Top Volunteer Projects in India

The Volunteer Travel Summer Camp was enlightening in every aspect. It showed me how much misfortune there is in underdeveloped countries and taught me how badly people in India need our help. It all starts with education, how we raise and fill up with knowledge the children of tomorrow.

Our western way of living differs drastically from the way people live in India. As volunteers we saw incredible things we would have never imagined during our stay, such as how people really live in the slums. This was thanks to coming as a volunteer rather than as a tourist, which allowed us to immerse ourselves into the culture in a special way. We were able to see this unbelievably chaotic borough from the inside (even the inside of the houses!) thanks to the students from the school who guided us through.

The sightseeing in so many different cities of India gave us a very complete idea of the country, its history and its traditions, in conjunction with the trekking trip through the Himalayas with left us speechless due to the beauty and the peace that we perceived during our night up there. This was for me one of the trip’s highlights.

The accommodation was quite satisfactory, which isn’t usual there, and everything was well communicated in such way that we could take an autorickshaw to wherever we wanted to go, always bargaining (this was the fun part), once we had finished the voluntary work for the day.

The great thing about this trip is that you get to see almost every sector of India, which means that you can also judge the differences between life in rural, crowded or more touristic areas. It has been really exciting to embark on this adventure, and to live it with amazing people I met along the way.
Good luck with your adventure!

The house were we stayed quickly became our home. Every volunteer from a different place, with stories and experiences to tell, made it very easy for us to join in. The food provided was excellent, done by two cooks who were not only in charge of preparing our daily meals, but were so friendly that they even became like our confidents during the month. The coordinators in charge were very attentive, making you feel extremely safe.

The project is very well planned. It all starts with the Introduction Week. We got to see every detail in Goa, even a Hindu film. Namita, the coordinator showed us around Panjim, Goa´s capital. We visited Old Goa, took Yoga, cooking and even Hindu lessons! My favourite was our visit to the Spice Plantation, where I got an Elephant Bath, it was incredible. By the end of the week we had a real insight into Indian culture, and knew a lot about Goa.

Our week involved two programs, which we were able to choose. In the mornings I would attend the Slum Project. It involved teaching and playing with kids who are living in these slums. It is very rewarding to see how they progress during these weeks, as the first days made me very sad when seeing their living conditions. I had a very emotional experience with a young girl (12 years old) named Jyoti. Her family was from the North of India, however they lived in Goa during the monsoon period, making mattresses to sell. Therefore, the constant moving around prevented Jyoti attending school. I was shocked and very sad to see how little things she knew, but I therefore proposed myself to teach her something. It was hard, but by the end of the month, Jyoti knew how to write and spell her name, as well as how to say the body parts in English. I was extremely proud.

In the afternoons I would attend the Women´s Shelter program. Here you would spend time talking and playing with the women and young girls who lived there. It was good to see how they all had their ambitions and were prepared to fulfil them. Olivia, an 18-year old girl, had been working hard and had therefore been awarded a scholarship to pursue further education in Bangalore. It was hard to hear their stories, as many of the women had been abandoned or abused by their husbands. Us volunteers were there to help them, but I must say that many of the times the girls helped me. Those happy moods, that sense of community, ah we were all best friends soon. I really hope I can go back and visit soon.

It is the best experience of all!

My Experience
In January 2014 I volunteered for two weeks in Goa, India. I had the experience of my life; I loved meeting the other volunteers, exploring the area during the introduction week, spending time at the projects and learning so much about not only Indian culture but the cultures of the volunteers around me as well. I can’t say that I have a favourite part of the journey, the whole this was incredible and suited me down to the ground!

A day in life at the projects:
So you actually got to choose two projects; a morning project and an afternoon project. I chose the women’s outreach program and the children’s slum. Breakfast is served from 7:00am to 8:30am and the cars to the projects leave at around 9:00am. None of this is concrete however (so if you sleep in you won’t miss out, they will wait for you!). For the first few days of the project you are generally accompanied by one of the coordinators or another of the staff from the house.
At the Women’s Outreach Program we started with some exercises. We sometimes incorporated some yoga or meditation, and then moved on to our activity of the day. The women enjoyed card games and were very interested in learning any new games we had from our home countries. We always offered card games but also offered a different activity, such as painting or drawing. Unique activities are much appreciated, and it is obvious that these women have done a lot of art before. We brought along some biscuit decorating equipment which they enjoyed very much! The first project only goes for a few hours, and you are back at the house by around 11:30am. This is flexible as well, you are able to arrive at the project earlier and leave later if you want to! You have a while before lunch is served (any time between 12:00am and 12:30am) and don’t leave for the next project until about 2:00pm.
At the Slum Project the volunteers visit a 'classroom’ of sorts that the local slum children attend every day. This is not an actual school, and some of the kids do attend the local primary school, although for many of them this is the only education they get. You spend your time teaching the children english, maths, and a variety of other subjects. There is no real syllabus, and you have a lot of leeway with what you teach the kids. After almost two hours in the classroom the volunteers bring a snack which they hand out to the children. After the snack the kids head down to the field nearby and play games with a ball that the volunteers provide.
The afternoon project ends at around 4:00pm, so you actually have the entire evening to do whatever you please. I spent some of this time exploring the local markets, heading out for dinner with the volunteers, and so much more! The volunteers don’t have to be home until 10:00am, but the coordinators are very flexible, and even allowed our group to come home at 2am once!

My favourite thing about the entire volunteering experience was the relaxed atmosphere. The volunteers are given a lot of free time to explore the area on their own, and the house rules are very laid back. You are also given a lot of free reign when it comes to the projects; as I said before you can extend the hours at each project if you desire, and you can introduce really anything that you want. Any activity that you can think of can be introduced in your particular project! You can ever initiate routines within the projects, for future volunteers to carry out after you leave. The biggest accomplishment that our group achieved while volunteering was the introduction of toothbrushes to the slum children. One afternoon we went into the local market and bought 40 toothbrushes, a lot of hand sanitiser, and toothpaste. The next day we came to the slum and gave each child a toothbrush. Before their snack we got them all to wash their hands, and after their snack we had them all line up and brush their teeth. Many of the kids hadn’t done this before, and the minty flavour was something very foreign and not altogether pleasant for a few of them. Hearing back from the volunteers that stayed on longer than us the toothbrushing and the hand washing was something that stuck, and it is still a daily routine for all of the kids.

This experience is something that has changed me so much, and I am so glad that I found this website! I did this project just before my final year at high school and it has given me so much motivation and life experience that I will take with me for the rest of my life! GoEco is one of the only organisations that accepts volunteers from 17 years of age, and I’m so glad that they do or I wouldn’t have been able to attend the project! GoEco took care of everything, and answered any questions that I had about the project or my travel plans. I would definitely (and probably will) travel through them again!

I recommend this project to everyone!

Alex xxxx