FAMILY VOLUNTEER PROGRAM INDIA
Duration of the program: Minimum 3 Days to Maximum 8 Weeks.
Location: Jaipur, India.
Program Dates: All around year.
Pick up Facility: Once you arrive in Jaipur, we will arrange a pick up facility for you and will drop you at an accommodation with an Indian Host family.
Stay with Indian family: Enjoy a homely stay at an Indian Host family house where you get a sumptuous purely vegetarian food. While you enjoy the delicious meals, you also get to know about rich Indian culture and traditions. So this will be like an exchange program where you will fall in love with Indians and feel like being one of them. Transportation: For the volunteer program we will arrange Tuk-Tuk facility so that participants can feel like Jaipur locals who use Tuk-tuk for daily transportation.
What is included: Arranging your Programme, Pre-departure information and support by email/phone, Arrival pickup from Jaipur, Program relevant materials, Accommodation with Indian Host Family during volunteer program, Hotel Accommodation in Agra and Delhi. 3 Meals ( Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner during volunteer work ), Transportation facility for project site, Weekend Sightseeing’s Tours, Breakfast at Hotel, Drop off to Delhi airport or desired location in Delhi and 24 hours of admin support.
What is not included:Internet, Mineral Water Bottle, Monument Entry Fees and any kind of personal expenses.
In our Children program we have orphan, street and children which are kidnapped by the criminal gangs in India; these children involved in child labour by the criminal gangs. Many of them are left by their parents on railway station, bus stands, and next to traffic signals to do activities like begging, vending, selling cigarettes and tobacco, padding lottery tickets etc. We have rescued all these children and bring them in our childcare center. To provide them accomodation, food, education and with all the necessary things which a child needs for his growth. Since 2008 we have repatriate around 2500 children. You as a volunteer will be involved in activities such as teaching them basic English and mathematics, personality development classes. Personality development includes talking about having a positive attitude towards life, self-esteem, manners, speaking and behaving in public etc. In addition you can teach them Alphabets, Counting, Days of weeks, Months of year, manners, writing practice etc. You will also be involved in activities related to art & craft work, such as drawing and henna painting. Health education programs such as the AIDS-awareness program make them be aware of health & hygiene tips and nutrition. Sports and games have also been organized by volunteers in order to develop their physical stamina; all these are very helpful in making their life better and in rehabilitating them. The program is located in the village near Amber Fort which is also known as Elephant Village where elephants get care by their mahouts every day. It is also one of Elephant Sanctuary in India in India. Elephant Village Jaipur is India’s first and the world’s third elephant village also known as “Haathi Gaon“. Government of Rajasthan, India has allotted this place in the area of 30 hectares of land which has stable blocks for each elephants with attached housing; it has also a big man-made lake where the elephants can swim and gets thoroughly washed down. These elephants were rescued from circuses, abusive settings and brought from Southern Part of India. Elephant mahouts are living with their families at the project site and are responsible to give right care, fed properly & keep them healthy and fit. The Elephants in Jaipur are part of Indian festivals, cultural ceremonies and for the Elephant Safari/Ride in Jaipur at Royal Amber fort. The total population of Elephants in city is 115 out of which 52 have facilities for the accommodation at the village & 63 Elephants are still living out of the Zone Area due to the Project site is still in under-construction by the Government. The Program has created to give care to the elephants and help their mahouts. Many people around the world have dream in their life to spend some time with Elephants, live like a local and want to immerse in Indian culture. This project is something which make your dream come together in one place. We offer everyone around the world to Visit our Elephants in Jaipur by getting you close to them, get involved in Day Care Activity help you to know more about them and make your dream true to Work With Elephants. Language is not a problem for the international participants joining the program. The host family, our staffs, taxi drivers and kids/women in the program can understand basics. However if you are un-comfortable with the language barrier you can join a week Hindi Lesson Class which run 90 minutes Monday to Friday costs $150 for a week. During submission of OnlinE application you can request in the form. VWI makes arrangements for room, food and transportation for the volunteers, from the first day of the volunteer’s arrival in Jaipur, India. Volunteers will be living with the Indian Host Family. You will be having your own room at the host family house which can be shared by the same gender volunteer in the program. Participants coming with their friends, couples or family members live together at the same accommodation. Our host families are carefully screened and selected based on VWI requirements. Host families are experience in the realm of hosting international travelers from last 10 years. You will be getting 3 Meals per day (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner), traditional but very nutritious. The meals serves at the accommodation are the everyday meals which are eaten by the Indian Families. This is how the program has made to make you feel and Live Like a Local. However if you are not able to adjust with the Indian meals or need more nutrition/protein/special diet in your meals you can arrange by your own from the near by local market. Staying with Host family will give you the opportunity to learn about Indian Life, meet the locals, try local food, speak local language and make yourself to immerse in local customs and traditions. The host family members are able to communicate in English and are very friendly with volunteers. The accommodations are neat and clean and provide volunteers a home away from home experience. Our volunteers have private rooms at the host family house which can be shared by the same gender in the program. If you prefer to have your own room you can pay additional to have a private room. The host family homes are equipped with wifi internet. You will have a very good access through computer & by Wi-Fi access. The house has filtered drinking water, geysers, air conditioning, satellite television, modern toilets, comfortable beds, fans and air conditioner. The homes are close to useful amenities like banks, ATMs, currency ex-changers, restaurants, cafes and shopping arcades. The program location is 20-30 minutes drive from the House. We also arrange transportation facility for volunteers which will everyday pick you to project site and drop to your home when you finish work. You will have everyday auto-rickshaw (tuk-tuk) or Car ride for Transportation.
