Volunteer in India with Volunteering Solutions

It was nice and fantastic volunteering experience. I volunteered in hospital and the doctor staff there was gorgeous and very helpful . I had fun in india i've been in many beautiful places . I stayed 6 weeks in delhi and I didn't get bored because every day I try new thing . I hope if i can go back to india and do another volunteering. I really like the voulnteering after this experiencea and it made my self more stronger and confident about volunteering work.

My time in Delhi, India was nothing short of phenomenal. I sincerely loved every minute of it and was always learning something new, whether it be about the Indian culture, Hinduism religion, native wildlife, or Hindi language. I was in Delhi, India to teach street children, but in fact those street children and the surrounding culture taught me. This ancient place, full with busy traffic and spice aromas, opened my eyes into a vastly different way of living and connecting with the world.

I taught street children: children mainly living on the street or in underdeveloped shelters with or without immediate family members, Mondays - Fridays at the nonprofit
Bal Umang Drishya Sanstha (BUDS) center in Old Delhi. BUDS envisions a society where every child is in school, free from abuse, neglect, child labour and poverty. My role in helping this vision come to fruition at BUDS was to teach the children English, Mathematics, and other healthy life habits along the way. I adored each and every child here at BUDS and put my soul into teaching them all I could each day. I remember doing a math card game with them each day in order to practice differentiating numbers from letters and writing down new vocabulary words using pictures on my phone to illustrate what they were, such as “whale.”

Our biggest accomplishments as a class at BUDS was creating an entire alphabet poster that featured every letter of the alphabet with a picture that began with that letter, such as “B” for “ball.” The students colored and painted the letters and pictures of each alphabet card that we later hung across the walls of the room for the students to always have as a reference for learning their alphabet. The students greatly enjoyed this alphabet project and were already using the poster to refer to as it was being hung up. The teachers at BUDS were fantastic and even arranged Henna for me at the center one day. Having some of the older students and teachers do Henna art on my arms and hands is one of my fondest memories in India.

One of my favorite experiences in India was doing the weekend Golden Triangle Tour where we went to some of the most famous, historical sites in Agra, Jaipur, and Delhi. In Jaipur I visited the City Palace where many festivals and royal gatherings were conducted, the Hawa Mahal (or Wind Palace), and Chokhi Dhani restaurant. In Jaipur I also walked through Amber Fort and basked in the sun at the Monkey temple. I found Amber Fort to be extremely interesting as it consisted of royal courtyards and hidden rooms that the king and queens used to occupy. I very much enjoyed learning about these historical sites while actually standing inside of them and tasting the many traditional dishes at the elaborate Chokhi Dhani restaurant.

The Agra part of this Golden Triangle tour included visiting the famous Taj Mahal, which was truly astounding! This structure was certainly one of the most beautiful historic sites I have ever had the pleasure of viewing in person. While touring Delhi with our tour guide, I visited the India Gate, Qutab Minar, Lotus Temple, and Humayun’s Tomb. I relished climbing over the halfway broken structures of Qutab Minar and gaping at the detailed design of Humayun’s Tomb. On our Delhi touring day, we ate at a traditional South Indian cuisine restaurant called Naivedyam, which was quite delicious and not as spicy as other places I had been to in Delhi.

My most exhilarating experiences in India include riding an elephant up the Amber Fort wall and feeding monkeys at the Monkey (or Sun) Temple! It was breath-taking to view such an ancient structure from atop such a tall, majestic creature while also feeling that creature’s every step beneath me. Elephants are my favorite animal and I absolutely loved riding one for part of my India experience. Feeding the monkeys was quite a humorous experience as they jumped on me at any time and were quite forward in taking more bananas from my hands. I was with an experienced wildlife handler while doing this of course, but it still felt quite uncertain at times with monkeys approaching from all corners of the temple, seemingly out of nowhere. I truly delighted in this and found these creatures to be quite adorable.

