Volunteer in India with International Volunteer HQ today. IVHQ’s local staff in India require volunteers NOW! IVHQ  has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in orphanage work, teaching English, street children work, health work, and the working with women and children project in the bustling region of Delhi, surrounding rural suburbs and Dharamsala (Indian city of the Dalai Lama - known and "Mini Tibet").

LOCATION OF INDIA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

IVHQ has volunteer programs in India, Delhi NCR, surrounding rural suburbs and Dharamsala (Indian home to the Dalai Lama and twenty minutes from Palampur). It is important to note that the Delhi placements are not located in central New Delhi (this is the CBD and New Delhi is a large sprawling city). The CBD area is a business area and the poorer communities are located on the outskirts of New Delhi NCR mainly in the town of Faridabad. Similarly, the Dharamsala placements are located predominantly in the town McLeod Ganj with some additional placements in Palampur while most of the Dharamsala Health projects are located in the town of Bir. All of these communities have many projects that are in desperate need of volunteers.

DELHI OR DHARAMSALA?

One decision volunteers must make before they apply online is whether they wish to volunteer in Delhi or Dharamsala. Both have their benefits and their drawbacks, but generally we find that both programs are equal in popularity. The Delhi program has a wider range of program options and slightly lower fees. However the heat, hustle bustle and size of the city mean some people prefer the Dharamsala program. The Dharamsala program is based at the foot of the Himalayas in extremely picturesque settings (probably the most beautiful of all of the IVHQ programs) in the town of Dharamsala. This program has higher fees and a lower range of programs, however volunteers find the climate to be more suitable (especially those that do not enjoy the heat so much). Furthermore, while safety is fine in both locations and we have never had any issues on either program, volunteers who have done both placements have felt that due to its smaller size, Dharamsala was safer than Delhi. Regardless of where you to choose go, the program will be fantastic, our local staff will look after you, there will be other volunteers to keep you company and you will have an amazing time.

VOLUNTEERING IN SUMMER

If you are going to be volunteering in summer (May to August), it is important to consider the climate. Past Delhi volunteers will tell you that in summer time, the heat is so extreme that it can often become unbearable. Accommodation generally has fans, however with power cuts not unusual (recent summers have been extremely bad for this), these become ineffectual.  In recent years we have had some of the hottest summers in the last 100 years.  Placements during the day where volunteers work generally do not have air conditioning or fans. Therefore, our recommendation is if you are indifferent between the two programs, the India - Dharamsala program will be more pleasant from May through to September. The Dharamsala program is at a higher altitude which means it is much cooler and more pleasant for volunteers. If you are not adverse to the heat then you will be fine on the Delhi program but it is important you keep climate in mind when planning your trip. During these months Delhi is by far our hottest program.

START AND DURATION OF INDIA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

Volunteers can begin our India placements on the first and third Monday of every month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods of one week to six months. NB Dharamsala placements have a two week minimum time frame.

INDIA VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be 18 years or older at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. 

HOW MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS WILL THERE BE?

INDIA VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS

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 and one is located in Delhi centre. In many of the orphanage placements, volunteers will live on site at the orphanage with the children (not at home stays).

WORKING WITH WOMEN AND CHILDREN (Delhi only)

Through our local team in Faridabad, IVHQ works to empower marginalized and disadvantaged women in India. IVHQ works with six women’s projects, all of which are located in Faridabad, Delhi. Volunteers in these projects can learn about the lives of the women, their way of living and assist them with the micro finance activities that they are already involved with. The program provides materials to the women's projects such as sewing machines and other tools and materials to make clothes, paper bags, and knitting so that the women can be self reliant (through producing goods available for sale). This project is suitable for volunteers who want to assist these women through helping them in their current micro finance activities (with tasks such as paper bag making, stitching and knitting) while also gaining a deeper insight into the lives of women in India. Volunteers with a particular skill set may have the opportunity to provide training in their relevant field, if it is deemed beneficial to the women involved in the projects (and the women wish to learn a new skill set). However, this would need to be discussed with projects coordinators in country and would only realistically be possible for longer term volunteers (in excess of three months as it takes a few weeks to settle into the project and find out what training would be most beneficial to the women involved in the projects). In addition to this, volunteers have the opportunity to provide lessons to the women in basic subjects such as math and English. Finally, to ensure there is enough work for volunteers, volunteers will often take classes at local slum schools, teaching the children English and math and arranging activities such as painting, drawing and sports.

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. Volunteer 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 five different street children projects in India; four are located in Faridabad, Delhi and one is in Noida, Delhi.

CHILDCARE PROGRAM (Dharamsala Only)

In McLeod Ganj, 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 the town of Bir.

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.

