOs across tourist destinations in India through their very own Foundation named Shaping Lives.

This socially responsible tour in India gave me options of not just animal care in Jaipur and Agra but miscellaneous other options. The travel website of Le Passage to India eventually also helped me to find a local agent in my city and would you believe it, the NGO location, time and contacts were inbuilt into my itinerary before I flew in for the holiday. Needless to say, it was a marvelous experience and the time spent with the animal NGO was the icing to the cake. Got to work with canines and birds … esp camels. I am ecstatic and going back for more. That is the essence of good  socially responsible tourism in India and I have become its marketing agent within my friends circle, I loved it so much.

Le Passage Travel Foundation “Shaping Lives” celebrates its second anniversary on 01 Jun 2012

Le Passage Travel Foundation will celebrate its second anniversary on 01 Jun 2012. Popularly known as Shaping Lives and with its own exclusive website www.shaping-lives.org it is the brain child of Le Passage to India, one of the top DMCs in India. Shaping Lives is a one of its kind philanthropic venture not run by any other travel company in India. Its basic intent was to create bridges of happiness between the inbound traveler and well researched, reliable, grass root level NGOs in tourist destinations across India. The aim was to create social visit and volunteer opportunities as its contribution towards responsible tourism.

As a pioneer in this field, our intent was also to motivate other DMCs in our industry to create such Foundations and invest in social, cultural and economic sustenance of the local communities on the tourist sector. Looking back at the two years gone by, it gives me, as the GM-CSR, immense pleasure to recall the events and visits initiated by Shaping Lives.

The thrill of a Flight of Fantasy (air travel) by less privileged and special children, the squeals of laughter at an Elephant polo match, the pride in the eyes of special children as they presented their own paintings to admiring foreign guests or just plain Holi (festival of colors) celebrations by Shaping Lives with our NGOs are a few memories which make my eyes sparkle. Some of the happiness and love that our clients took away from various interactions with children, aged homeless, animals, philanthropic institutional visits are documented ….the ones in their hearts will last them a lifetime. Take a look at our site. Come!...contact me at anil@lpti.in. Join the bandwagon of smiles and fun while you holiday in India with Le Passage to India as an inbound traveler or an Indian tourist via our business unit TUI India. Shaping Lives will add ‘soul’ to your joyous sojourn.

Sustainable Tourism in India

Giving back to Society, Responsible Tourism etc etc …humbug and clichés of the pseudo traveller are what have always been my impressions whenever some friend or relation comes back and brags about having made a ‘difference’. Difference ??? What difference can you make by spending half a day at some organic farm or watching slum children studying their alphabet. 

So when I planned on my holiday to India and my friends spoke of Sustainable Tourism in India etc etc., I simply shoo-ed them away. Not my cuppa tea, I said. I am going to enjoy and that’s it!!!. Would you believe it, that when I visited the travel agent, the first thing he asked me was whether I would be interested in a bit of Participative Tourism on the trip. Seeing my frown he suggested I think it over and maybe have a look at one of the premium Indian travel company’s social website www.shaping-lives.org. I said OK half heartedly and opened the site after a good 3 days. 

Thank God I did though. It opened my eyes as to how even a little effort from me would bring joy in some one else’s life. I chose the ‘old age home’ and the agent inbuilt that visit into my trip. Imagine a social integration before take-off on a trip. Made possible by this travel company. The visit, warmth, the entire aura was so soothing. I fell in love with the old age home and I wished I could stay on some more. My friends laugh when they hear this but I know what a lovely and everlasting experience I have had … and I assure you, I AM going back for more…

Social Signatures In Tourism

To me travel is incomplete unless I give back some time or my expertise to the country visited. As a freelance artist and theatre fanatic, I love to spend time with the less privileged and use my skills to create laughter and smiles on my tour destinations. I call that leaving Social Signatures in Tourism and my holiday plans are incomplete unless I have researched and am satisfied that I will be able to leave a small signature of my own. To that end, when I planned my India visit, I immediately hit the button to access CSR Activities in India, and to further authenticate, CSR Opportunities in India on the web. 

Both sites spoke about the emerging Giveback Tourism in India. I was guided onto a website which apparently belonged to India’s only Travel Foundation and on accessing this www.shaping-lives.org , I was amazed at the innovative way the organisation had taken NGOs of various discipline on their panels and facilitated interactions between the tourist and them to the mutual satisfaction of both. Their events page and testimonials bespoke of their work. I chose to go along and selected a special school in Jaipur for a two day workshop. Believe me both the children and me freaked out ……it was pure fun and I have promised them a visit again besides an attempt to raise funds and send in more friends. To Shaping Lives I can only ‘Thank You’ …. The way you set everything up for me and the satisfaction I got was beyond my expectations.