On weekdays when I was not teaching my students at BUDS, I was often visiting local temples, mosques, and popular sites with a volunteer friend of mine. Some of the places we visited that I enjoyed most include Jama Misjid Mosque, Red Fort, Akshra Dham, and Iskcon Temple. Walking into the sacred areas of mosques and temples while observing the rituals people engaged in as a part of their religion was one of the most serene moments I remember having in India. I am thankful to have been able to intimately observe these religious monuments and practices in India. I also greatly appreciated the art I saw in India at various artisan shops such as the Blue Pottery store, an authentic Marble craftsman shop, cottage emporiums at Delhi Haat, and many more. Often times I was able to not only view the finished products, but also watch the artist at work creating their masterpieces and learning exactly how they completed them. As an artist lover, I definitely purchased several unique art pieces from these shops and plan to decorate my home with them soon.

While traveling within and around Delhi, India I saw much poverty and pollution. Many times there were people, including young children, approaching me; begging me to buy whatever they might be selling or simply to give them food. Further, it was often clear that the people living on the streets or in underdeveloped shelters were malnourished and did not have the opportunities to practice healthy hygiene habits, such as bushing one’s teeth each day or even bathing. While riding inside of a rickshaw, I could often see smog covering structures only 500 meters ahead and could feel myself inhaling chemicals from the exhaust of vehicles directly in front of me. Although viewing these inequities and dire situations people lived in was quite distressing at times, I am grateful to have observed this in India. I am grateful not only because it deepened my understanding of global inequity and disproportionality of wealth in the world, but also strengthened my allegiance to social justice. I know that so much more needs to be done to find and create solutions to this global poverty and pollution. These solutions are something dedicated to being a part of.

The experiences I had here will not only serve as fond memories of the past, but will most importantly inspire me presently to continue to make positive impacts in the places that need it most. I truly understand how big this world is, how many different lives are in it, and how each of us are intimately connected as humans that must care for one another. I believe that the future of our human species is dependent upon all of us not only being aware of the unique lifestyles and struggles that others in different parts of the world endure, but also acting to improve conditions for those in need. I am forever grateful to Volunteering Solutions and all the people I met in India for allowing me to experience a different way of life and be further inspired to continue to make positive, global impacts over my lifetime.

My daughter who was 17 started me with Volunteer Solutions in 2015 (Kathmandu, Nepal) and recently in October 2016 (Palampur, Dharamshala in India). Looking back I have no regrets. the program is organised to immerse you in the culture and way of life of the people where you volunteer. At the same time, the program coordinators are always there to answer all your queries and see to your needs.
Our Program coordinators at Palampur, Dr Amit and Dr Afzal used to go an extra mile in making sure to see us almost every other day during our stay. At one occasion, my daughter was not able to get the public transport and was stranded at the bus-stop, Dr Amit personally drove her to her destination. As much as the coordinators wants us, Volunteers, to be independent, they also care for our safety. Another person who needs to be commended was Charanji. He cooked hot delicious meals.
We had real fun together interacting with the kids in the neighbourhood as well as the childcare where I volunteered. We had the advantage of being of Indian origin. Though we are not born in India, we can speak Hindi. I was able to speak to the mothers of the children in my care and discuss with them the importance of education. They really appreciated my help by giving me small memoirs to bring back.

I wish I had longer time to spend at both these places Kathmandu and Palampur, Dharamshala.
We are so grateful to Volunteer Solutions for giving us the opportunity to volunteer.

The volunteering experience was great, I couldn't be more happy about it. It was a lifetime exprience. I am also very happy with volsol, it gave me the safety and reliablity and at the same time the enough freedom to be able to have a deep experience.

The most memorable thing was the time with the kids of course, who I could never forget and taught me so many things, I liked the fact that not only them could learn from be but I also could learn a lot about them, their courage, their happiness, their strenght and their smile taught me that life is not at all about having it all, but making it the most with what you have. They were also so grateful and tried to make me feel comfortable at any time, it was really impressive.

Not only I learnt from the kids but also from the city, the culture, the people. Learning that there are many different ways to do the things and different ways to think it is really important for our inner selves. People showed up to be really helpful, at any difficulty they were willing to help, when asking for directions or different problems that emerged, also very curious to know about you, your culture and your country. With the kids and as well as with other people it was always a way back relationship, you could learn a lot about them, they were always willing to learn from you.