INDIA PROGRAM COSTS

One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. Click here to see the program cost to volunteer in India and what you receive in exchange for your fees. It is important to note that Delhi and Dharamsala have different fees.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Volunteers are accommodated in either a home-stay or a volunteer house where they will live with a local family or other volunteers.  We give that local family money from your fee for support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with a family; that way you will learn the Indian way of life, meet local people, eat local food, speak the local language (predominantly Hindi) and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is comfortable and all home stays and volunteer houses have electricity and running water. Volunteers can expect to share a room with other volunteers but in some home stays volunteers get their own rooms. Volunteers should carry their sleeping bags during the months of November to February for Delhi. NB - Volunteers working in the Orphanage program are provided accommodation on the orphanage premises most of the time. This accommodation is safe and secure and volunteers are accommodated in a separate room. Indian food is tasty, diverse and volunteers can expect to experience a myriad of flavours and meals during their home stay experience. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are a large numbers of restaurants and diners to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible. 

ORIENTATION

Orientation will begin on the first and third Monday of each month and last for approximately half a day. Orientation will be conducted by staff in Delhi for volunteers on placement in Delhi and for volunteers on placement in Dharamsala you need to arrange your direct travel to Dharamsala, where you will be collected from the airport or bus station (our local staff can assist you with this when you register).  For all volunteers electing for the one week orientation (whether volunteering in Delhi or Dharamsala) this will take place in Delhi and then Dharamsala volunteers can proceed onto Dharamsala after the conclusion of this orientation week.  Orientation covers everything you need to know for your volunteering placement in Delhi – Introduction to India, Indian Customs, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Basic Hindi lesson, Travel Opportunities in India and Introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their home stay and introduced to all relevant parties – home stay family members and program placement staff.

The second option is a one week language and cultural orientation in Delhi. This orientation week begins on your selected start date (1st and 3rd Monday of the month) and your volunteer program will continue the following week. Your total stay will be increased by one week and your end date will be shifted a week later. You must specify you wish to do the orientation week with your program coordinator when you register. Orientation week is very popular amongst volunteers, as they find it is a great way to help settle into the "culture shock" that is India. It is highly recommend by past volunteers and important in helping volunteers settle into India.

Details & Itinerary of One week Orientation Program in India

• Day 1: Welcome to India, introduction to the program help in Delhi, safety issues, basic culture and history about India. Also learn about your orientation week program and details about your volunteering program in India to follow after this week. Hindi language introduction.
• Day 2: Hindi language class for approximately 3 hours. Learn basic letters and words of welcoming, greeting, short expressions, as well as learn about important and handy words which would help you while at work in your placement. You will get a chance to explore by yourself around Delhi in the afternoon and evening. Visit local markets, internet cafes, coffee shops and practice Hindi.
• Day 3: New Delhi Sightseeing: Lotus Baha’i Temple, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar - All entrance fees included.
• Day 4: Old Delhi Sightseeing: India Gate, Red Fort, Jama Mosque and Raj Ghat (Gandhi Samadhi) - All entrance fees included.
• Day 5: Hindi language classes during the day time covering more words and vocabulary to help you in daily use. In the evening explore the local markets, visit internet cafes, practice your new Hindi or visit restaurants with other volunteers.
• Day 6: Hindi language classes in the morning. In the afternoon go to see a new Bollywood Hindi movie. Entrance to the Hindi movie is included in your fees.
• Day 7: Optional extra: The Taj Mahal tour (NB: This tour includes A/C Car Delhi to Agra return, state insurance, driver, parking and toll taxes, breakfast and lunch and guide but NOT the entrance fees to the Taj Mahal, these are extra). For those not doing the Taj tour, you will depart for your project and have your briefing with local staff and introduction to accommodation and project. Those doing the Taj tour will do this the next day.

Cost $220 for this 1 week program (accommodation and 3 meals per day covered during this time). Upgrade to see Taj Mahal on the 7th day for an extra $100. 

VOLUNTEER WEEK

The following is a basic guide to what a typical volunteer schedule can look like. However, it is important to note that with such a wide variety of accommodation options and placements, this can vary widely.

• First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.
• Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows.
• 7.30AM Breakfast with the host family or at volunteer house
• 8.00AM Volunteer leaves home and travels to the project; The volunteer joins with the local staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in.
• 2.00PM-5.00PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. Usually we will have a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00PM.
• 8.30PM Dinner with the host family.
• Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and India. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield such as Agra or Jaipur. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.

INDIA INFORMATION

Capital City New Delhi
Population 1,132,446,000
Languages Hindi, English
Currency Indian rupee (INR)
Timezone IST (UTC+5:30)
Climate India's climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, both of which drive the monsoons

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