Description

iSPiiCE Volunteer Programs have been set up to assist local schools, children's Day Care Centres, orphaned children and Women's Empowerment groups. We endeavor to directly contribute to genuine community development in the project areas we operate and offer after school English lessons and IT skills training to teenagers.

iSPiiCE Volunteer Programs provide you with the chance to combine your volunteering activities with travel in India. We offer excursions to world famous sites, including a Himalayan trek, the Taj Mahal Experience and a trip to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, all of which are included in the program fee.

Put your hands and heart to use, helping those less fortunate and combine with travel in India to world famous landmarks.

Project Booking Dates:
Placements start every second Sunday and finish on Saturdays throughout the year. Placements can be extended on a weekly basis at 150 USD per week. Please see our website for specific dates.

Highlights

iSPiiCE Volunteer Projects - India provide the following excursions during your placement. All excursions are included in the Program fee.

1. Trekking in Himalayas - two days/one night camping & transfer.
2. Taj Mahal experience one of the eight wonders of the world - two days/one night stay in Agra & transfer.
3. Amritsar - visit the Golden Temple - two days/one night stay & transfer.

Volunteer Activities:

The activities done by volunteers in our programs primarily relate to education, social work, care and empowerment carried out in various partner institutions identified as appropriate for iSPiiCE intervention. We constantly seek expansion of our programs by developing new initiatives and volunteer activities which meet the needs of the local population. While the requirements of each community group differ there are some common activities that we offer in the areas of education, childcare, women's empowerment and health care.

(1) Education Related

Education volunteers play an important role in raising awareness about the need for regular schooling and offer much needed support to local teachers. iSPiiCE work in partnership with local primary and secondary schools and volunteers can work alongside the local teacher or deliver their own lessons daily. The most commonly requested subject of teaching is English and we encourage volunteers to create their own lesson plans with teaching materials available for this purpose. You may also bring your own teaching materials such as reading and picture books and teaching flash cards. For teaching English it is not necessary for volunteers to have past experience and in-depth knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and for the children to have the chance working with fluent English speakers is invaluable on its own. For those with a professional interest in teaching this is a fantastic opportunity to broaden your skills in a new and very different environment. Working with the children daily you will bring about a sense of professionalism and dedication and this is extremely valuable for children's confidence and also for your learning of the local culture.

(2) Childcare Related

iSPiiCE work alongside the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Service) scheme which is a government initiative addressing both early childhood development, health and malnutrition in India. The services provided by the scheme are made available through local child care centres (anganwari) and they offer nutritional food and health education to mother and child as well as non formal preschool education. Although these centres do provide a valuable service in the community they suffer from a lack of funding and poor management affecting their ability to meet specified objectives, especially in the area of preschool education. This is where volunteer assistance can make such a difference and along with local staff you will be responsible for providing a safe, hygienic environment for the children to play and learn, play games and develop arts activities designed to enhance their motor skills and encourage creativity, also you will introduce the children to their ABCs and nursery rhymes creating a colourful and enjoyable learning environment.

(3) Women's Empowerment

With the introduction of the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women in 2001 the Indian Government has said Our vision in the new century of a nation where women are equal partners with men but in reality Indian women struggle to gain empowerment through society. Education is the most influential tool to raise the status of women and at iSPiiCE we run a variety of educational and confidence building activities to benefit women and adolescent girls in the local community. English teaching and computer classes impart much needed skills to the ladies, increase their self worth and offer a platform for social interaction, ultimately increasing their social status and employability prospects. One good technique for building rapport and empowering the local women is to ask them to teach you basic Hindi at the same time as you are teaching them. You'll come back with fond memories of an unforgettable experience.

Qualifications

There are no educational requirements for this project; anyone with a heart to help is welcome on this project! Patience, commitment and a willingness to learn is essential. There is no maximum age restriction for our volunteer placements, but the minimum age requirement is 16 years unless accompanied by an adult.

Languages

• English
• Hindi

Cost in US$:

2 weeks - 490, 3 weeks - 640, 4 weeks - 790, 5 weeks - 940, 6 weeks -1,090, 7 weeks - 1,240, 8 weeks - 1,390. Extra weeks - 150 per week.

Cost Includes:

• Excursions
• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Language instruction
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials pre-departure
• Pre-departure orientation/Training

Program Fees Include:

We endeavor to take the 'worry' out of your volunteer placement by including all of the main arrangements within the cost of the Program Fee.

Your iSPiiCE program includes:
1. Meet and Greet at New Delhi Airport, transfer & Hotel in Delhi.
2. Pre Departure Info Kit, which would have all information regarding your program, work area information, city, things to bring, immunizations along with your 100% comprehensive Insurance details and welcome details in Delhi Airport.
3. All excursion/trips are included in a program fee.
* Himalaya trek and McLeod Ganj visit including one night's camping, Transfer, meals.
* Visit Taj Mahal - regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world. One night stay.
* Visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar, one night stay Transfer, accommodation, meals.
4. All transportation are included in a program fee.
5. Volunteer work with community in rural areas.
6. Emergency support.
7. All meals are included in program fee. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
8. All accommodation for the duration of your placement is included in program fee.
9. English speaking Guides for the duration of your placement.
10. Basic teaching materials and use of Computer/Internet.
11. All materials required for various activities during the volunteer work like color, pens papers, sports equipment etc.
13. Basic sporting equipment for volunteer activities in the Camp.
15. Delhi airport drop at the end of your project.
16. Certificate of service and references.

Other facilities provided by iSPiiCE for comfort and recreation of volunteers include:
a. Amenities like refrigerator, DVD player, television etc.
b. Video and library books; Board Games.
c. Information and assistance for independent excursions during the weekends.

What the program fee does not cover:
1 Airfare, Insurance, Visa
2 Application Fee
3 Any personal expenses
4 Laundry, telephone, immunizations

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

iSPiiCE volunteers come from all corners of the world and from all walks of life, a reflection of the varied needs of our programs. People from different backgrounds offer different skills and experiences, forming a diverse team and pool of knowledge and contributing to the holistic development of the community.

Age Range

16 and above

This Program is open to

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

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

iSPiiCE (Integrated Social Programs In Indian Child Education)'s Mission Statement

iSPiiCE endeavor to directly contribute to the sustainable development of rural Indian Communities and to provide our volunteers with meaningful and socially responsible opportunities for travel, service and cultural exchange. We are always ready to assist the local community in practical ways and we aim to be flexible in the support we offer to meet specific need within the community. Our aims are to assist in providing a good education and adequate attention for all children, to promote a personal awareness on hygiene and nutritious food matters and to bring increased awareness to the community, of the importance of providing a good education for both boy and girl students while resolving the problems which guardians face in their daily lives which can allow for this.