Program Reviews

My name is Sol, im from Argentina and i decided to travel alone to India. I always loved elephants so when i find this program it seemed to me that was ideal because it will give me the opportunity to have a closer experience with them. I have the chance to prepare their food ( chapati) to wash them, and for the first time in my life to be near and hug them.
It was really a unique experience also to share time with the people that take care of them and learn some local custom.
Also what i loved from the program was that in our free time they had scheduled free siteseeing of the city. You get to know people from all over the world that in such a short time they become your family.
Everybody was very kind with me, its like i feel home being very far from home.
I will never forget my time in India and with the elephants!!!

I attended volunteering with India this past July, and had an amazing experience. I was put in with teenage boys, ages 12 to 18. These boys were incredible. They were so respectful, eager to learn, and once you got them out of their comfort zone’s super silly! The staff was staff was absolutely supportive, our host family equally. We got a ride every day to and from school with Totaram in his tuktuk. There is never a moment where I felt unsafe. Entering the classroom, there were no formal lesson plans to teach English. That was a challenge. But, I’ve been to school so I was able to tap into my memories and getting the hang of teaching. I would absolutely recommend this program. I only did it for two weeks and it definitely felt like not enough, if I were to redo it I would go for three or four weeks

I had a great time doing this program, teaching English in Jaipur. It was a great way for me to gain meaningful experiences for the future, an amazing opportunity to meet new people and to see the world from a new perspective. My recommendations for future participants would be to prepare well, and to have as much fun as possible during your stay. The time goes faster than you would imagine. Also, use the weekends to see the many different places around Jaipur and India, arranged by the program.

When I arrived I was thrown in at the deep end as the Indian teacher was ill . I shouldn't have worried . The class of up to 20 boys were very welcoming and very keen to learn and enjoy themselves . I was welcomed with a heartwarming "Namaste" from the boys every morning . They were a kind , loving and generous bunch of lads . They enjoyed my pro-active ,hands-on method of teaching and enjoyed participating in games such as , Simon Says , I Spy , Pictionary and Hangman . They had almost no English Language experience , but after 6 weeks they knew their alphabet , numbers , could play games, do simple mathematics and construct simple sentences . They also built up a vocabulary of places , body parts , modes of transport , fruit and vegetables , family members , food and drink and sport . My partner joined me for the last 3 weeks and even though she had never taught before and was nervous , she took to it like a duck to water . Its easy teaching boys who enjoy learning . You don't need any formal qualifications . I would recommend spending at least 3 weeks teaching in Jaipur , 6 weeks was perfect for me . There is lots to do in Jaipur and surrounding areas in your spare time/weekends : Jodhpur, Udaipur, Agra and Taj Mahal , Camel and/or Tiger Safari,Delhi , Temples and Forts . Very rewarding , we achieved a lot in 6 weeks and would like to return . If you join the program please bring lots of flashcards and teaching aids as resources are limited .

DominicFinn

I did this program for four weeks. It was certainly an experience that I will not forget, and something that I would recommend to anyone.
The people who took our classes were very eager to learn and very nice people overall, they even wished my mother a happy birthday!
My tip for any future participant is to come well prepared and to have an open mind. Make use of the time that you have here

TRANSLATION:

I have no words to describe what my experience in Jaipur was like. From minute one, Sukret came to pick me up at the airport and gave me a lot of peace. When we arrived at the guest house, I met the rest of the volunteers and family that lived in that house. Afterwards, I explained how volunteering was going to develop.

The first day was an authentic madness. They came to pick us up in tuctuc. The driver was very nice and although we did not understand very well, except for a few words in English and gestures, you laughed at any time.

In the orphanage, the boys received us with the typical namaste and they showed up one by one. What impacted me the most was their desire to learn and even though you were the teacher they taught you interesting things.

The rest of the days did not look like the previous one. In the afternoon, in your free time there were always things to do, from going to the monkey temple, a must, until walking through the town enjoying its architecture and typical food there.

I recommend everyone to go.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

No tengo palabras para describir como fue mi experiencia en jaipur. Desde el minuto uno ,sukret vino a recogerme al aeropuerto y me transmitio mucha tranquilidad. Cuando llegamos a la guest house , conoci al resto de voluntarios y familia que vivia en esa casa. Ya despues , me explico como iba a desarrollarse el voluntariado.

El primer dia fue una autentica locura. Vinieron a recogernos en tuctuc. El conductor era bastante simpático y aunque no nos entediesemos muy bien, salvo por algunas palabras en inglés y por los gestos , te reías en cualquier momento.

En el orfanato, los chicos nos recibieron con el tipico namaste y se presentaron uno por uno. Lo que mas me impacto fue sus ganas de aprender y aunque tu fueses el profesor ellos te enseñaban cosas bastante interesantes.

