Care Work in India with Projects Abroad

  India

Madurai,  Rural Areas,  Sivakasi,  Trichy,  Trivandrum,  Trivandrum districts

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: All Year Round (you choose the start and end date)

Description: India, in Southern Asia, India is a country of rich natural resources and ancient traditions, and a great place to volunteer with children in orphanages and day care centers. Massive overpopulation, extensive poverty and religious disputes have left many children abandoned or worse still, sold into slavery. While we cannot pretend to have the remedy for these social problems, the work that volunteers do on Care projects here touches many lives and makes a real difference to some of the most vulnerable people in the Indian Subcontinent.

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 college summer vacation, gap year or career break looking for some experience of development work. Everybody is welcome, provided they are willing to work hard and be committed to the role, their work-colleagues and the children they are there to help.

Volunteering on a Care Project with Orphans in India

The orphanages and care centers in India that we work in are available in Tamil Nadu and in the neighboring Ghat Mountain state of Kerala. This is Indias deep Hindu South. The centers cater to 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 might like to stay on to help out with other social care activities. If you speak French you might be interested in our care placements in Pudecherry, the former French colony of Pondicherry.

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.

Volunteering in a Care Center in India

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 help 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.

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.

Cost in US$: from US$1,995 up

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Open-minded with a desire to travel.

Age Range: 16-70

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

Participants Travel to India Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• 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