Description

As a volunteer on a Care project in India, you will have an important role to play, whether you are a trained professional offering us the benefit of your experience or a person on a gap year or career break looking for some experience of development work. Everybody is welcome, provided you are willing to work hard and be committed to the role.

The orphanages and care centers in India that we work with are located in and around the city of Madurai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The centers cater for orphans, children in care, and children with disabilities aged from 2 - 18. In many cases, your day will begin early when you will be required to help the children get ready for school. You might have the middle of the day free or you may want to stay on to help out with other social care activities.

We also have a Care placement working in a hospice for low-income people with terminal illnesses. This placement can be quite intense and includes helping to feed the patients, clean wounds, change their clothes, and simply spending time with the patients coming toward the end of their lives.

In whichever volunteer care project you find yourself, you need to be ready for a challenge. Many of the children are desperate for attention and there will be many present who have health problems or who require special attention due to disabilities.

For the younger children, there is often a nursery attached to the home where you can help or perhaps you might even go with the children to school and teach a little English. When the older children come home at 4.30pm, you can help with their homework or organize games and activities for them before dinner.

Some care centers are more inclusive in their approach, teaching both life skills and handcrafts to the older children. As a volunteer, if you are good at art, crafts, sports or even gardening there's a lot you can do to help on a social level. Interaction, friendship and support are the most important things you will need to be able to offer the children we work with.

In most cases volunteers stay in accommodation at the care placement where they are working. This gives you the opportunity to get involved with the children throughout the whole day.

This project is available for two weeks if you don't have time to join us for a month or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain valuable cultural insight and work intensely within the local community please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period.

Highlights

India is a truly amazing place - spectacular scenery, quaint villages, fascinating and magnificent temples, sandy beaches and lots of sun. It has all this and an ancient culture. For the vast majority of visitors, it is a place they long to return to again and again.

All accommodation is organized, paid for, and monitored by Projects Abroad. All project placements are regularly visited and checked. We require high standards of supervision and accommodation, which are verified before you arrive in India.

In addition, become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications

No experience or qualifications are necessary.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

Please go to our website for prices.

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

Open-minded with a desire to travel.

Age Range

16-70

This Program is open to

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

Typical Living Arrangements

• Apartment/Flat
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement

As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded

1992