Program Reviews

Without a doubt, the best experience of my life so far. Not only you have the opportunity to help children and families from vulnerable areas, but also you know people from all over the world who share that same energy as you. Varun (the Founder) provides patronage to local services/trades people with disabilities, provides food and support to families who are recently bereaved, and organises sponsorship of promising students to be able to continue their education. I took advantage of the Add On Tours and a highlight of my trip was the visit to the Golden Temple at Amritsar. I thoroughly recommend this organisation/volunteer placement. It has given me the confidence to travel to India again as a volunteer.”

I had the most amazing time in India with ispiice! I helped teach women how to use computers and volunteered with childcare. I look back on my time with Varun and his team so fondly. They were so kind to us and ensured we had the best time possible. The volunteering was so rewarding and it was also great to travel around Himachal Pradesh and Northern India on the weekends. I was there for eight weeks and in that time we visited the Taj Mahal, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Macleod Ganj and we went hiking in the Himalayas. India was such a colourful country and the people so friendly. Definitely up there with the best two months of my life and I’m so grateful to Varun and the ispiice team for making it happen.

When I retired I planned to travel and iSpiice based near Dharamshala fitted nicely with my plans to see India and volunteer on overseas projects.

I was met in Delhi by the director of the organisation and after a short tour of the city we left for our overnight journey on a coach to the Himalayas, waking early in the morning to the unforgettable sight of the white capped range of mountains while we twisted our way ever higher to our destination.

We then took a taxi to our accommodation on a large farm to rest and relax for a couple of days before our placings. I worked with pre school children in the mornings, primary school children in the early afternoon and young married women before our evening meal. Everyone was pleased to see us and we were made to feel ‘at home’.

Evenings and weekends were spent exploring the spectacular sights of India with a guide. You may like to read my blog http://margaretpillinginindia.blogspot.com for a complete itinerary of events which will give you a taste of the wonderful people and places in this sub tropical valley in Himachel Pradesh.

It was an adventure of a lifetime, remember it’s not just for the young in their ‘year out’, we have so much to offer in experience, qualifications and dare I say maturity. I made so many friends, young and old and left a piece of my heart in India.

“This was my first time volunteering in India. It was an amazing experience! I was volunteering in the school, everyday was fantastic, the children are utterly amazing in their own right and the relationship that you can build with both the children and the staff who work there is something really special. Food was delicious and Accommodation was good, we had more facilities than I had expected. I solely recommend the ispiice to anyone of any age I will definitely be going back again and can’t wait until I do.“

It was a great experience volunteering in India. I like being around children and that’s why opted for the Teach English to Children program. Mountains are my thing, so after a lot of research i pinned down my destination to India in Himalayas, Dharamsala. The program was unbelievable - Amazing food. The staff of iSpiice was very supportive and guided me. They offer 24/7 support during your stay and they made me feel 100% comfortable. It's a really great experience for anyone! I would suggest volunteers learn a few Hindi phrases before arrival.

What an incredible experience. Volunteering with iSpiice gave me the opportunity to explore the northern India and also develop my passion for teaching within a culturally diverse community. I absolutely loved my experience! coming to a new country with a lot of people I didn’t know was definitely a shock and an experience! But the work we did was amazing and getting to know all of the other volunteers and staff was also a lot of fun.The price was affordable and I was so lucky to have been able to travel to India! Recommend it for anyone looking for an experience!

I had the best time in India with ispiice, While teaching for the first time was challenging, there were supports both from other volunteers and programme leaders to make sure you were coping ok. I would do it again in heart beat .Varun who runs everything out there was so helpful and a lot of fun he would tell us the best places to go how to get there. I'm already missing spending time with them. India is an incredible place to volunteer as the people are so happy and kind. Had an absolute amazing time, the organisation were very helpful throughout my trip. I would definitely recommend people volunteering through this organisation, the volunteer handbook we received before starting our journey was very helpful as it gave me all the essential information I needed.

I have very much enjoyed the street children education programme and have found it extremely rewarding. The children were fantastic, very well mannered, polite, enthusiastic, cut and friendly. The accommodation was very clean with everything that I required. The food was always delicious. The program itself is wonderful, as you get to interact and really make a difference in these children's lives. Coming from a western country, all the little things are so enjoyable, such as cows and goats roaming around in the streets, the colorful trucks, and the bumpy rides back home in an auto rickshaw. I also travelled to Agra, Amritsar and Dharamsala on the weekends of volunteer work. Everything was well-planned during the travel. The volunteer house, the food, the transport, the people, everything is so good. I will definitely return to India one day! I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants an amazing volunteer experience and wants to enrich themselves through the Indian culture.

“I really enjoyed being here and being an iSpiice volunteer. “I had a very wonderful experience that way exceeded my expectations. iSpiice offers a great mix of volunteer and tourist opportunities – working with the kids was very rewarding as was seeing their eagerness to learn. Initially I was worried about getting sick, but thankfully it wasn’t an issue with iSpiice, or in India overall. ”The resources at the iSpiice camp were very helpful in lesson planning, and discussing lesson plans with the other volunteers was always beneficial. If you’re thinking about iSpiice- do it. You won’t regret it. The iSpiice volunteer programme is truly one of a kind. Not only is it a volunteer programme, but one also gets the opportunity to see some of the many beautiful landmarks of India.

Working with ispiice has been a phenomenal experience. From its mission, to the people who run it, to the Programs we volunteer at. I’ve loved working with all the people behind ispiice because they’re all nice, funny, accommodating and such joys to have around. I’ve loved it all and am so glad to have had this experience. I made so many wonderful connections with the amazing women and children that I taught. Thank you so much for one of the best experiences of my life. I’m so glad I was able to see the Taj Mahal and Golden Temple while volunteering. ispiice changed the way I view India and my home country and taught me so many things I couldn’t have learned from a travel guide.” Overall, my month in India was really wonderful thanks to Varun and ispiice!”