Experience of a lifetime

Ratings
Overall
5
Impact: 5
Support: 5
Fun: 5
Value: 5
Safety: 5
Review

If you are looking for a trip of a lifetime, look no further than traveling through Pod Volunteer to Udaipur to work with Ravi and Gaurav. You won’t regret it, and you will likely want to return for a longer amount of time. My daughter and I spent two weeks with STEP Volunteer teaching English to school-age children and spending time with orphans from two different orphanages. It was an incredible experience.

Gaurav, Ravi and Ravi’s wife Neha are some of the kindest, dedicated people you will ever meet. They made us feel immediately welcome in their home, and they took great care of us while we were there. More importantly, they are passionate about what they do and they take very good care of the children and families in their community. They work tirelessly side by side with volunteers throughout the year to teach English to children and bring joy to the lives of orphans in nearby orphanages. Some international volunteer programs offer opportunities to teens for a few weeks in the summer, and then abandon the program until the following year. STEP Volunteer is dedicated to helping people in their community all year long.

After breakfast each morning we would travel to a local school and work on English lessons with our assigned class. My daughter and I had five year olds who were new to the idea of school. It was quite a rewarding experience to teach them some letters and try to communicate with some of the Hindi words we learned in our evening lessons! Afternoons were spent with the orphans playing all sorts of games with the boys. The evenings were for planning for our class the next day, taking Hindi lessons, dinner and hanging out with Ravi, Gaurav and fellow volunteers. There is time to explore the city of Udaipur as well as traveling on weekends.

I went with my daughter because, at 17, she was unable to volunteer on her own. It was an amazing opportunity for us to experience this together, and I am so grateful we did. However, I see that Pod Volunteer now offers an opportunity for students under age 18, which is fantastic. If you are a parent considering sending your 16 or 17 year old to volunteer in India with STEP, I assure you, your child will be in very good hands. If my second child asked to go, I would not hesitate sending him to volunteer with Ravi and Gaurav without me.

This was a life-changing experience for my daughter and me. She just began her first year of college. Because of her experience in India, she is planning to major in Global Health and she’s currently taking classes on Hinduism and India’s history and culture. For me, this experience opened my mind to the possibilities of more international volunteer opportunities when I am an empty-nester.

Don’t hesitate for a minute before signing up with Pod Volunteer to volunteer with STEP Volunteer. You’ll travel to a beautiful part of India, work with some of the nicest, passionate people you’d ever want to meet, and support an organization that is doing really good work for children in need in their community.

Would you recommend this program?
Yes, I would
Year Completed
2017
Media
Photos