Accommodation Option :-Please check our various accomodation options. Most of the participants prefer to choose Basic Accomodation Home which is shared by 2 participants.
Day 1: Today you will arrive in Jaipur. A VWI staff member will pick you up from your arrival destination and welcome you. After picking you up, we will transfer you to the host family accommodation. We will introduce you to the host family members and guide you through the accommodation facilities and your local surroundings. You will be given a run down about the project, your daily working schedule, rules and regulation of volunteering, what the dos and donts are of travelling in India are and advise you about facilities any traveller might need in a new place.
Day 2 to Day 6:We will bring you to our Children Program site. Your work will covered there every day by Teach them Basic English & Mathematics, Organize Health Education and AIDS awareness program, help the local health program coordinator for the daily check-up of children, Organize fun games for them that involve drawing, singing, dancing, and other creative educational activities.
2nd WEEK: Get ready to see your Elephants. You will be transfer to our project site. It’s time to get a wonderful ride by auto-rickshaw for the elephant village as it located near Royal Amber fort. Project site is covered by beautiful mountain valley. Our project coordinator will be with you there & he will tell you about how to care the elephants & help the mahouts.
Weekends:The weekends are free for you to relax and enjoy the Pink City of Jaipur. Every weekend we arrange sightseeing tour of Jaipur beautiful historical places, cultural places and programs with our VWI staff team. Volunteers have opportunity to meet with other volunteers also from other projects sites as everybody gets together on these days. There are several other side trips that you can join which will greatly enhance your experience of Rajasthan, India.
During the Volunteering Week Schedule every weekend we organise sightseeing tour of the famous Tourist Spots in Jaipur which includes Monkey Palace, Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Water Palace, Albert Museum & Birla Temple. It was an amazing and heart filling experience to be in contact with the enormous beautiful elephants, their committed caretakers and staying with the local family at Prity Guesthouse. I also enjoyed the tours with the Subhash and the tuktuk driver. Overall the guidance and communication was great and felt very safe at all times. Taking care of the elephants is a very grateful job to be so close and connected to the elephants. We drank a lot of chai and had a lot of fun. They were very enthousiastic... Read More It was an amazing and heart filling experience to be in contact with the enormous beautiful elephants, their committed caretakers and staying with the local family at Prity Guesthouse. I also enjoyed the tours with the Subhash and the tuktuk driver. Overall the guidance and communication was great and felt very safe at all times. This is a really fun project to get a chance to see and interact with elephants up close. The communication ahead of our arrival was all helpful/clear, and the train station pickup on arrival was really handy. Our guesthouse was well located, clean, and the food was really tasty. Working with the elephants we got the opportunity to get stuck in with feeding, washing, and mucking out, and the mahouts were all very supportive in guiding us and showing off the animals. They clearly know and care for them a... Read More This is a really fun project to get a chance to see and interact with elephants up close. The communication ahead of our arrival was all helpful/clear, and the train station pickup on arrival was really handy. I spend 4 wonderful weeks working on the elephant project. I had a tough start because there were some problems with my baggage in Delhi airport, But Sukret was very helpful through it all, so no matter what happens, just take it easy, and you are in safe hands. I will admit that I Had times when I just thought that everything was new for me here, it such a big culture difference. I come here for 4 weeks so on my beginning days I learned how to get around... Read More I spend 4 wonderful weeks working on the elephant Working with the mahouts was a wonderful experience. Setting to know the elephants was an experience that cannot be explained. No regrets, I hope to volunteer with VWI again. I believe I have new friends and hope to see them again. I would like to give Volunteering With India 10 out 9 from my overall experience. Toto the once of our taxi driver was the best driver for transportation, he makes fun – laugh and always in time. The project staff members, accommodation and food was excellent. I definitely recommend... Read More Working with the mahouts was a wonderful experience. Setting to know the elephants was an experience that cannot be explained. No regrets, I hope to volunteer with VWI