India - Volunteers' Reviews

Michael Bird -India

My experience working with the women's group has been extremely rewarding. They are so eager to learn and to improve not only their own lives but also the lives of their families. They work very hard on their embroidery and show great attention to details. These sewing sessions also provide a great time to socialize as they form a wonderful bond of sisterhood. They help each other with the embroidery and make sure everyone is included. I am privileged to teach English to these amazing ladies after their sewing session. I teach them for one hour. We have reviewed and continue to build upon – phonetics, spelling and the use and meaning of adjectives. When they don't quite understand the meaning of the work, my humble attempt at drawing does the trick. They write down the English accompanied by the Hindi. So they can review their work at home. Many of them show what they have learned at school with their children. So not only do the lessons greatly benefit the women, they also benefit their children as well. We have also continued with maths, addition and subtraction in particular. They have a very good grasp of 'plus' and 'minus' and have a good foundation on which to build.

My only regret is that I have such a short time to spend and to work with women.

Thank you for everything!

Michale Bird, Delhi India

Kyle Brand

My experience here in India has been one that I will never forget. Over the past three weeks I have spent time in one orphanage and two schools. The children have huge smiles on their faces when we come around, but behind the smiles you can see the hurt in their eyes. These children tell us of their dreams for the future, but their future looks bleak from their current situation. Before I came to India I imagined an orphanage with bunkbeds, a dining hall, a playground, and a washroom in which the children could bathe. Well, I arrived to an orphange with facilities that were far far from that. These little boys and girls pile into the same beds with each other in rooms that don't even have real doors, let alone heat. The orphanage only has four rooms. One room for the boys, one for the girls, one for the adults who run the orphange, and one tiny room for the kitchen. Each bedroom is probably no larger than 12 by 12 and the kitchen is no larger than 4 by 6. There is t hen a common area that is not sheltered. Past volunteers have built two toilet stalls that are in the common area. Each child's story is heartbreaking, and makes you only want to help even further. Today while we were at the orphanage, we talked to one lady who is staying there because her husband left her and her four children for a new wife. She hopes to live there and not only improve her life, but the lives of these orphaned children. Today was her first day there, and it was an emotional day for her also. I didn't fully understand what she was saying, but the tears streaming down her face said enough. Something needs to be done. I no longer feel like I can sit at my home in the United States and ignore all of the hurt that goes on in the world. These children face not only poor living conditions, but a lack of healthcare and education as well. Volunteers are essential to the success of these programs. They need people to teach in the new schools and to assist in the various other programs. After just spending one afternoon with the children at the orphanage, I felt like I had really done something good. These programs could use skills from every area. A huge asset would be a volunteer that could speak Hindi, or a nurse that could provide basic healthcare, or a multitude of other things. But even volunteers like myself, who have nothing really specific to offer, are great assets. Sometimes these women and children just need a shoulder to lean on and someone to talk to. Many of these programs focus on building their self-confidence, to give them the momentum that they need to survive on their own. This experience has opened my eyes to many things that I never knew existed. It's hard to imagine the problems that these people face when we can only see them from the television set or the newspaper. If you cannot volunteer your time, a donation is a simple way to improve the lives of these children. I never would have guessed how much one dollar could accomplish, but I now realize that it can accomplish a lot. I urge anybody who is interested to get involved because you won't regret it. An experience like the one that I have had will only make you want to help even more.

Sincerely,

Kyle Brand

Jessica Mills

I am barely able to put my experience as a volunteer in India into words. Given the opportunity to work in an orphanage and see first hand the difference volunteer work can make, I have come to firmly believe that people can indeed have a great impact on the lives of those in need. The first day that I arrived at the orphanage in New Delhi, India I was immediately greeted with nearly 30 smiling Indian children. While a bit of a language barrier did exist, it did not matter at all. A common language is not needed to convey a hug, a smile, or simply playing, singing, and dancing with each other. In fact, because of the language barrier I felt that my interaction with the children was enhanced. As many of the children have lost their parents at extremely young and vulnerable ages they may not receive the interaction or loving affection most children need at such a young and crucial age. Therefore, by simply singing a song to a toddler or playing a game with a ten-year old, they feel as if someone out there does in fact care about them. Simply showing a child that someone does want to spend time with them, and showing them that they do matter and are important in the world can have a huge life-long impact on children.

The instant connection I made with the children was one of the most enriching experiences I have ever had. While my visit to the orphanage was much shorter than I would have liked it to be, I will never forget their laughter or the way they opened up to me. Most people have seen advertisements for children in need over seas, but it never entirely seems real until you can experience it first hand. Imagine holding the tiny hand of a child who only wants you to smile at them, or simply listen to them. One of the little girls at the orphanage told me how she had a dream to grow up to start her own medical clinic and help poor and sick people in India. Just like all the other children in the orphanage, she is full of aspiration and holds endless amounts of promise. But if no one had ever given her a chance, she could not have the opportunity to go on and do great things with her life. Children need someone to tell them that they can be and do anything that they set their heart and mind to, and that they can make a difference in the world. On that note, this trip has proven to me the ways in which volunteering can affect the lives of so many. While living conditions or the heartache from a life full of misfortune are often hard to change, some things cannot be simply bought but instead given through the help of volunteers. I firmly believe that volunteer work is absolutely crucial in developing nations, and I will never forget the experience that I have had here in India.

Jessica Mills