Description

A wide range of volunteering opportunities are available right now in India, including: working in an orphanage, teaching English language skills, working with street children, healthcare, HIV education, and women empowerment. Work in the bustling region of Delhi, or the surrounding rural suburbs and Dharamsala (Indian city of the Dalai Lama, twenty minutes from the northern town of Palampur).

Volunteers are needed NOW through International Volunteer HQ's partner organization in India!

* Orphanage Work (Delhi)

Orphanages and day care centres in India are often extremely full with children due to a lack of appropriate facilities. Due to the high incidences of poverty and illness orphanages in India can host 50-300 children at any one time and there is always a high demand for more volunteer assistance. These orphanages and day care centres (who care for children from very poor families whose parents have to work during the day) face many problems such as a lack of funding, lack of resources and help. Volunteers who work in an orphanage help with general work and daily chores. This work ranges from cooking and cleaning to farm work, assisting with feeding programs, caring for children and babies and teaching. Volunteers also assist the children with their education, through taking extracurricular lessons, assisting with homework and helping with general education on life skills such as personal hygiene. We work with ten different orphanage projects, six of these are located in Faridabad, Delhi, two are in Noida, Delhi, one is located in Delhi centre and one is located in Jaipur. In many of the orphanage placements, volunteers will live on site at the orphanage with the children (not at home stays).

* HIV Program (Jaipur only)

India has the largest number of cases of HIV/AIDS in the world. It can be attributed to lack of education and abject poverty in certain areas of country. Our HIV volunteer program is aimed at giving care and support to the HIV infected and also creating awareness to vulnerable groups about the dangers of HIV through HIV outreach programs. Volunteers can help various organizations engaged in spreading awareness about this gigantic problem. They can provide counseling, educate HIV patients, distribute medicines, teach methods of sanitation and basic hygiene and assist other groups engaged in HIV related programs.

The IVHQ HIV/Aids program is based in the city of Jaipur and works with two key groups - truck drivers and street children. The program working with truck drivers focuses on arresting the spread of HIV among truckers and associated high-risk populations on National Highway No. 8 in Jaipur. The specific objectives are to reach out to about 20,000 truckers for prevention of HIV/AIDS/STI through Behaviour Change through Communication (BCC), and to provide quality STI services to patients. The ultimate aim is to reduce the morbidity/mortality and impact of AIDS in the intervention area. The HIV street children program addresses the problem of HIV/AIDS among high-risk groups of street children in the Jaipur District. The specific objectives of the project are to educate and increase awareness among street children about HIV-AIDS. As part of intervention of this project regular health camps are conducted in the slums of Jaipur for the street children.

NB: To participate on this program, it is advisable that volunteers have a background in HIV/Aids or a strong knowledge of the subject; otherwise they may find they do struggle to contribute. If you wish to do an HIV/Aids program but have no HIV/Aids background or knowledge than you may wish to consider our Kenya HIV/Aids program which has no medical prerequisites. This program only runs for 2-3 days per week. The rest of the week volunteers work in a local orphanage. Accommodation and meals are at a hostel in Jaipur.

* Women Empowerment (Delhi only)

IVHQ works in collaboration with our local partner to empower and support the marginalized and disadvantaged women in India. Due to existing social, cultural, economic system and social phenomena of the country, a lot of women in India, especially in the rural community, are deprived from their basic human rights like education, health, nutrition, involvement in politics etc. On the other hand violence and rape against women are other critical factors which have been exacerbating the plight of the women. IVHQ works with six women's projects, all of which are located in Faridabad, Delhi. Volunteers provide counseling and monitoring and help women by teaching and assisting with leather work, doll making, stitching and beautician work. Volunteers make a big difference in their lives by sharing their love and warmth with the stressed inmates of the women homes as well as assisting with production of goods that can help them in providing an income for themselves. The women's projects are located right next to some of the orphanages and street children's projects we support, so generally the women's empowerment volunteers also work at these institutions as well.

