Street Children Volunteer India

I recently spent 2 weeks in volunteering teaching Children both English and Maths and has an amazing experience throughout. The kids that I taught were unbelievably friendly, and were so fascinated by not only the content I was teaching, but also finding out more about myself, and my life. Volunteers provide an extraordinary opportunity for these children to experience lives that they would otherwise not know, whilst also being able to gain attention and education that they would be unable to attain.

I started my voluntering the day before the Holi celebration. On my first day I joined the programme that I signed up for. The day of the festival all the volunteers joined in festivities at the shelter for boys who lived on the streets. I was impressed with the facility and the eagerness of the boys to connect with the volunteers. My request to change programmes was granted. I felt that my impact as a seasoned teacher would be meaningful in this well run centre. The class teachers were supportive and the learners very responsive.

The question is of course how much impact can be made by a single volunteer within 2 weeks. The answer is that we are like beads in an armband and that the impact is collective and not individual. Brainstorm should be done on using the volunteers optimally, to make them feel useful and structure the program to have continuation of themes.

It was an amazing experience! The children are lovely, well educated and disciplined. I was very impressed about the organisation of the school.
The staff is very helpful and supportive.
I was helping the teacher with english and maths. Every week you get the schedule for the entire week and you know which topic will be covered during english or maths.
I spent the holi day at the school playing with the kids and the staff and it was an unforgettable experience! I Highly recommend this project.

I loved the one month I spent with this program. The staff and the children were amazing. It certainly was the experience of a lifetime and I will probably think about this trip every single day for many many years to come. It certainly will be very hard to top. I haven't been bored for one second and would love to stay much longer if I could. I will miss you all and your nice smiles and the future volunteers that will come will be very lucky to get to spend time with you all.

-Audrey from Canada

India is such a special place, revealing the best and worst aspects of humanity and human life. Certainly for me, India constantly provokes a personal question about ones values and strength of conviction. Can you put your money where your mouth is? Can you walk the walk?

Volunteering in India is one of the most moving and rewarding experiences I have had in my life. The volunteering programmes offered by Volunteering with India (VWI) are safe and robust. There are many diverse opportunities here to make a difference, however big or small.

The organisation was created with the pure and sincere intention of making a difference to those in need. VWI has offered countless opportunities for those in need to receive from those who are fortunate enough to be able to give.

Volunteering experiences are made much more special by a generous and earnest welcome into the heart of the culture and the city of Jaipur, the community; the people and their families. Volunteers are looked after well, but most importantly included into a family and community for a true and real experience of India. An unforgettable experience - one I hope to repeat many times again.

I spent three weeks with my friends volunteering with VWI in Jaipur, India. We spent our time teaching english classes in a school, we work for 2 weeks with the street children program and 1 week with women program. Overall, it was an amazing experience and offered a truly unique insight into Indian culture. VWI links up with grass-roots projects in India and the staff involved in our project were very supportive. From the beginning, we felt safe and at home with our Indian host family, and the staff were in regular contact with us and dealt with any issues we had straight away.
One of my favourite aspects of the program was living with an Indian family. Every day my host mother make nice chai (team for me ) which was so great to charge up my body.Being totally immersed into family life and getting to know the students in our classes proved to be the best introduction to Indian culture. We learnt so much more in those three weeks about India than in the other 5 weeks we spent backpacking around Rajasthan.
The school experience was very enlightening, and although we would have appreciated some more information about what learning materials to bring with us, we really enjoyed it. The volunteer experience will only improve as the school program and curriculum better develops. For most of the children, we were involved in the only 'formal' education they would receive in their life, and that was quite confronting at times.
If nothing else, my time in India reminded me of the important things in life. As actions speak louder than words, the best review I can give VWI would be to say that we enjoyed our time in India so much that we are looking at going back to India and helping the school further!

I participated in the Street Children Program through Volunteering With India. Every minute of the program was incredible. From the moment I arrived in Jaipur I felt at home. Sukret met me at the airport and drove me to my host family's home. Every morning our host family prepared a wonderful breakfast for us, before our driver (Tota Ram- who is amazing!!) would pick us up and take us to the school to teach and play with the children. Teaching the boys English was the highlight of my trip! Everyday they are eager to learn and excited to play new games. The boys greeting us with smiles each morning made for a really rewarding experience. I also learned how to cook chapati, while helping prepare lunch for the boys one day. Govind and Sukret are so kind and helpful with guiding you throughout the entire experience. My host family left an imprint on my heart - my trip would not have been the same without them. Thanks to my host family, I was able to see Jaipur and Indian culture through an authentic perspective. I learned a lot about traditional food, Hinduism, family practices, fun local activities like flying kites. One night I went to the local temple with one of the family members. I will never forget how welcome my host family made me feel - they will forever be extended-family in my heart. I also became close with my fellow volunteers, and have made new friends for life. I will definitely stay in touch with everyone from the program, the entire experience was unforgettable. I will be back. If you are considering this program, don't think twice - just sign up!

Before joining the program all of the questions that i asked were answered. My emails were always returned in very short time.
The program manager was there on my arrival to pick me from Jaipur Airport. I loved the kids that i worked with ! The staff was also helpful. Especially i would say the biggest challenge was the language barrier.
Host family were very nice.Meals were great especially.The family was very kind to me and were generous enough to let myself and other volunteers participate in their families Diwali celebration.
Project Coordinator was very helpful and kind. I felt like i could talk to him.He answered any question that i asked. He also bring me to his home and i have chance to dinner with his family. His mom is a nice cook.
I would definetly recommed this program to everyone.