ResponsibleTour Operator in India

Hello! When my friend and me planned our 10 day vacation we wanted a really nice Responsible Tour Operator in India who would not only give us comfortable travel itinerary but also help us in doing some time in welfare work for some community. We googled Responsible Tours India and Responsible Tourism India and found many tour operators offering Socially Responsible Tours in India. We were very confused. However, there was one operator which claimed to have a travel foundation dedicated to only organising and being a bridge between tourists and good social organisations. 

We explored the recommended website www.shaping-lives.org and were quite impressed with the different kind of events it had been giving so many international tourists. When we sent them a mail, they asked us our preferences and thereafter gave us 2-3 options even for selection. We loved that and got hooked. Shaping Lives facilitation gave us so much satisfaction and joy in our social give back and we are truly thankful for the fantastic work they have started to bring good NGOs and tourists like us together. God bless them.

Corporate Social Responsibility In India

Ola! I am Sanchez and very much interested in travelling all over the world, so I keep savings a little and take one holiday to different nation each year during Christmas. Last year I planned on holiday to India. As low budget tourist, I save on hotel bill by being volunteer in different social works. When I explored India Volunteer Tourism and chance of VolunteerTours in India on the net for some idea, I was happy to see a website www.shaping-lives.org being shown by both as a responsible and trusty Foundation for such work in that country. It was engaged in different types of social work and helping tourists to select something of their choice not just in type but also in a destination they wanted to do volunteer work in. 

It spoke of their Corporate Social Responsibility in India as a travel foundation and besides giving opportunity in children and old age work; they also had animal NGO and chance to volunteer in Sustainable Development Projects in India like water management etc. I was so happy. Even my local agent had heard of them and best part was that they were able to recommend me the city, the NGO and a low cost stay with food and lodgings as well. I really enjoyed my volunteer work and I am going back to India again through Shaping Lives volunteer scheme. My friends would not believe the experience I had until they saw my photos with the children. I also learnt to tie that big Rajasthan head dress from the children.

Responsible Tourism

You know what….every time some friend or acquaintance would brag that oh! I did some serious Participative Tourism or said y’know, we took a Responsible Holiday this year, I would just yuck! behind their backs calling them ‘pseudos’. Those were the days. All that changed for me in just one holiday where my partner offered to give me a lifetime experience in Responsible Tourism on our India holiday. He kept harping on this Travel with a Soul thing and almost drove me nuts ……. but I am glad I stuck on, coz we spent 3 days on an island on the Yamuna River in Agra just looking after sloth bear. These bear are the so called Indian dancing bears who have been given a safe haven in controlled habitats instead of a life of misery and torture dancing on the roads. The Responsible Holiday was organised to the last detail by a travel agent in India …. and ok guys and girls … yuck me all you want but that trip changed my attitude and I am a hot and proud  member of that pseudo clan today and Participative Tourism is my theme in most parties.

Corporate Social Responsibility Program

Helloooo! I am 20 years old and when my mom and dad offered me a holiday in India, I was delighted. They were willing to let me travel alone on one condition and that was to commit that I would undertake some Corporate Social Responsibility Program which involved Giving Back to Society. Which 20 year old would want to let go a 10 day all expense paid holiday by saying NO! just to avoid Interactive Tourism. Naturally I explored the web and having heard that strange eastern word ‘karma’ many times, I homed on to Karma Tourism. The avenues were fascinating and having discussed my tour plan with our local agent, I followed his advise to select one of the CSR Programs on offer as a volunteer for 2 of the ten days. Migod!! That was perhaps the best decision I took, coz those two days were a combo of fabulous fun and karmic delight spending time with special children. I have promised to do fundraising in College for the Indian NGO and I am definitely forming long term associations with ‘my’ children.

Responsible Tour Operator India

Hi!! When the four of us planned a visit for fun and frolic in Goa, India, we felt that we should indulge in some meaningful social activity and give back to that lovely seaside paradise. We decided to track CSR Opportunities in India for this in addition to Responsible Tourism India which a friend recently returned from India had suggested. Both were wonderful and we realised that the input was not just about CSR but also gave us access to Responsible Tour Operator India. This operator has re-defined and is pioneering CSR work on travel routes. As the trip organiser I sent in my request, and …… options for Sustainable Tourism India flowed in from them. What I liked about the whole thing was that they labelled our holiday ‘ sand and soul’ and that’s when I knew our group had hit a jackpot and whatever social experience this operator organised would be satisfying. As I write this on my return, take it from me, the Goa sands and the CSR soul were absolutely delightful.