* Teaching English (Delhi and Dharamsala)

Teaching English in India gives you the great opportunity to share your knowledge with others and experience a new culture from within. It is one of the best ways to truly catch a glimpse of the soul of a place. You'll have a lot of fun and gain valuable skills while your students practice their skills with you learning English in a whole new way. Volunteers will teach for approximately 4 hours per day five days a week. In this program, volunteers can work by themselves or alongside other teachers and volunteers. Volunteers for this program are encouraged to work with local teachers to develop new teaching practices and help with their personal conversational English to enable them to teach English in the future. We work with seven schools (rural schools and slum schools) in Delhi; six are located in Faridabad, Delhi and one is in Noida. On the Dharamsala program, the schools are located in and around the towns of Palampur and Dharamsala. NB Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.

* Street Children Program (Delhi only)

For many children in India, school is simply not an option as they work the streets with their parents to help stay alive (it is estimated there are 100 million street children in India). Every day, 365 days of the year these children work the streets of Delhi with their parents, selling goods, foraging and performing to make a living. The Street Children program in India focuses on giving these children some enjoyment in their lives. This program is popular with the children and their families as it gives them opportunities and perspectives on life they would never have otherwise been provided with. Work consists of taking basic school lessons, playing with the children, providing medical support for them and introducing them to activities (such as painting) that they would never otherwise have a chance to do. We have six different street children projects in India; four are located in Faridabad, Delhi, one is in Noida, Delhi and one is in Jaipur.

* Childcare Program (Dharamsala Only)

In Palampur this program works mainly in day care centres with children of very poor families who struggle for food and money and is more based working in child care centres than with street children as such. These centres provide a place for very poor families to leave their children for the day while the parents work. The main tasks for the volunteers at these childcare centres include teaching, food preparation and serving to the children, lessons on personal hygiene, ensuring children attend and do not loiter on the streets and creating activities for the children to participate. It is very similar to the orphanage program based in Delhi, except the children go home at nights.

* Health (Delhi and Dharamsala)

Despite gaining a reputation as one of the fastest growing countries in the world, financial inequalities are widespread and affect the daily lives of the people in India. Volunteers working in the field of healthcare can be of tremendous value to local staff and medical facilities. In Delhi volunteers work in hospitals, small clinics, old age homes, orphanages, mobile camps, child care hospitals and shelter homes to assist the staff in the treatment of patients. They can educate and guide these disadvantaged people about sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and provide first aid to people with small injuries. Equipment is basic but all staff and most locals have a good grasp of English. In addition to general clinic work, volunteers will also perform a number of home visits with the local staff. On the Delhi program we work with six hospitals and one mobile ambulance. All of these hospitals and clinics are located in Faridabad. On the Dharamsala program the clinics are located in Dharamsala and Dharamsala.

NB: Pre-medical students are able to participate on our Delhi health program. Naturally, volunteers are required to present a copy of their qualifications and/or certificates of any qualifications/experience to our program staff on arrival in India.

NB: For the Health placements in Dharamsala, volunteers need to be training or qualified in a relevant medical field (having completed at least 2 full years of medical training or still a medical student). Naturally, volunteers are required to present a copy of their qualifications and certificates to our program partner on arrival in India.

Highlights

* Extremely affordable program fees
* Quality Programs
* Flexible Placements
* 24/7 Support
* Loyalty Program
* IVHQ Information Booklet
* Orientation week option
* Great social opportunities through volunteering with a large volunteer organization

Qualifications

Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. Volunteers participating in the Health placement must have appropriate training and certification (completed at least 2 full years of medical training or is a registered medical doctor or nurse. The certification is to be presented to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in India).

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

Program Fees start from 250

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Language instruction
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country

Program Fees Include:

- You will also receive a dedicated program coordinator

Credit Available

yes

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Age Range

18-70

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 2-3

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 week

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

International Volunteer HQ's Mission Statement

International Volunteer HQ aims to provide volunteers with quality, flexible, safe and highly affordable volunteering placements in developing countries. In addition to providing aid and assistance to these countries, International Volunteer HQ endeavors to increase education and heighten awareness through not only the skills and expertise taken by volunteers to their host communities and institutions, but also through the experiences and lessons volunteers will in turn take back to their own countries and cultures.

Year Founded

2007