again. I believe I have new friends and hope to see them again. I would like to give Volunteering With India 10 out 9 from my overall experience. Toto the once of our taxi driver was the best driver for transportation, he makes fun – laugh and always in time. The project staff members, accommodation and food was excellent. I definitely recommend the project to other volunteers. The family house that I stayed in was lovely, and all the family were welcoming to me, before I aimed at the project, all my emails were answered very quickly and professionally. During my stay both program coordinator and tuk-tuk driver were very friendly and helpful, and visiting their houses was a great experience, so thank you to them for their hospitality. However I was rather disappointed in starting days as I had to woke early in morning but after few days it been in my habbit as I understood... Read More The family house that I stayed in was lovely, and all the family were welcoming to me, before I aimed at the project, all my emails were answered very quickly and professionally. During my stay both program coordinator and tuk-tuk driver were very friendly and helpful, and visiting their houses was a great experience, so thank you to them for their hospitality. However I was rather disappointed in starting days as I had to woke early in morning but after few days it been in my habbit as I understood the care works needs from morning hours when elephant woke. I everyday work from morning 5 a.m to 9 a.m. I also come in afternoon hours twice a week when we make chapati’s for elephants. I have took care of 5 elephants and really want to bring all of them to my home. Really sad that my project finish needs to go home for study again. Will come definitely next time. The children project I visited, only for 2 days on the other hand was great and I felt I was contributing to something, so I would recommend all the projects which VWI offer. I really enjoyed the experience, would like a bit more time with them. Mahouts are very friendly, our program coordinator was a star and totaram ji ( taxi driver ) was great. I was in project for 3 weeks; on weekends I had visited Sightseeing’s of Jaipur, Agra & Ranthambore Tiger Safari. VWI arrange fantastic services. Loved last day with tigers. Thank you Sukret. Higly recommend the project. Ane :- Our Pick up service was good. Before joining the program we were travelling around India. We driven to the VWI office by our own driver. Then pick up by one of the team member in VWI. Accommodation was good. Very nice family, especially daughters. Food was ok. When we join the project there was Wedding in the Host family so it makes little bit irregular of our food for couple of days. Our transportation service was good. The taxi driver was so kind and took great care of... Read More Ane :- Our Pick up service was good. Before joining the program we were travelling around India. We driven to the VWI office by our own driver. Then pick up by one of the team member in VWI. Accommodation was good. Very nice family, especially daughters. Food was ok. When we join the project there was Wedding in the Host family so it makes Gail: – It was so nice to find someone waiting for us when we walked out of the airport with our names on a card. It eliminates any worries. Our Host family was lovely and getting to know them was a special part of our stay. The food was tasty. Our Tuk-Tuk ride gave us a chance to see the city waking up in the morning – sights we could not have ever seen. The driver was always prompt with a smile on his face. The Project staff members were... Read More Gail: – It was so nice to find someone waiting for us when we walked out of the airport with our names on a card. It eliminates any worries. Our Host family was lovely and getting to know them was a special part of our stay. The food was tasty. Our Tuk-Tuk ride gave us a chance to see the city waking up in the morning – sights we could not have ever seen. The driver was always prompt with a smile on his face. The Project staff members were great! It was a secure feeling having someone with it while we were working to explain + interpret things. We decided to Volunteer with VWI to be part of the country. Not to just be a tourist. We picked the elephant project because we love animals. I Would like to give full 10 out of 10.
FAMILY VOLUNTEER PROGRAM INDIA
About our Children Program:-
About the Elephant Program :-
LANGUAGE BARRIER
Picture Gallery of Accommodation Click Here
Volunteer Week Detail
Sightseeing Tour Places
Taking care of the elephants is a very grateful job to be so close and connected to the elephants. We drank a lot of chai and had a lot of fun. They were very enthousiastic involving me and also connect me to the other animals.
The family is very caring and I felt very much at home. Also they took me places which was really nice to learn more about Indian and Jaipur life, including dancing at the Navatri festival! The food was super delicious too.