While being in Delhi I lived in a cloud, my eyes couldn't stop looking around everywhere, there were so many things to see, to hear, to smell, it was a big fest for all the five senses. Every single second I was fascinated with everything, every second passed by you discovered new things, it was a completely pleasure for the mind and the heart, little pleasures of life. A rickshaw stucked in the mud and other drivers jumping to help to pull the vehicle out, a random person giving the water bottle they were carrying to some street children, a poor children smiling and laughing out loud while her mother watched him with a spark in her eyes while waiting the train at the station, a group of young women singing and laughing in the rickshaw next to yours, the boom of colors of the women metro coach, the smell of street food that flooded your nose and make your stomach beg to try it, the explosion that your tongue felt while trying spicy food, the non-stop noise of the horn of the cars that would make you feel that there is something missing once you are in the silent roads of your country...

I also went home with another great gift, friendship, not only the friendship built with the kids, but with the other volunteers, and what is better than making true new friendships? Having the chance to meet such wonderful people it really changed me, they all had their uniqueness, their way of being, their story, their kind hearts, they made you feel less lonely during the hard moments you could face, and at the same time they made you have the best during the moments of joy, they made the experience to climb to a whole different level.

I think that immersing yourself in this kind of adventure is an experience that changes you forever and gives you the opportunity to grow as a person and learn a lot about life. I am really really satisfied with the volunteering experience, I could not be more happy about it.

VOLUNESIA (noun) - That moment when you forget you're volunteering to help change lives, because it's changing yours...

One thing that I will never forget, is most properly my last day at the project and saying good bye to all of the gorgeous kids. I was expecting it to be a very heartbreaking day, but to my surprise the girls in my afternoon class which were about 8-10 years old, organized a little party for me. They had their mothers cook some delicious food and brought all sorts of snacks and cakes, from the little money that they have. This was a very touching moment for me, because I had realized that those girls were not only my students, but that they had also become my friends. We had lots of fun that day and they enjoyed styling my hair and giving me a "bindi", so that I would look like I'd just escaped a Bollywood movie. There was also a lot of dancing and singing and I must say that these experiences with the girls had let me love the Indian culture more than anything else could have! After our little party and all of our laughter, I then had to say goodbye to everyone. We all hugged each other a thousandth times and didn't want to let go. But sitting in the car on my way home to the accommodation, I had a grin on my face. Because on the one hand I knew that I would miss these girls, which mad me sad, but on the other hand I was so grateful to have taken part in their lives, because they have the kindest hearts and the brightest smiles,which I'll never forget.

India was the most incredible trip I've ever been on. Teaching young kids from the age of 3 and developing their English was inspiring. These kids have very little to live from and still make the most of everyday and smile more than you can ever imagine. They're full of energy and will definitely put a smile on your face. Growing very close with certain kids makes it extremely difficult to leave without a tear in sight. These kids taught me more than I taught them and that life should never be taken for granted. Exploring the country after our two weeks of volunteering was hectic from the get go, but I enjoyed every part. One day you'll be at the Taj Mahal and the next at the Golden Temple, the culture shock is immense and it's lovely to see how differently they do things compared to the western world.

Saying goodbye to our students was one of the hardest parts of the trip. Although these wonderfully sharp children may lack physical resources, they make up for it with their energy and their wonderfully generous hearts!
On our last day, one of our students gave me one of his only earthly possessions; a little toy robot. I knew how much this toy meant to him so I refused. He said, "It's a gift. You helped me all week and I wanted you to always remember me." It brought me to tears and will be one of the many touching memories I experienced while participating in this program.

In May 2016 I had the opportunity to participate in the 2 week orphanage program in Delhi. I worked with the NGO Jamghat and went to the girls' home Aanchal, which housed 12 girls between the ages of 12-18. These girls either did not have parents, or their parents could no longer take care of them. The girls were so welcoming on the first day I arrived and made leaving them nearly impossible.
One of my favorite memories was when I had gone in to visit them on a Sunday after their weekly dance class. Since I have a background in ballet, they asked if I would teach them a short routine and in exchange, they'd teach me their most recent Bollywood piece. The girls were so happy and kept smiling and laughing the entire time.Seeing how happy such a simple thing as dance made them helped me realize how fortunate I am. I still keep in touch with the girls through email and they will always hold a special place in my heart.
Overall, my experience with volunteering solutions was excellent. The staff was very helpful throughout the entire application process and answered all of my questions leading up to my arrival in India. The accommodations were very nice and Rajiv and his family were amazing hosts. I'm so thankful for my opportunity to work with volunteering solutions and can't wait to return.

