India: Volunteer in the Land of Flavour and Color

In July 2015, I was fortunate to travel on an Alumni Me to We Trip to the Mewar region of Rajasthan, India with 22 incredible world-changers. I had traveled to Kenya with Me to We the previous summer, and I was eager to further my impact overseas ever since I returned from the beautiful Masai Mara.

India holds a special place in my heart. It is the place of origin of my ancestors, and a large part of my culture today revolves around Indian customs and practices. I had always wanted to travel to India to "return back to my roots". The Alumni Trip was definitely the perfect opportunity to experience the best of both worlds, as one might say, as there was a great balance between cultural immersion and volunteer work.

To say that my trip to India changed my life would be an understatement. All of my expectations were surpassed throughout the trip, from the sight-seeing, to the food, to the group activities, the overall experience was more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined.

One of the highlights of my trip was interacting with the children in the community we were working in. They were all so sweet and welcoming. They were excited to be in school, and they cherished every moment because many of them would have been unable to receive an adequate education without Free The Children's help. The smiles on their faces were very motivating and encouraged everyone in my group to give 110% of effort every time we were at the buildsite.

There were a few stumbles in the road due to the weather, given that it was monsoon season; however, the trip facilitators were always prepared with a Plan B to ensure that we would not be missing out on any major activities listed in the Trip Itinerary. The facilitators also helped our group to become a family in such a short amount of time, which is often difficult to achieve in other types of group settings.

Overall, I would recommend traveling with Me to We to India if you are interested in having the full "Indian Experience", while also making a lasting difference in a developing community. I can guarantee that the memories you will make while in India will be priceless! :)

I had the incredible opportunity to travel to India on a Me to We Trip in July 2015. It was an experience that truly has changed my life, all while helping to change the lives of the people of Rural India.

Everything about the trip is incredibly well-organized, and we were always in the good care of our incredible facilitators. They were extremely approachable, and helped to build an incredible community within the group. Twenty-four individuals came together to become an unbreakable family over the course of the trip.

However, my family now also extends to all of the incredible community members we interacted with while working in the communities. We had the privledge of volunteering at the primary school in Kalthana, India, where we worked to construct a vegetable garden on the hillside to provide the students with access to fresh veegtables. The students' smiles shone so bright, and the memories never fail to brighten my days.

Our impacts also included planting tree seedlings at a local forestry reserve, and learning about the local agriculture issues, and how Free the Children is working to resolve them.

While in India, we were toally immesered in the vibrant culuture, with a traditional Poja Prayer ceremony, morning yoga, authentic cuisine, and opportunities to explore the Rajasthan Fort and the City Palace in Udaipur. The sights, the sounds, and the smells still remain so vividly in my mind.

The Me to We Trip provided a unique opportunity to see how Free the Children is making a positive differences in the communities in which it works. My perspective on charity changed, because I realized that a 'hand-up' is so much more valuable than a 'hand-out'. Not only that, but I gained a new appreication for everything we so often take for granted.

Often, it takes a life-changing experience like a Me to We Trip to India to gain a new perspective on things. However, while you help change the world, you'll realize that you are changing your own world too.