Program Reviews

I had the opportunity to teach at a slum school in Jaipur, India. It was an amazing exxperience. I stayed with a host family and ate vegetarian food. We walked to the school every morning, and taught until about 1:00 p.m. We were able to travel to nearby sites during holidays and weekends.
The school experience was very enlightening, and although we would have appreciated some more information about what learning materials to bring with us, we really enjoyed it. The volunteer experience will only improve as the school program and curriculum better develops. For most of the children, we were involved in the only 'formal' education they would receive in their life, and that was quite confronting at times.
If nothing else, my time in India reminded me of the important things in life. As actions speak louder than words, the best review I can give VWI would be to say that we enjoyed our time in India so much that we are looking at going back to India and helping the school further!

I participated in the Street Children Program through Volunteering With India. Every minute of the program was incredible. From the moment I arrived in Jaipur I felt at home. Sukret met me at the airport and drove me to my host family's home. Every morning our host family prepared a wonderful breakfast for us, before our driver (Tota Ram- who is amazing!!) would pick us up and take us to the school to teach and play with the children. Teaching the boys English was the highlight of my trip! Everyday they are eager to learn and excited to play new games. The boys greeting us with smiles each morning made for a really rewarding experience. I also learned how to cook chapati, while helping prepare lunch for the boys one day. Govind and Sukret are so kind and helpful with guiding you throughout the entire experience. My host family left an imprint on my heart - my trip would not have been the same without them. Thanks to my host family, I was able to see Jaipur and Indian culture through an authentic perspective. I learned a lot about traditional food, Hinduism, family practices, fun local activities like flying kites. One night I went to the local temple with one of the family members. I will never forget how welcome my host family made me feel - they will forever be extended-family in my heart. I also became close with my fellow volunteers, and have made new friends for life. I will definitely stay in touch with everyone from the program, the entire experience was unforgettable. I will be back. If you are considering this program, don't think twice - just sign up!

I found the Women’s Empowerment Jaipur Program run by Volunteering With India through online – I knew it was perfect for me right away. It twigged a nerve within me, and it was exactly what I have been looking for. I feel very strongly that all women – no matter where they are from, deserve respect, dignity and also to have confidence in whatever they are doing. I have a background in Psychology, so I hope to gain further insight as to how women work and manage themselves in turbulent times. I would also like to know how we can help them gain a sense of control of the things that they can control. I’m sure there is a common theme of how women cope with challenges across the globe – and I am excited to learn more about what it is.
My arrival to the Jaipur, airport was seamless and easy. As I walked out of the airport amongst the crowds of people, I saw Ravinder with a sign board of Volunteering With India. During my flight I had a lot of random thoughts and ‘what ifs’ if my driver wasn’t there or there was a miscommunication of when I landed. So it was comforting to know that the program is very well organized! I spoke to Sukret as we were driving to the accommodation. He was checking to see how my flight was and if I needed anything – very thoughtful and nice of him seeing as it was 1230am!!
When we arrived to the accommodation I was pleasantly surprised. The rooms and house in general is so lovely and clean. The family greet me in Namaste and made a very good welcome.
The next day I met the other volunteers who were here from last 8 weeks. There were mix of volunteer as some are Doing with Elephant Project and some are doing childcare program. We were encouraged by Sukret (who has been so lovely and helpful) to get to know each other and settle in. We were provided with our meals by host mother. She is the most amazing chef! She has cooked us some beautiful traditional Indian meals – full of flavor and a real kick of spiciness.
We had a tour of the famous tourist spots of Jaipur on a Tuk-Tuk and enjoyed observing the organized chaos of it all! We also went to Monkey Palace where hundreds of monkey.
On the Monday we had the pleasure in meeting Govind – who is the other facilitator of the Women program. It was lovely to have an introduction to the women we will be working with that afternoon. I could see in their faces the true beauty of them all. I was excited for them to share their stories about who they are and what their ambitions are for the future. Overall – the general vibe was very positive which was shown through their kindness and interest in us and what we will be helping them to do.
The next day we got into the swing of things and started facilitating the program for the women. I ran a session discussing self-confidence and self-compassion. It was really interesting to see how all the women reacted. Some were very shy, and almost embarrassed when they were prompted to think about the core strengths of their personality. I really loved facilitating the discussion and I would be more than happy to know that at least one person learned something new that they could practice at home. My fellow ‘volunteer-er’ ran a workshop on English grammar. This is where their interest is also. They said that in order for them to be confident about themselves and also about getting a job – they need to improve their English. We all agreed to have an English grammar section, but also 30-45 mins of just practicing having conversations in English. Overall, the first session was a huge success with many giggles and smiles. The women were so kind and lovely.
So far so good with Volunteering With India! The main thing I enjoy is not having an absolutely non-negotiable strict schedule. Sukret and Govind are very flexible. Nothing is ever a problem and they give us plenty of time to take things in and do whatever we please (within reason of course!). I will be returning soon to India in near future that's sure.

