Last summer I spent 4 weeks in India working in the Street Children Education Project with Volunteering Solutions.
Before my arrival all the members of the staff were answering and dealing with all my questions, queries and dubts which I came across during the preparation of my trip. They were always happy to help me and giving accurate and quick reply which was utterly helpful.

During my stay in India everything went smooth thanks to the staff members who were always working to ensure volunteers welfare and security. They helped us not only with the accomodation and our everyday life in the project but also they sorted out our trips, offering the best options to suit our needs and recommending us the best places to visit. In my case, I went to Agra, Jaipur and Varanasi, all my trips were arranged by Volunteering Solutions and they included all the things we asked for. We visited the most important monuments and other sights, ate in traditional and delicious restaurants with our oun guides and car, etc.

The programme itself was the best part of the whole experience. Being with the children doing all sort of activities was just fantastic. I taught them maths, English and some Spanish, we made handcrafts, played games, singed songs and danced Indian and Spanish dances, we talked a lot about our cultures, we got involved in the local and religious celebrations like the independence day and Krishna's god birth, among other things. I brought a lot of different material to do all kind of activities with them, which they enjoyed and learned a lot.

With regards to the accomodation, our house was located in a very nice and safe neibourhood, well communicated and all amenities were nearby. The housekeeper and coordinator lived with us and always made sure we were ok, enjoying the experience, being safe, and giving us the support we needed. He also cleaned the house and cooked for us. We really appreciated living with him because he also gave us good tips about places to visit and explained things about the Indian culture.

As I have said before, for me the time spent with the children in the programme was the most valuable and meaningful part of my experience in India. I loved being with them, talking about our countries, teaching and learning, singing different songs and dances, and all the different things we did together. I went there to give and I left with all the things they gave me.

Overall, It was a vital, rewarding, inspiring and challenging experience that I will never fordet and I would love to repeat again. I seize this opportunity to thank all the people who took part in my experience and helped to make it wonderful.

Thank you.
Judit

Just came back from having the time of my life in India. All thanks to some amazing work VS and the staff are doing in India. I did the language & culture week in Delhi and then went off to do the medical internship in Palampur. It was great to work at the karan hospital and to get more hands on experience than I imagined. Amit and Bobby were awesome and the weekends trips were well planned and fun.

A must do if you are looking to go to India!

I started my program with a language and orientation week in Delhi. I really recommend doing the orientation week as you become really close with the other volunteers and learn a lot about local customs. If you choose to do it you get to stay with Rajiv and Prya who are the nicest people in the world. Rajiv will teach you basic Hindi, which is very helpful when you work with the kids. The living accomodation with them in Delhi is more hostel like with bunkbeds in a room, but it is fun to hang out with everyone. Rajiv loves explaining Indian culture and will ask any question you ask him.

I was able to do the street children program in Delhi for a couple of days. I really enjoyed how much the boys in the street children program viewed you like a big sister. They would get so excited to see us everyday. On our way back to the volunteer house I would stop and see couple of local sites at night.

I also loved the children in the Palampur program. It is daycare like location that is more of an outdoor environment. There is also a local tea garden there that any volunteer can go to in the afternoon the kids there were extremely poor and happy to receive any attention.

Palampur was amazing. The home is beautiful and you will live with Bobby's family. In Palampur I had my own bedroom and shared a bathroom. Palampur is obviously a lot more remote and scenic. I enjoyed the fast pace life of Delhi, but it was also nice to get away to a peaceful setting. From Palampur there are many weekend trip options which I highly recommend. I got to go to Mcleod Ganj where the Dalai Lama lives and to Amritsar.

Overall I loved the program. I felt like we made a difference as volunteers and also had time to see India sites on the weekends. I feel blessed to still be close to the other volunteers I was there with as well.

Please please research the organisation properly. This is not at all a charitable organisation. it functions more as a business and less than 10 percent of what you pay goes towards the goods cause. The dental program and childcare program from what I have personally experienced and come to know are very disappointing. There is no structure or timetable and the placements are all arranged last min for what you pay. In my first week I worked 3 hours for 3 days and in the second 2 days as I decided to leave a little early having realised I really wasn't missing much. 3 others did the same. There was no advertising of a free dental camp before we came out as a half decent organisation would do to ensure we were doing what we paid for. Instead dental camps were arranged the day before at a private school and the coordinators own tea plantation. It truly was a joke to say the least. I emailed the operation head of volunteering solutions with these and many other issues. He didn't acknowledge my issues let alone respond to them. Please avoid this organisation folks and perhaps look into doing something through a church.

My daily activities at the program included: teaching English classes, teaching computer skills, engaging with the women during beauty culture sessions and the embroidery workshops. I found that there was always a lot to do and that it was a very stimulating environment to be in. During the weekends I made use of my free time and explored the sights of Delhi, visited the Taj Mahal and had the opportunity to travel to Jaipur. There was a good balance between volunteering and time that was free to explore India.

Everyone was so friendly and made me feel very welcome. The people that I met during my volunteering experience were the highlight of my trip, they are truly inspiring people! The staff at Volunteering Solutions ensured that at all times I felt safe, welcome and looked after. They actively went out of their way to make sure that I had a fantastic time, their kind and positive attitudes helped to provide the experience of a lifetime!

I went to India with volunteering solutions and it all went extremely well. The organization was super. I volunteered in a slum school in okhla two, I saw all of the sights in new Delhi, I ate excellent food, I met wonderful people, I saw amazing things. I learned alot. I spent two weeks in new Delhi on the two week special new Delhi program and one week in Palumpur. New Delhi was the best. Very exciting for a city boy like me. Tour guides and tours were provided for all of the sights including the Taj Mahal, really good guides. Dheeraj was really a great guide and a great help to all of the volunteers. It was great to call him one night when I got lost with a cab driver who had only been in the city for a week!
For me the best part was the school kids. They were all adorable and beautiful and really liked me! I will be going back in a few months. I miss them all so much. The people at the school were wonderful.
Shankar the cook is a fine young Nepalese fellow who makes great meals and will show you how to get around Delhi and will help you get a phone etc.
I went during a slower time and had my own room and bath most of the time. The accommodation is shared and you may be sharing a room with 1 to 5 people. The bathrooms are western and clean.

Recommendations;
Don't you around during the monsoon or anytime near august, you will roast, it is hot!
Bring a mosquito net, people going in and out let in the Mosquitos.
Bring an unlocked phone.
I brought my iPad, it was a sensation.
If you can bring a free checked bag fill it with school supplies and maybe some children's books.

I could really go on and on. Every day there was filled with fun. I went with the idea of being of service but also balanced it with having a good time. All of my goals were accomplished.

I got the opportunity last summer to spend 8 weeks in New Delhi, India working with the street children's program through Volunteering India. I had the best summer of my life and am so happy that I decided to go through VI! I had great support throughout my entire experience starting with a ton of information on how to best prepare for my trip before I left. I had such great support from the entire staff throughout my entire trip. The volunteering I did was amazing. I got the chance to work in a children's center teaching children english, math and getting to play and interact with them. It truly was a life changing experience for me that I will never forget. I loved that I was able to go through the experience with other volunteers from all around the world. We had so much during our off time exploring Delhi and traveling all around India on the weekends. I will never be able to thank the staff and people of Volunteering India enough for the amazing experience that I had with them!

I volunteered with the street children program in Delhi and used to work in Okhla with street children. The kids were amazing and I had a great time playing and teaching with them. The accommodation was fab and Shankar used to cook great simple food everyday for us.

Sunny was a great help in the office and I would recommend the program to anyone!