Community Work in Bangalore, India

  India

Bangalore

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: various dates available

Description: Have you got people skills?
You could put your talents to great use by assisting on one of a number of community projects around the colorful city of Bangalore; working in schools that help underprivileged, severely handicapped and deaf children. You'll soak up the sun as well as world-famous sights including the magnificent Vidhana Soudha and budding Cubbon Park, while using your talents to support the project through befriending, counselling, education and healthcare assistance.

*What does this community project do?

You could get involved with one of a variety of community development projects available in Bangalore, which include:

   1. Working with girls and women with disabilities in a residential home.
   2. Working in a school for deaf and hearing-impaired children.
   3. Providing schooling to children from local orphanages/the slums.
   4. Teaching English and computing knowledge to young children from the slums.

The majority of these projects are based in either schools, orphanages or drop in/day care centres, which local children attend on a daily basis.

*Why does this project need volunteers?
Disabled children and orphans in India are deprived of many opportunities to ensure their successful development. The aims of these projects are to provide education and social skills to disadvantaged/underprivileged children and keep them away from life in the slums. You can make a difference in the lives of these children by helping with after school programs, computer training for teenagers and street children, and other valuable programs. The orphanage does request that volunteers stay for a minimum of two months.

Find out more about i-to-i, watch their short video here: http://video.i-to-i.com/site-videos/video.html.

Highlights:
* Working to help improve the lives of the disadvantaged in one of India's most booming cities
* Fresh coconut juice - a Bangalore specialty
* Weekends exploring the surrounding countryside or even heading off to Hampi - there is always something to do around this great city

Qualifications: Most of the projects seek committed individuals to help strengthen their projects and programs, so a willingness to learn is essential. Caring projects such as this are tough, but rewarding, so if you're resilient and independent you'll be more suitable for this type of work. You should also be emotionally mature and able to cope with distressing situations that could occur. A background in care work is not necessary, but some knowledge of working with mental or physical disabled people would be useful. A genuine love for children, flexibility, self-motivation and openness to a new culture are also highly valued at these projects.

Cost in US$: USD 1295.00 for 2 weeks, USD 220.00 for every week thereafter

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Your main role is to provide basic daily care for the orphans/disabled children. You are also encouraged to actively participate in programs such as health education, games, drawing, and arts and crafts. If you have plenty of energy, you may also choose to get involved in sports and create teaching materials to aid the children's learning. You may be working in small groups or on a one-to-one basis and will be expected to contribute in any way possible, so it is advised to come prepared with bags of ideas, activities and fun games for the children!

Age Range: 18 and up

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to India Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

i-to-i Meaningful Travel's Mission Statement: i-to-i is an award-winning organization providing unique opportunities for you to travel, work and live abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 18 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations and over 50,000 have learned to Teach English as a Foreign Language through our tailor-made TEFL courses. With over 400 projects on 4 continents, you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching, community development, sports coaching, conservation, building or internships in tourism, marketing, journalism, or health.

Year Founded: 1994