El resto de dias no se parecían al anterior. Por la tarde , en tus ratos libres siempre habia cosas para hacer, desde ir al monkey temple, visita obligada, hasta pasear por el pueblo disfrutando de su arquitectura y comida tipica de allí.

Recomiendo a todo el mundo que vaya.

I spent a week volunteering for the Woman Empowerment program and taught English to a group of nearly fifty wonderful women. Both groups were on slightly different English levels. I had to improvise the first day with a lesson, then the next couple of days I'd have something prepare before the class. The women loved group exercises that allowed them to practice with each other and also everyone's pronunciation a loud and in front of the group. They were shy at the beginning, but always warm, welcoming, focused, ready to learn. They always had a smile on their faces. I was impressed on how driven and smart the group was and how grateful they were.
I used to teach from 12-4:30 and got back home around 5pm, so there's time to sightseeing locally in between.

Sukret was very helpful from the beginning, promptly responded to emails and any questions I had. He welcomed me at the host family house; where a lovely family ensure we felt comfortable and provided homemade meals everyday. Tip: Bring your own mosquito net if you don't want to get bitten. I installed mine using a command strip and I only got bitten once because that night I did not use it. The house has wifi, fan and a dessert cooler. You get your own room with bathroom.

The organization's driver was very kind and professional - it was fun commuting to work on a tuk tuk everyday. Due that I was traveling solo, I hired on my own a private driver to take me sightseeing in Jaipur the day before I started volunteering, went to the Taj Mahal and back to New Delhi to fly out to Nepal. Unfortunately, I did not have any additional time to spend on trips with other volunteers, but it was nice getting to know another volunteer at the host family house. If you want to see some of the places I had a chance to check out in Jaipur you can see them on Instagram @m.elissaponce

In March 2017, my 14 yr old daughter and I had the pleasure of volunteering with the Womens Empowerment group.
It was a wonderful experience getting to know the girls. At first everyone was a little shy, but over the course of the week, we became a part of the group.
This experience gave us a small insight into the local culture and the opportunity to interact, share, and positively impact the lives of the women we met.
We learned about the challenges these women face in their society, as well as the joy they get from being in a supportive environment that allows them to learn valuable skills which they can take and use in their community.
There was no set program for us to follow, so we improvised, teaching the girls a little English, then joined in with them in their henna drawing and sewing classes.
We became models for the girls to practice their new hair dressing skills, nail polish techniques and latest henna hand designs. They also taught us some great Bollywood dance moves in an impromptu dance class, providing an invaluable lesson in self confidence for everyone.
As part of the program, we also spent some time each afternoon in a children's after school program near the women's centre in rural Jaipur. The kids were keen to learn and practice their English, keeping us busy with setting math problems, marking book work and playing games.

The Volunteer with India program was a great package and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a grass roots experience.
The host family was very welcoming and caring, feeding us very well with an abundance of traditional meals. Our assigned driver, a happy guy named Totaram, promptly picked us up each day for our assignment, doubled as our weekend tour guide on our day off and occasionally took us for chai at the local stall ‘after work’.
A great experience overall - I would highly recommend this program!!

Thank you to VWI for such an amazing experience in Jaipur. I participated in the street children project for two weeks teaching English and mathematics. The staff from all the projects is very professional, helpful and friendly which makes it very easy to adapt to the organization. Every morning the taxi driver picks you up and takes you to the school. There you will spend the morning with the children, teaching them basic subjects and doing many activities such as playing, crafts and dancing with them. This was the most rewarding part of the experience. In the afternoons, you have free time to visit the city or do other activities. One evening I went to another project for women empowerment to help them develop skills such as sewing, doing henna drawings or learning English. The staff members are very flexible and accommodating so you can profit 100 per cent of all their organization. If you want to learn about Indian culture and traditions, this is the best way to do it. During the volunteer program you will live with an Indian family where you will be able to get to know their traditions, religion, food…. The host family is very welcoming and helpful. For instance, we were made part in the Sister’s day celebration with the family this special occasion. In the weekends VWI staff also organizes some sightseeing activities to do some tourism around Jaipur. It was really fun as you can spend as much time as you like at the different forts, palaces with other volunteers.
I would definitely recommend for future volunteers to work with the children and women empowerment project

I recently volunteered to teach English and math at the school for street kids. It was a great experience to work with the kids. They were eager to learn and loved to play games and interact with me and the other teachers. The guest house was a nice accommodation and in a very good location to see things in Jaipur during free hours. The only strange thing is the curfew hours, I'm not really used to that as an adult but it wasn't too much of a problem. I wish I would have planned more time to stay because working with the kids was very rewarding and I was able to establish good relationships with several of them in a very short amount of time. The work being done is very important and allows an opportunity to make potentially a life long impact on their lives. I highly recommend the program and would suggest planning some teaching games or activities in advance to make the most of the experience."