Program Reviews

My partner and I have had so much fun during this programme! Not only did we achieve our dream of working with elephants, but the programme also offered heaps of opportunities to explore more of Jaipur, including forts, safaris, and more! We had an amazing and accommodating taxi driver who went above and beyond to get us wherever we needed to go, whenever we needed him! The host family has been super accommodating and welcoming; we even tagged along to one of their daughters’ wedding! We had such a blast throughout the programme and I would highly recommend this programme to anyone wanting a super stress free, fun way to explore the city, as we got heaps of our own spare time to explore on our own as well as with the super well organised activities prepared!

Had an absolute blast working with the elephants and seeing the sights of Jaipur! Everything ran smoothly and according to plan. Spending time with these elephants was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was amazing to spend an extended period of time with these beautiful creatures.
The staff of the program were second to none, our coordinator (Surendra) was absolutely fantastic and we were very lucky to have him. Surendra was great at suggesting activities and sightseeing. He also was great at talking to the locals on our behalf when our minimal Hindi did not suffice. Also special mention of the host family for their amazing hospitality. The family went out of their way to ensure we were comfortable and to make sure we got the most out of our stay.

I spent 12 days volunteering with elephants. I loved the elephants and work was what it was described on the net.

Prity guesthouse was a great experience. They are very welcoming and they let me participate in their birthday party and diwali. They always made sure I am happy with everything and my trip is safe as I am a female solo traveler.

People at guesthouse answered all my questions about India and their culture and so did Surendra and the conversations were easy and interesting.

I also recommend to use VWI's drivers. Tota Ram and Shekra. They know the place well and have great characters. I had one scary experience with a tuktuk I took from a street so to avoid any risks I would use these guys. I highly recommend women travelers to be careful here.

My only disappointments were the chains elephants have. I am a huge animal lover and it was hard to see that but this is how it is for now. I heard some of the elephants were rescued from places like circus which I consider a lot worse option for them. Here the people who work with them genuinely care about them and they made sure I cleaned their blocks well enough. Hopefully one day they have bigger places where they can stay when they are not working. Also I had imagined there are other volunteers the whole time I am staying here but because of the time of the year (October) and people not having holidays I felt sometimes lonely even though VWI gave me ideas what to do on free time. I would definitely do this again but I would make sure that there would be company of other volunteers or my friends.

I had the absolute pleasure of teaching on the childcare project. The day consisted of singing educational songs, teaching basic maths/English and playing ball. I taught them some ball games which they loved. The boys are beautiful and welcoming. On my last day I was able to join in on their art class and teaching their dance/theatre. I taught them a few dances from my childhood and we all had a blast. The school is very well run and doing giving these boys a wonderful education. The school staff were lovely and very welcoming also. The volunteering coordination was brilliant and helped to translate my words to the boys when needed. I will never forget this experience, one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. Can’t recommend this project enough to anyone wanting to make a difference

Volunteering with elephants was truly an unforgettable experience I will never forget. If you love elephants and want something different with your time in Jaipur then this project is right for you. We got to spend lots of time with the elephants away from the traffic and crowds. We helped make chabati for them, fed them, cleaned their area, gave lots of hugs and pats. Was awesome to meet other volunteers on the program from other countries. The staff work very for these elephants. The staff are very friendly and made us feel very welcome. We also visited the baby elephant close by. I now have so many amazing memories bonding with these elephants and incredible photos to treasure. I highly recommend you join this program, you won’t regret it.

The medical program with Volunteering with India is an incredible adventure on a bus-ambulance in which volunteers help the medical and pharmacist staff of the TAABAR ngo in assisting rural areas of Jaipur that otherwise would not have access to treatment.
After a strong cultural impact due to diversity in the approach with the patient, inadeguate medical devices and a huge language barrier I found a wonderful team that taught me to recognize the associations of Indian drugs, the most common diseases in India and to deliver medicines to patients.
So, even without ‘standard’ medical acts, I felt part of the team and it just made me feel like I was doing something.
Definitely I would do this experience a million times again.

I worked with Volunteering with India in the medical project but I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer in the elephant project for one day.

At the beginning I wasn’t sure I’d like it but finally I have really enjoyed my time there, being part of the team, cleaning and taking care of the elephants especially because not all the elephants can be returned to the wild and this project provides a lovely home for them.

It has been an interesting experience and I also enjoy to spend time with the people in charge of them.
They can teach you how to interact with these kind of animals.

Now I can say that elephants standard of living is higher than before and these are some of the reasons why I recommend this project.

Mobile medicine is a nice idea for local people who are in need or who live in some rural areas. During the experience of medical project here, I had chance to understand the local medical conditions and problems in India. I could discuss those problems with local workers, and tried to find a better ways of volunteering. I could participate in the process of medical consultation, preparing and giving medicine. We also checked the physical conditions of children in the village once a week. I have also learned some local language to make a better interaction with local people. I really learned a lot by the observation and enjoyed these days! We also had similar program in my hometown, and I will bring my experience back to make a better medical service 😊

I was in jaipur for the elephant program and I met a volunteer for the medical program at the guesthouse. We started sightseeing together and then we decided to exchange our experiences as volunteers. Therefore we asked the crew if we could join one day from the other program of each other.
Since my program was in the morning and hers in the afternoon, I was able to spend one afternoon with the staff from the medical program. We could assist to the medical checkup of youngsters from other states who were found working in factories and now are temporarily living, learning and playing at the NGO center. After that we went to the street for medical checkups inside an equiped ambulance. It was a great experience and I was able to learn from other fields of the volunteer programs.

... India at least once in their lifetime.

It was my first time here and I felt safe as at home from the first instance. The first hours in India were amazing and really funny, it started on the road from Delhi to Jaipur with the coloured trucks and the horns from the traffic with the crew.

The crew from Volunteeringwithindia is amazing, they helped me, showed me about the city and their work here and I learnt a lot from what I saw. I also exchanged a lot of experiences and knowledge with the other volunteers from the programme.

The guesthouse was a happy sweet place and Toto was a great tuktuk driver as well as a good guide.

The experience about working with the elephants was very good to me as well as the time I spent in Jaipur. I would do it again for sure.

Thank you all guys!