Volunteering With India

I wanted to participate in a program that empowers women; this program is helping women to learn and develop new skills so they can have a professional career and a way to earn income on their own, it was a great fit.

The program provider assisted me with my 7-day stay at a local's family home, all meals were included, pick-up and drop-off transportation from the house to the volunteer space. Due to timing, I organized a few things on my own, but the program provider can also help arrange at an additional cost to cover transportation, food, entrance tickets, etc.

I arrived in New Delhi on a Friday and arranged for a private driver picked me up. I hired a private driver because I was traveling solo and I thought I'd feel safer and also I could move faster from place to place. My flight arrived around 2:30 am and by the time I passed through customs it was past 3:30 am. We jumped on the road to Agra and it took us about 5 hours to get there, so I rested for a few hours once arriving and freshened up.

I did some sightseeing and visited Agra Fort. The next morning, Saturday at 5:30 am, I visited the Taj Mahal at sunrise, this was a priceless experience. On that same afternoon, we drove to Jaipur, which took us over 4 hours, I arrived at a hotel that my driver recommended and rested. Finally, on Sunday I went sightseeing in Jaipur, my driver took me to places that he knew it'd be worth visiting, but also we went to the ones on my list. I visited Amber Fort, City Palace, Hawa Mahal, a well in Amer City.

After sightseeing, my program organizer welcomed me at the local's family home and provided more information to start volunteering for the week.

Tell us a little about Volunteering With India and your role at the company.

Sukret: Volunteering With India is an Indian based non-profit that wants to unify people around the world to help those in need.

Volunteering With India's founders were originally just a group of friends. In the beginning we used to help local NGO’s with their work with the community. We would teach children in rural areas how to use the computers, help homeless children, help kids placed in orphanages, and took part in the women empowerment movement. Next, we got involved in a program that offered theater education to school children and we were amazed at how well the kids performed. After this, we started working with animal care centers in Jaipur and started running an awareness program about animals. All this work led to our desire to build an organization that could handle all these problems.

Currently the organization is running successful programs in the city of Jaipur and in the rural areas that surround it. Our work is about helping children stay in school and give them a better education. In addition, we want to develop their talents, help women become independent and aware of their rights, and raise awareness about animal rights. We hope our work will help develop a more powerful, educated and aware society.

I overlook the marketing and promotion part of the projects and provide online support to the volunteers before they join the project. I am also Relationship manager for the volunteering organizations and with local NGO's.

How did you get involved in the volunteer industry?

Sukret: I graduated with a degree in Commerce and IT. I found a job in one of the India's IT leading firms where my role was to provide computer education in rural areas and send computers to government schools. I went to local schools fixing computers, teaching classes to both children and teachers to give them basic knowledge about computers. After a while, I started doing this for free. This was the initial start that inspired me to get a group of my friends together and start a volunteer organization to help people in need.

What makes Volunteer with India unique?

Sukret: Our foreign volunteers often say they don't feel like tourists when they are with us because they get totally immersed in the Indian culture. This is something makes Volunteering With India unique. In addition, volunteers have said repeatedly that they trust the organization because it is local based organization, has lower fees compared and presents everything in a clear manner through the website.

In your experience, what characteristics make a good international volunteer?

Sukret: First, try to not to feel and act like a tourist. Get immersed in the culture, be open and be friendly with everyone in the community. It's important to respect the culture and tradition of the country. Also, be sure to do the tasks that are assigned to you.

What does the future hold for Volunteering With India?

Sukret: The future looks good for Volunteering With India. The organization is achieving its goals and mission day by day with the help of the team members, partners and local NGO's.