Program Reviews

I traveled alone to India and worked 2 weeks with the elephants in the month of February. It was a life changing experience for sure and I feel blessed to have been able to work so closely with these magnificent animals. Totoram, the tuk tuk driver is a wonderful man who I felt safe with and well cared for. All the employees of VWI made me feel looked after as they checked in with me regularly to see how I was doing. The program is very affordable. The guest house was good. Living there was an authentic Indian experience that I will never forget. Although I am not a morning person, getting up at 0430 hours and being the first person the elephants saw in the morning made my day. I took bananas as a treat so they could start their day off happy. It was pretty cool to see the city come alive during the morning tuk tuk rides. Having the afternoons off to sight see or shop or hang out was perfect. I highly recommend this program to everyone. The work was not hard and the memories will be in my heart forever. Good Job VWI!

I was there 1 week in January 2015. Working days started at 5:00am. We cleaned the enclosures and fed the elephants before they went to work. Then we had a nice Masala Tea at the fire. Around 8:30am we were back and the rest of the day was free.
Accommodation with host family was basic but ok. Also food was good.
I hope I can manage to go there again. Would recommend this Project to everyone.

We got up every morning at 4.30 and got picked up by the most amazing tuk tuk driver - Totoram. Then we drove for about half an hour to where the six lady elephants were waiting for us to wake them up :) We were back at the guest house around 8.00 every morning, and then we had the rest of the day off (except for two days a week when we went back to work in the afternoon to feed the elephants).

The work was not hard at all, and there was chai time (tea time) almost every 15 minutes :P The animals are huge, and in the beginning I was a little scared, but after the second day I trusted them completely. I also got the chance to "play" a little bit with them by asking the guys who worked with the elephants to teach me how to climb one. That was probably the highlight of the week, along with washing them and riding them.

The family we lived with was also fantastic (they even invited us to a wedding while we were there), but the food could have been better. Sometimes we only got chapati for breakfast, or we didn't get breakfast or lunch at all.

I had an great time working with the elephants. Even within the one week they were there we got to know them and their personalities. The mahouts who care for the elephants are all extremely nice and feed you up with chai. Sukret kept in contact with us from the moment we booked the experience right until the very end (we now even have him and Govind on facebook). Our tuk tuk driver was the loveliest man in the world. My friend Megan spilt coffee on herself as we were sightseeing and he pulled over and rinsed her down! The host family were extremely accommodating and made us feel at home. Although while we were there, the daughter-in-law was basically in labour and one of the daughters was getting engaged, so it was a bit hectic.
I can assure you that this project and all the people are legitimate. We have a very near miss. Our driver for around Rajisthan tooko us to who we thought was Sukret, but the guy claimed to be Sukret's cousin. After attempting to take our money several times, we rang Sukret just to double check, and he said he had no idea who that man was and didn't have a cousin that worked at the elephant village. It was a close call!

As a seventeen-year-old Moroccan girl who had never set foot on India before and who had no idea what kind of journey she would embark in, I should say I will never regret my choice of volunteering with VWI. It was by far one of the most powerful and meaningful experiences of my life! My arrival pick up service was good. I came to Jaipur before the expected time because my flight from Delhi left earlier, but I only had to wait for 10 mins before getting picked up. The host family is a real joy to be with. I had a wonderful time with them, and I couldn't have asked for a better place to stay. While the accommodation was fairly comfortable, the food was IRREPROACHABLE! Indian mommy probably serves the best chais and chapatis in town! Transportation service is very efficient and the project staff members are so nice and sympathetic. I decided to volunteer with VWI because I wanted to volunteer with abused kids in India during my school’s winter break, so I did a google search for volunteer programs in India and VWI was honestly the best I could find, not only in terms of costs, but also and most importantly in terms of flexibility and variety of project offers . I would like to give 10 out of 10 to the Organization. I have had such a great time with VWI. The host family, the accommodation, the food, the transportation and my work at the center...everything was so perfect! I could hardly complain about anything. Also, I would like to add that the tons of hope and happiness that was transmitted to me every working day through the kids' genuine smiles are probably the memories I will cherish the most out of my volunteer experience. I am so thankful for everything. Thank you VWI!

