|
Volunteering in India will provide you with an extremely rewarding experience as you witness the difference volunteers are making in the Himachal Pradesh region. The programme provides the perfect balance between cultural excursions, the opportunity to work with children in schools, day care centres and orphanages, as well as free time to relax and explore the surrounding area.
Project Age Limit
The participants on this programme may be of a broad age range. Maximum age decided on potential participants health.
The Volunteer Programme
India is home to one sixth of the world’s population. It is a rapidly developing country but despite its prosperity and economic importance, India is a country of great inequalities. With 330 million people living in poverty, surviving in extremely basic living conditions, it is a country that truly benefits from voluntary help. Our volunteer placements in Himachal Pradesh help tackle the problems that create such large-scale poverty. Volunteers can choose to work in one of the following areas:
Teaching
Volunteers are able to work in primary schools run by the government for underprivileged local children. Teaching and related activities can include:
- Teaching basic English at various levels
- Imparting English conversation skills
- Creativity enhancing exercises with children like drawing, painting, music and dance
- Working with local teachers in creating low cost teaching material from locally available resources
- Ensuring regular attendance of children by motivating their families through regular visits etc
- Promoting basic hygiene awareness amongst children.
- Creating a more “child-friendly” environment in the schools through decorating/painting the schools
Child-Care
Volunteers are needed to work in local day care centres for pre-school children. These centres are run by the government, with the aim of monitoring and ensuring the healthy growth of children. The concept of pre-school is a new one in India. Called “Aanganwaris”, these centres are intended to provide a safe, healthy and hygienic space for young children who would otherwise not receive proper care at home.
Providing children with food, vaccinations, health and hygiene checks, volunteer activities in the day care centres include:
- Personal attention and care to children coming to the centre everyday
- Developing motor skills of the children by making them use body parts through playing games
- Ensuring maximum attendance of children and pregnant women to the day-care centre through community awareness
- Creating a more attractive environment for the children through renovation of the centre and adding facilities like toys etc.
Other volunteer placement opportunities:
- Working with people with special needs
- Working in orphanages
Upon booking, volunteers are able to state their volunteer preference, however, placements will be decided upon arrival dependant upon availability and project needs.
Project Support
During your time in India you will have the competent assistance of our project coordinators. They are on-site to assist you with anything that you may need and you will also be provided with a 24-hour emergency contact number so that you are always able to reach our UK team.
Project Orientation
Upon arrival into Delhi you will be met at the airport and transferred to a hotel for an overnight stay. The following day volunteers will travel from Delhi to Agra (departing early in the morning for a journey time of approximately 5 hours).
Upon arrival into Agra you will visit the most famous of Indian historical monuments - the Taj Mahal. You will spend tonight in a local hotel in Agra.
One your third day in India you will be transferred from Agra to Jaipur, Rajasthan, arriving in the early evening. There will then be a 3-day orientation programme where you will gain an understanding of Indian history, its culture, volunteering in India and an introduction to Hindi. Also included are shopping excursions and sightseeing trips, including an afternoon visit to Amber Fort, the old city and an elephant ride. During the orientation programme you will be staying in a home stay with a local English speaking family. On day six you will travel on the overnight train to Himachal Pradesh where the projects are located.
Accommodation and Meals
You will be staying with local English speaking families in a private room in homestay accommodation during the orientation week. During the volunteer placement you will be staying in a small purpose built complex, in private twin share rooms with ensuite bathrooms. The complex has beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
All meals are included during the orientation programme and volunteer placement period. At other times only breakfast is included to give volunteers the opportunity to choose their meals. Indian food culture may require some adjustments on your part. People throughout India tend to eat without silverware, using either their hands or pieces of chapatti (Indian flat bread). In rural areas, people also tend to eat sitting cross-legged on the floor as opposed to at tables. Indian food differs from region to region but generally the majority of food is vegetarian, based around breads, rice and vegetable curries. Due to religious beliefs, only lamb and chicken meat dishes are available for non-vegetarians.
|
