Program Reviews

I have completed the medical internship at Moolchand hospital in Delhi on december 2018.
It was exciting to come to a different country and to be welcomed by such a wonderful staff!
Everything was great and thought ahead so nothing was missing, and no safety problems at all! The orientation day is really focusing about traditions, what you should or shouldnt do, abd givesa perspective about tourist places you must visit while in Delhi.
Probably was more fun, social and interesting if there were more volunteers at the same period of time or at the same program, but even though- it was great!
About the medical internship- if you want to watch and learn- this is the place! You can "shadow" a doctor and see what they do. No "hands-on" opportunities, so it is less appropriate for medical interns and or graduates.

Overall, great experience, great program. Thank you!

Volunteering work was nice; for sure volunteering for more time is better cause you need the first week to settle down yourself!
Bobby (program coordinator) is a wonderful person, always taking care of volunteers needs; was very helpful even before my arrival; he is fun, became a good friend and made this experience unique!
Palampur is a very safe and relaxing place to live! Volunteering house is a very good accomodation.
I met a lot of new friends, a new culture; everyone was very welcoming and I felt home everywhere!
I'm sad I didn't take part to orientation week before going there, it would have been very interesting!

aside from being an absolutely beautiful country where i made so many fond memories, i will always remember india as the place where my awareness of other ways of life grew tremendously. spending time in the slums of delhi made me realise that not only am i incredibly fourtunate but that even if i wasnt, there are still so many things to be happy about. the children in the school we volunteered in were so full of happiness and stories to share with me, which i adored. i have never been more inspired by a group of people than i was by those children and for that i am forever thankful. as one of the youngest members of our group of volunteers i feel i learned a lot about independence and responsibility, both from my surroundings and from other group members. it was interesting having so many nationalities all together and now i feel like i have new friends all over the world! this trip opened my eyes to so many opportunities that exist in the world and it has inspired me to travel as much as i can in the future. also, maybe most importantly of all, it has taught me things i never realised about myself, and i hope to be able to apply my newfound hope and open mindedness to my everyday life. thank you

I always wanted to do volunteering work in slums so when I heard of this program I knew I definitely wanted to go! I saved money for 2 years and it was really worth it.
When we arrived in Delhi the staff was waiting for us and they brought us to the house where we stayed. Every day the staff was so nice and friendly and the food was very tasty.
We went to a school in a slum. We went there by metro and walking, shankar was walking with us and I really liked to talk with him about his life and family. In the school we did some painting and we teached the children in English an math. Also we played a lot with the children. I loved it to be at the school and every day when we had to leave I felt really sad because I wanted to stay with the children. The children are so wonderfull, they have nothing but are so happy with every little thing they've got. The energy I got from the children was really special. I miss the children every day and I really want to go back to play and dance with them more!

We also went to a few temples and to the old centre of Delhi. I liked to see something of the city and it was really nice to see the temples and the different religions.

This trip was really impressive because everything in Delhi is so different and I never saw something like this before. I think this was a great opportunity to enlarge my view at the world and think about the big differences between my life and the life of persons who live in other places in the world. I really became aware of doing something I loved to do made so many people happy and I will never forget this.

Thank you so much!

We came as a group of 17 students ( 15- 17 years) with 2 teachers to work in Delhi at some schools. We do this every year.
We stayed in two houses.
They were clean and well equiped.
Every morning breakfast was provided by Shankar en Rameesh. We were also escorted to the schools, and picked up during lunch and at the end of the day where they also provided dinner.
In short words : we were in good hands, safe and sound. Allways joyfull and helpfull. They took care of the sick students. The food was excellent.
In the meanwhile there was a very diverse cultural program, well organised.
I have only positive facts to mention and i would recommend other school to join this program.

Love and respect to all workers of the organisation and the schools.
mr Robert

It was a really nice stay. I really had the feeling that i could help the children were we have worked with. It were just the little things they were so happy with. I really liked that. The children were so happy everyday and that made me happy to. One girl of the school where we worked said to me " we don't have much but we are okay with it." After this journey i am trying to be happy with the little things. So i think it changed me in a good way.