My week with VWI in Jaipur was a wonderful experience. Teaching the children was hard work, but their enthusiasm and willingness to learn made it all worthwhile. My last day, when we all danced together, was very emotional and something I will treasure forever.
India is a fascinating country: the traffic in Jaipur is unbelievable and the complete contrast in culture to England is staggering. I was certainly out of my "comfort zone" but never at any time did I feel in any way threatened --- the people were extremely friendly and curious!
VWI is a very good and authentic organisation who looked after me very well throughout my stay.I also met several people from TAABAR who do so much good work in the community.
As I say in the headline: " The experience of a lifetime"

Being on the program in India was absolutely amazing. It was a truly cathartic experience, and working with the other volunteers was so much fun! The children at the orphanage were so wonderful.
It was an amazing experience. I stayed with a host family and ate vegetarian food. We reach to the center every morning, and taught until about 9:30 a.m to 3 p.m. The organization is wonderful and everything’s organized by worth. The Project coordinator at the site was wonderful. In the beginning i did not know what to do but he explain me everything and build my confidence. I will definitely recommend the program and VWI!

My son and I were involved in this project for a week .Although this was a relatively short time, we learnt a lot about the daily care of the elephants and were able to build up a good relationship with several of the elephants, especially Rhooba. Although the Mahouts speak very little English, Govind, our Co ordinator, was with us daily to answer our questions and ensure we were still able to interact with the Mahouts and learn a great deal about the life of a working elephant.We were able to feed and bath the elephants daily and make elephant chapatis! The work does begin early, at 5 am but this does mean, the late mornings and afternoons are free to explore. Sukret, Govind and our driver were excellent helping us and providing advice when needed. The program is very professionally run and is to be commended.
People seeking to take part in the project should be aware that these are working elephants and although they are well cared for and have good relationships with their Mahouts, they are chained up for much of the time which does give rise to some welfare concerns. All the elephants were very friendly and showed no sign of depression. They were not over worked and did have regular veterinary care. In February, there are Elephant Games, when the elephants will play games such as football etc.They are trained for a period before this. This would be an excellent time to volunteer!

This program was really great! I spent a month there this past summer and I learned quite a lot about the elephants in Jaipur and Indian culture. The elephants are wonderful to work with. I loved being able to bathe them in the lake and help the mahouts paint them. It can be difficult seeing the elephants work with such heavy chairs and be chained the way they are. However, you definitely gain perspective after you learn about the elephant culture in Jaipur and learn about how other elephants are treated in other projects. I think the elephants are well taken care of and the mahouts genuinely care about them. My host family was really great too! I had a lot of time to myself, but they were really friendly and helped me with shopping. My room was great and I really liked that I had my own bathroom. I also enjoyed the sightseeing that was organized on the weekends - there are a lot of beautiful, interesting places to see in and around Jaipur. The program staff also helped me plan a trip to visit the Taj Mahal, which was stunning.
Overall, this program was amazing and I hope I can go back one day!

I had a wonderful time in India doing the teaching Project in Jaipur with VWI for 6 weeks. I met with many people and made a lot of Indian friends, ate a lot of delicious Indian food, and traveled to a lot of beautiful historical places.

I really enjoyed the time I spent at the school center, the time I worked with kids made me understand the meaning of life. I spent about 6 weeks with kids in August- September. The climate is good here in Jaipur as the rain stopped passed away during these months and the entire city which is covered by mountain look pretty by the greenery. In School sometimes kids were very naughty, but sometimes they make me in so much love; they gave me their toys; give their notebook to write my name and they get around me most of the time when I in the classroom. I was so happy and excited with kids every day; they made my heart soft and warm. They don't know what's good and bad; they are pure and natural. I hope they grow up happily and healthily.
I was living in the Indian Host Family. A caretaker cleaned my room every day. The host family prepares 3 meals per day for me Breakfast, lunch and dinner. All the meals which they served me during my placement was so delicious. But actually, I haven't spent a lot of time in the apartment because I spent a lot of time with my Indian friends. The VWI team members invited me to their houses to have dinners. Their parents and other family members were also very hospitable. I not only tried a lot of local snacks, but also traveled to a lot of beautiful spots because they recommended me many beautiful places.

There are hundreds of Gods in India, and my friends have told me some of their legends, like cobra God or the God with an elephant face. The stories are so mysterious, and I think it's really interesting to know about them. I didn't meet a lot of cultural shock in India, instead of some interesting cultural habits. My Indian friends taught me how to use hand to have dinner; I saw cows walk in the street freely and even the crowded traffic cannot disturb them. Every family has their own beliefs, and they believe in their Gods very firmly. Everything is fine in India except traffic, and I was afraid to cross the road, because all cars, autos, motorcycles are very fast. I learned one skill in India: bargain with auto men. I not only had to tell the auto man go by meter, but also tell him please go fast or he would choose a longer distance for charging more money.
Anyway, it was an unforgettable experience for me. I like Indian people, Indian culture, and Indian food. I will definitely recommend to my friend because it will give you a beautiful and unforgettable memory.