Before joining the program all of the questions that i asked were answered. My emails were always returned in very short time.
The program manager was there on my arrival to pick me from Jaipur Airport. I loved the kids that i worked with ! The staff was also helpful. Especially i would say the biggest challenge was the language barrier.
Host family were very nice.Meals were great especially.The family was very kind to me and were generous enough to let myself and other volunteers participate in their families Diwali celebration.
Project Coordinator was very helpful and kind. I felt like i could talk to him.He answered any question that i asked. He also bring me to his home and i have chance to dinner with his family. His mom is a nice cook.
I would definetly recommed this program to everyone.

I participated for 14 days for the childcare programm.
Teaching basic english, math, playing. This was one of my most beautiful experiences in my life and something to remember forever. To live the happiness of the children following my teaching was something very deep.
All was very well organised by the organisation and they have done all the possible to make me feel comfortable.
Sometym it was very hard to realize the conditions and the background of the childrens life. But when i saw the smile in the faces of those kids i felt so happy and glad to be there.
Those kids needed a teacher and a person to give them love and attention.
And I was proud to be there for both things.
I recommand this experience to anybody who want to live a great moment in there life and doing something helpful.

I participated for 14 days for the childcare programm.
Teaching basic english, math, playing. This was one of my most beautiful experiences in my life and something to remember forever. To live the happiness of the children following my teaching was something very deep.
All was very well organised by the organisation and they have done all the possible to make me feel comfortable.
Sometym it was very hard to realize the conditions and the background of the childrens life. But when i saw the smile in the faces of those kids i felt so happy and glad to be there.
Those kids needed a teacher and a person to give them love and attention.
And I was proud to be there for both things.
I recommand this experience to anybody who want to live a great moment in there life and doing something helpful.

I was looking for a program that would enable me to help out either children or women who are disadvantaged and don’t have opportunities to break free from the poverty cycle.
This program was amazing for helping me do that.
I went specifically to help with the women’s empowerment program and ended up also helping in a day care center and also a boys shelter.
My role was to teach English though I think they got as much out of just having someone come and spend time with them.
VWI helped massively with all the logistics from airport pickup, finding accommodation, transport to and from the volunteer location and all sorts of other areas.
On top of that Govind and Sukret took us out at night and made us feel very much a part of the local culture.
VWI have great connections with numerous local charities and
I would highly recommend using them to make your volunteering in India an unforgettable experience.

Here are some photos we took during our unforgetable experience with Elephant Program.
It wasn't hard to wake up twice a week at 4:30 am to go to Elephant Village. We enjoyed leaving so early because we knew that we will see "our" elephants still sleeping or just awoken. It's a magical experience to look at them wake up gently at dawn. It's also very interesting to learn how to feed them (especially by making chapati ! It's a hard job !)

My wife and I stayed one week in Jaipur in September 2018. We choosed the Elephant Program of VWI. It was an unforgetable and a life time experience. It was beyond our expectations and we were very sad to leave after spending one week with the elephants and their mahout. Before staying there, we couldn't imagine how elephants are intelligent and also very sensitive animals.
We would like to thank Sukret and Govind for their kindness and availability.
It is a really wonderful experience for those who want learn more about elephants. But it's also an unforgetable human experience.

It is simply one of the best experiences you can have traveling abroad. Not only is it an authentic experience but you also get to give back and travel with a purpose and I loved every minute of it.

The organizers Sukret and Govind were just wonderful, and of course the guest house family. When I arrived as a solo traveler during November 2016, the black money crisis was going on and I was quite worried about withdrawing cash. I had only been in India 1 night and Sukret came to pick me up and covered the cost of my guest house expenses since I had no cash at the time. It was a large problem across the country. That gesture right from the beginning really wow'd me. Everyone went over and beyond to help me during my stay to ensure that I had enough cash to cover the basics and enjoy some of the tourism too. I am so grateful for their gracious hospitality. Also the food is fabulous

Furthermore, I clearly didn't read all the details but was pleasantly surprised with the activities taking place every weekend ( monkey temple, amber fort, bollywood movies, etc). However, if you are abit of a yogi Sukrets father does his morning yoga and is a great teacher. A great opportunity to start your day off right after you finish with the elephants first of course. They live not far from the guest house, but is still a drive away.

I spent a total of 2 weeks with the project and did 1 week teaching at the orphanage and the other with the elephants. A nice balance of being exposed to both projects.

I thought the accommodations were perfect since it is a guest house after all, you are a guest in their home so don't forget it. The family is very accommodating and look after you well. No need to hesitate to speak up though either if you need something. I would definitely recommend staying here, the location is seriously in a prime spot, you can walk to most things or are a short tuk tuk ride away:)