If you’re going to spend any length of time volunteering in India, you will have over 4000 cities and towns to choose from. This is important to know — especially when it comes to answering the question, “Where should I volunteer in India?” You’ll need to narrow down where you want to be in order to enjoy your experience and make the biggest impact.
Volunteering in India won’t be anything short of colorful!
If you keep in mind that India is roughly one-third the size of the United States, but dwarfs the U.S. in terms of occupancy (India has over one billion people compared to the 330 million living in the United States!), that question of where you land is even more important...particularly when you consider a thoughtful application of talent and resources.
Volunteer opportunities in India are just about everywhere. With so many people and a limited amount of wealth to distribute, gaining meaningful support from others is not just welcome, it can also be critical. Roughly 25% of the population is below the poverty line, which makes your work even more important.
So, if you’re ready to start planning your time as a volunteer in India, it makes sense to start with the best cities in India for volunteers — and what you plan to do once you arrive.
Keep Reading: How Much Does it Cost to Volunteer in India?
What are the major areas of need for volunteer opportunities in India?
In India, volunteer programs that help to meet the greatest needs often focus on issues like environmental conservation, health and wellness, childcare, and economic growth.
Volunteer opportunities in India also include working to address some of the challenges most commonly experienced in high-poverty conditions, like working to provide dental care, assisting in the development of more agricultural resources, assisting orphans, and even helping with microfinance programs in order to provide a starting point for an aspiring entrepreneur working to change their own community for the better.
Volunteering in India can also mean experiences as diverse as working to protect the water system, helping with building and construction projects, conducting biological research, or interacting with the large number of street children who need to fend for themselves each day.
If you are passionate about something, it’s likely that there is a cause to match that passion available to you if you volunteer in India. With that in mind, the next question is...where should I volunteer in India?
Keep Reading: Top 10 Volunteer Programs in India
7 best cities in India for volunteers
1. Delhi
Delhi is one of the best cities in India for volunteers (and for gaining an authentic perspective of life in India).
With over 16 million people in Delhi, volunteering opportunities in India that focus on this city (one of the fastest growing in the world) will bring you in contact with meaningful work, but also with numerous heritage, pilgrimage sites, and tourist attractions. You can even find yourself boating in one of Delhi’s tranquil lakes. Hungry? Have some pindi chana (a delicious chickpea dish), as it’s one of this North Indian cities’ most popular culinary offerings.
Recommended programs:
- Road Trip India – GoEco
- Volunteer in Slum Teaching in Delhi, India – IVHQ
- View ALL Volunteer Opportunities in Delhi
2. Mumbai
The city of Mumbai is a bustling city-center with a major airport and a thriving fashion district. In this part of India, volunteer opportunities can include things like business development work, volunteering in the arts, working with computer training, or even media and marketing work for the fashion industry. When you volunteer in Mumbai, you’re working in the financial, commercial, and entertainment capital of India, and you can pursue the kinds of volunteer programs that add value to the industries that drive the Indian economy.
Recommended programs:
- Social Media & Brand Strategist – Tribes For Good
- Best Volunteer Abroad Programs Worldwide – Volunteer World
- View ALL Volunteer Opportunities in Mumbai
3. Dharamsala
In places like Dharamsala and Munnar, you’ll find quiet moments.
This valley city has the feel of a metropolis locked within a deep forest — which is precisely what it is. When you volunteer in India and choose to spend time in the place named with the Hindi words for spirit dwelling or sanctuary, you will find that the place truly lives up to its name. Due to its location, it’s also a fantastic place for those who enjoy trekking or hiking; when you’re not offering support to education programs or social support programs, you can hit the trails and see what the view looks like from the summit of any one of several gorgeous peaks.
Recommended programs:
- Semester in India: Spirit & Service – Carpe Diem Education
- Volunteer Abroad in One of 8 Countries – Cross-Cultural Solutions
- View ALL Volunteer Opportunities in Dharamsala
4. Jaipur
This historic city, also called Pink City due to the color of so many of its buildings, is among the most recently designated (of 38!) World Heritage sites in India. Popular to tourists for the incredible architecture, shopping, and cultural centers, some of the more likely choices for volunteering in India in Jaipur include opportunities in education, recreation, and small business development — all of which allow you to contribute to the economy in this vibrant town.
Recommended programs:
- Women’s Empowerment and Community Work in India – Kaya
- India Summer Volunteering Program and Adventure Tour – Volunteering Solutions
- View ALL Volunteer Opportunities in Jaipur
5. Hyderabad
In between being a volunteer in India, you can be a foodie in Hyderabad!
Hyderabad, once known as The City of Pearls, is a former center for pearl and diamond trading, which contributed to the city’s ongoing economic development. Volunteer opportunities in India focused on this part of the country include working in the arts, music, education, media, marketing, and cuisine. Hyderabad’s culinary specialties include French, Arabic, Turkish, and Iranian influences, so if food is your thing, you’ll really enjoy your time in this popular Indian city!
Recommended programs:
- Social Entrepreneurship – Skilled Impact
- Permanent Shelter Project – Smile Always Foundation
- View ALL Volunteer Opportunities in Hyderabad
6. Calcutta
While many people may know about connections to Calcutta that include working with the most vulnerable and impoverished, including India’s orphans, the city is also known as The City of Joy, and is considered a cultural center, due to the number of Nobel Laureates with ties here. Calcutta is divided into four distinct areas, with the slums in the North, the business district in the Central area, the upscale luxury neighborhoods in the Southern area, and the newest construction development to the East; each area offers opportunities to volunteer in India.
Recommended programs:
- Street Children Welfare – SMILE Society
- Medical Placements in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Cambodia – Volunteering Journeys
- View ALL Volunteer Opportunities in Calcutta
7. Udaipur
How would you like to travel to a place often called “the most romantic location” in the country when you pursue your volunteer opportunities in India? Peppered with lakes and monuments (and home to numerous festivals), Udaipur has been the location of a large number of movies and the setting for works of literature due to its beautiful skyline, intricate architecture, and glassy lakes. Volunteers here can work in tourism, media, entertainment, business development, agriculture, and even geology (with a focus on mineral excavation).
Recommended programs:
- India Udaipur: Orphanage Program – A Broader View Volunteer Corps
- Child Care in India – Pod Volunteer
- View ALL Volunteer Opportunities in Udaipur
Ready to go? Get matched with 5 volunteer opportunities in India for FREE!
As an India volunteer, your work will make a difference
Naturally, you have to make time to visit the Taj Mahal as an India volunteer!
Where should I volunteer in India? Wherever you want! When you make the decision to pursue volunteer opportunities in India, you can pick from regions that are so varied from one another, it’s as if they’re different countries.
From the most beautiful tourist locations, to the most enchanting natural vistas, to the poorest slums, India is as diverse geographically and economically as it is densely populated. Whatever your interests, you are bound to find something that perfectly fits your talents and your timeline.
As you review this short list of places to choose from, just remember that there are still almost 4000 other locations that you could pick for volunteering in India. You might want to explore archeological opportunities in Attirampakkam, or work on academic research in technology, health, or law in Bangalore.
Perhaps dedicating your volunteer efforts to working in conservation in order to preserve what remains of the once-famous coastline of Pondicherry is a call that appeals to you. There are as many opportunities as there are places you can go.
Whatever you might decide, you will be working with others who want to make the country of India into a more beautiful and peaceful place — and that is an incredible way to spend some time. Enjoy it!
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