I volunteered with the medical internship in Palampur. The first thing that I have to say is that once I got there I did not want to leave and I have intentions to one day return, I loved it that much!
I was able to see so many things about how the Indian healthcare system operated all while getting to see a beautiful, new country for the first time. Ecotourism is always my preferred option, this is how I came about and ended up choosing this program. This program in particular was unique from anything else I have ever experienced. I really felt I got a genuine experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. There was nothing hidden from us, the coordinators were straight forward all of the way through which was a great help. We were also able to see how healthcare actually works in India and just how far Western medicine has come over the years. These were all things that as a third year pre-medical student, and nurses assistant I really appreciated seeing, as on your average tour, this is information you would not be privy to.
The best part of the entire experience I would have to say, was the people I met along the way. I traveled alone. I was not in a group and everyone back home consistently asked me if I was nervous, and told me how brave I was for doing this all by myself. I was welcomed immediately by the coordinators, and never felt unsafe. Once I arrived at the volunteer house I was welcomed by other volunteers and I never once felt alone or lonely. This is a great opportunity alone or in a group and it is very possible alone. I also would like to say that I never once felt like I was in danger despite traveling alone as the coordinators were there for me along the way. Feeling safe when traveling alone internationally alone is worth everything, and this program really had that down.

I went with a project that were working with volunteering India, and the people in India (the volunteers) were brilliant I could not fault them one bit!! We got stuck in riots and couldn't get home and the team couldn't have done enough to help us and make sure we were okay and eventually got home! They put on 3 courses a day for us and they food was nice, we had a washing machine, shower, flushing toilet (bring your own toilet roll) all the facilities were clean and lovely! My favourite bit was seeing the Himalayas and also getting to work along side the amazing doctors and nurses in the maternal hospital and being able to see what I did, it has made me adamant I want to be a midwife! I would recommend this trip to anyone and everyone, even if uninterested in medicine I would go back tomorrow if I could I had the best time ever!!!!

Wow, to say the least.
this experience shows just how far that western medicine has developed, changed and improved on that which is still prevalent in the Indian Healthcare system, of which i saw in the hospital in Palampur. As a final year uni student studying a Bachelor of Nursing and Paramedicine it was the best experience that gave me the exposure that none of my fellow students will have the opportunity to see before graduation and eventually their professional careers and i believe it will put me as a cut above the rest.
It was a real eye opener to see some of the older-school practices being performed that left Western Medicine in the late 60s.
However, this opportunity was exactly what i had hoped for, an insight to the healthcare of a poorer society that attempts to achieve both the best result for the patient, while cutting the most corners to minimise cost, a very fine line.
This program is not for the weak hearted or the weak stomached. I watched a dozen or so people have an endoscopy performed, with no sedation what so ever. Each and everyone of these patients gagged and gurgled with unrelenting precision of the instument from the doctor this he had achieved what he was out to do. words can not describe the image of someone who has a metre long instrument jammed down their throat til they throw up again and again and again. I cannot stress enough, it is not a program for the weak of stomach.

HOWEVER, this program also provided a real insight to the disease and treatment of third world people and their conditions, it was fantastic to see and something i will never forget and i will even alter my practice as a health care practitioner.
Also, to be immersed in the midst of a rural town an stepping into the shoes of the locals, their travelling to town and work, the market place, THE FOOD, was something that you would not get travelling by other means, volunteering was the best experience I've had to date and if you are looking for a getaway, this would be the place I dreamt about at night and after experience, i still dream of it.

I completed a health/medical internship with Volunteering India in a gorgeous part of the world called Palampur.
In the month that I was there I was given so many opportunities to make the most of my trip, observing, knowledge sharing and working practically at schools and day cares, hospitals, and in health promotion workshops in various communities.
Volunteering India were great in organising weekend trips in our time off and I was able to visit the Taj Mahal as well as go trekking, camping, paragliding and horse riding in the Himalayas, just to name a few of my favourite adventures.
Finally, what will always stick in my mind when I think about my trip are the lovely and hospitable people of Palampur. There is no other experience quite like immersing yourself in a completely different culture, and if you are looking to volunteer there is no better way to enhance your contribution than to live among the community you wish to help. I have left with the feeling of having a second home and I hope to return again one day.