India has been an incredible experience, for me working in a health center and in a hospital was a great way to learn medicine but also about indian culture and people.

Since the first day in India the adventure was amazing, the places I went, the people I met, the food, everything was just incredible.

Now I have a lot of friends I met back in India, that´s why traveling alone is one of the best things I did, incredible people living in the same house with me and sharing beautiful moments, traveling around, and getting know about India.

During the summer of 2016 I went on a volunteering trip to India. It was an inspiring experience, full of learning and culture. It was amazing to see people with so much less than me but still be just as happy and just as willing to succeed as I am. I met children who had dreams of becoming pilots and soldiers. The love for their own country is immense and how proud they are of what they have become and what the country has achieved is beautiful.

India was the place I wanted to go to most in the world. Taj Mahal was the site I wanted to see the most but my favorite memory was from Akshardham. When I was there I was first in aw from the beauty and detail of each individual piece of the temple. Then actually looking around beyond the architecture my mind was subdued by the teachings and study of the Hindu religion. In the end I was confused. I was as confused as my friends from the UK were when I said "yall". I just kept reafinh everything to hope to understand but in the end I couldn't. Just as I was ready to give up a local man came up to me and greeted me with namaste. He continued on by asking my name and where I was from after a brief conversation he asked "Are you Hindu?" and I replied "No". He then choose to take his own time to explain to me so much of the religion. Not in a way to convert me but to teach me. He explained the stories and prayer I witnessed. Back where I'm from people don't go out of their way to help random tourists. This made such an impression on me that that's the first thing I think of for India.

The summer program trip was amazing, and I'm glad I went on it. I met incredible people from all around the world, and made some great friends along the way. This trip will forever change how I view myself, my world, and my opportunities. It offered me new ways of challenging my views, and my abilities. I would definitely say that this trip was the journey of a life time, that empowered me to believe in the good in the world, and the strength in me. It tested my heart, mind and body, only to strengthen my values in life. I started the trip hoping to make a difference in the world, and came home having the trip make a difference in my life. India gave me so much more than I anticipated. She gave me a love for life, health, adventure, and personal growth.

I recently spent 5 weeks in India volunteering and touring in the cities of Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra with a group. As a whole the experience was amazing and unforgettable, but my favorite part of the trip by far was the 3 weeks spent volunteering with the Street Children Project in Delhi. The children are so bright, full of energy, eager to learn and extremely welcoming! Our hosts at the volunteer house were also friendly and always open to questions about the Indian culture and way of life. We always felt very safe at the volunteer house and during our travels in the city of Delhi and always felt like we could bring any questions/concerns to the Volunteering Solutions staff. I was very pleased with our accommodations, and the food was amazing as well. I felt as though the coordinators provided my group with all of the tools we might need during our stay--reasonable rickshaw prices to and from our project and to local markets/tourist sites, maps, some history of the city, and safety advice.

I would highly recommend the Street Children Project to anyone who is interested. There is much one can do for the kids and so much more to be learned FROM them. I truly think that Volunteering Solutions is a great way to see India and take part in the culture, but more importantly make a positive impact on the lives you come in contact with along the way.

They say first impression is the last impression. It was my first day of the Street Children Program when the children of Jamghat, left on me, a life-lasting impression. The first day and overall experience in the program sparked questions in me that are answering all the deeper questions I have ever had about wealth and poverty, survival and transcendence.

It was two days after entering India that I found myself walking the busy streets of Chandni Chowk, amongst street salespeople vying for my business and an orchestra of auto-rickshaws, rickshaws, cars and pedestrians making their way in an interesting uncoordinated synchronicity. Bubbling with curiousity about who I would meet and what I would do, I walked down the narrow alleyways beside Pigeon market and up a set of steep stairs to my placement.