I even extended my stay!
Our guesthouse was well located, clean, and the food was really tasty.
Working with the elephants we got the opportunity to get stuck in with feeding, washing, and mucking out, and the mahouts were all very supportive in guiding us and showing off the animals. They clearly know and care for them a lot.
The weekend’s tourist trips around Jaipur were really nice and as a lot of the sights were spread out it was comforting to have our own driver for the morning so we didn’t have to navigate finding our own transport.
project. I had a tough start because there were some problems with my baggage in Delhi airport, But Sukret was very helpful through it all, so no matter what happens, just take it easy, and you are in safe hands. I will admit that I Had times when I just thought that everything was new for me here, it such a big culture difference. I come here for 4 weeks so on my beginning days I learned how to get around the city. The transportation is really cheap in India. I saw the entire tourist place on weekend sightseeing and did a lot of shopping. The staff members were really nice to introduce me for their families and taking me to different places. The work with elephants is amazing. On a normal day I got pick up from the host family at 5:00 a,m and was home again at about 8:30 a.m. Most of the days I cleaned the elephants area, washed and scrubbed the elephants and made food for them to eat. But I also experience to bath the elephant in the lake ride. Every day you have the program coordinator with you to the project, so you are never alone there is always someone to talk with and to answer your entire question. And that makes feel really safe and comfortable. I had an amazing time volunteering. Definitely a place I would love to visit again. Hard Work but really amazing elephants. All the people whom I met here is very welcoming and sweet. I like to give A Big 9 mark from 10 to VWI. The project Staff members Really great! Could not wished any better. It was great to write with Sukret, and he always answered really fast. I am really picky with food and I don’t like anything spicy, but the family was very nice to make sure there always something I could eat.
little bit irregular of our food for couple of days. Our transportation service was good. The taxi driver was so kind and took great care of us. Our Program Coordinator was great. Good English and always happy face. I decide to volunteer to Volunteer with VWI the reason was I wanted to work with elephants in India and found website online. The information on website was good. It seemed like a well organized organization and I like volunteering. Other Volunteers had also written great things about the project. I would like to give 10 out 9 marks to VWI. I less 1 marks because our breakfast was irregular for 2 days . Our Project life was good. We got up at 4:30 in the morning to get dressed and met the driver at 5:00 a.m then we drove to the elephant village. The first meeting with the elephants was exciting. They were sleeping when we arrived and laying down. When they got up we realized how big they are! Magnificent creatures. They have the kindest eyes and are almost like people. They understand what you say them. After having sorted out sugarcane and cleaned their areas we wash them. Then they go to the fort and we drink chai . We reached home at around 9 a.m. Breakfast at 9:15. Then you have whole day yourself. Lunch at around 13:00. Dinner at around 20:00. Two days a week you go back to the elephants at 13:00 to make food and chapattis for them. All the mahouts are funny, loud and few speak English but our program coordinator is there helping out. In the weekends You get to go sightseeing the city palace, monkey temple, forts etc..
The other volunteers become your best friends and there is a great feeling at home! I could really recommend the project, but be sure to stay longer than 1 week; it is not enough time to spend with these awesome animals.
Elise :- We driven to the VWI office by our own driver. Then pick up by one of the team member in VWI. During the week our taxi driver totoram was always on time. The food was good and the host family was very nice. Our Project staff members were very helpful. No complains. I decide to volunteer as the reason I wanted to go to India and I wanted to work with and get to know the beautiful elephants. I give 10 out of 8 Marks to VWI. This is your choice to experience India from Inside the ways of an Indian Family. While you contribute to the Indian Society and make new friends from all over the world.
Stanley:- Our arrival pickup service was great! Accommodation and food was so nice. They did a Good Job Accommodating my special diet. Family was very helpful. Our Driver was great and always on time. The Project Staff members were very helpful and friendly.
We decided to go with VWI as it’s sounded a good organization have good programs. I would like to give 10 out of 10+++. This experience is for a lifetime! I would recommend this program to everyone.
Brenda:- Excellent pickup service. Host family is lovely and food was very good. Our transportation service was excellent. The project staff members were very friendly. I decide to join the program as my friend Gail recommends me to do it. I would also like to give 10 out 10. Very interesting and rewarding to be able to see and share the care of the elephants with the hard working mahouts. The Project Coordinator Mr. Raj Soni was very attentive and was very concerned that we were well taken care of. It was a pleasure working with this company and yes, I would recommend this program to everyone.