After a few minutes of meeting and greeting the Jamghat staff, the children of the shelter started pouring in like water out of a jug, steadily but readily. Wide-eyed and curious, they walked in and greeted me by calling me didi, a term in Hindi meaning sister, usually used to address an older female of sister-like age. Shortly after greeting me, the children eagerly shared with me, some of the games they play and stories they tell. They asked me many questions about myself to get to know me, and sought my assistance with their schoolwork. I was flooded with warmth! Never had I felt so welcomed in my life, and this led me to ask myself, how is it that these children appear so happy despite living in poverty? How are they so energized? So curious, keen and eager? The radiation of joy pierced through any assumptions I might have previously made. Any anxiety, stress, or reserve I might have had melted away like butter. There was no opportunity to be wrapped in the bubble of self protection and isolation because there was way too much warmth in the air! I looked around to observe my environment further: some of the children were wearing ripped clothing, there were no extravagant toys or learning materials in the room, the heat was relentless, and amongst it all, wide eyes and bright smiles. The juxtaposition was mesmerizing.

During lunch hour, a handful of the children asked me to have lunch with them, share from their plates. Dhaal and chaval, a simple meal but hearty and nutritious. The children sat in a circle and said their prayers before eating, to express gratitude for the food. They observed to see how much I was eating and whether or not I was enjoying the food. They offered me water and more servings. This was a meal the children often ate and often times their last meal of the day, as there is no guarantee the children will have food available to them after leaving the shelter. I wondered to myself, how is it that despite knowing they may not get another bite again, the children still offer me the last of what they have? And how is it that they can care so much about my own hunger in spite of their own?

As I inquired about the lives of these children outside the shelter, the Coordinators offered to take me for a stroll in the area where the parents of some of the children stayed. We visited two shelters where I met some of the parents. Many of the parents were single unemployed mothers. Some parents were working in nearby factories, street peddling or begging. The majority of parents do not have time to look after their children because they are busy fighting for survival. Hence, children are often wandering around the shelter area, playing by themselves or with each other with little supervision. They say family environments and upbringing determine success, values and behaviour in children. I wondered then, how do the children of Jamghat know how to provide attention, understanding and care to others when many have not had the opportunity to receive these things themselves from their own families due to various circumstances?

Upon returning to Jamghat I later learned from some of the children that their siblings had been lost, simply by disappearing or as a result of sickness. How matter-of-factly these children shared their stories, as if such things were an everyday occurrence. I tried to gauge the feelings underneath their words and what I encountered was strength. How is it possible to have such resilience when facing experiences of loss so frequently? Multi-million dollar industries and companies are often created to provide aids and solutions to trauma and facilitate healing, but here healing didn’t require any special tool, process
or pill. Here, healing happened because it had to; this was life, and tools were primarily internal.

As my first day ended at the shelter, I walked back to the volunteer accommodation with many questions in mind, floating around. Reflecting on my life in the West, I felt so rich yet so utterly poor. I asked myself the ultimate and conclusive question, what is rich really? And what is poor?

We are taught to make something of ourselves, to achieve in the material world, to meet our needs and survive. We learn about evolution and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We learn through media messages and advertising that we must attain various things at various times to be something, to be worthy. We have these social scripts and timelines instructing us on how to go about doing this. Yet how often during our day to day, do we smile like these children? Are eager to learn about others like these children? Want to share with others without thinking about what we have ourselves?

In one day and one experience, I felt myself unlearning all the messages that were stamped onto my being from an early age. I peeled off the old messages like an onion and immersed myself into the deep waters of this new realization. As I swam around, I grasped that these children were teaching me just as much as I was teaching them, and maybe even more so.

I have no exact answers to the questions that had surfaced for me. I critiqued myself for prior assumptions with a fine-toothed comb. All I ended up with was one foundational understanding: true wealth is internal and comes not from the external world but an inner brightness that does not cease to exist. This wealth inspires love and giving, which is infinite in supply when you sees little gifts in everything and everyone around you, when you tap into your inevitable connection with others and feel responsible for their well-being just as much as your own. The children of Jamghat have inspired me to always mine for this gold inside of me, and spread this wealth just like they do, because it is infinite and multiplies in strength with each Midas touch. We are only poor when we forget this.

Thank you to the children of Jamghat and thank you Volunteering Solutions for this wonderful, transformative life experience.

At a certain point in our trip, we had to go to Dharamsala to hike in the Himalayas: my favorite part!
The small and cosy village offers a wonderful view on the mountains. Imagine yourself surronded by huge and colourful mountains, with the nicest people on earth and fresh air everywhere! My face shines by the memory of the hiking part, 5 hours throught the climbing but totally worth it. You wouldn't be disappointed!