Cecile tells...

Being a volunteer is the most rewarding experience I have ever experimented. I went to India in November and was sent for 2 months to a small school in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, to teach the kids Basic English. I couldn’t expect a better interaction with them: First, as they were eager to get to know me, they couldn’t help asking questions about my country which made me feel comfortable. Then, we moved on grammar rules, vocabulary, games, songs and stories.

On Christmas time, we worked out choreography and they really enjoyed performing it for the school day program. By the end, I think they improved their spoken English and could even manage with a bit of French.

Moreover, my stay in the YWCA hostel was another way to assure a lot of Indian culture as I used to live with the lo-cals and this made the adventure more precious.

Obviously, I can’t omit that I had to face culture shock, misunderstandings, religious issues or health problems. But I knew I could always rely on my coordinator to help me out and felt secure. All in all this experience made me grow, taught me tolerance and opened my mind….I’ll definitely come back one day to work for another project.

Catarina tells...

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 bunk beds, a dining hall, a playground, and a washroom in which the children could bathe. Well, I arrived to an orphanage with facilities that were 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 orphanage 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 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 a 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.

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. 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 to their children. So not only do the lessons greatly benefit the women, they also benefit their children. We have also continued with maths, addition and subtraction in particular. My only regret is that I have such a short time to spend and to work with women. Thank you for everything!

Julien tells...

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 me, 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. 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, Julien

Sara tells...

My time at the project (St. Johns School in Gowridbidnur) was wonderful, not less than that. I learned so many things from teaching, from the children there, from the teachers and also from living in the village. For me it was an amazing experience to see how everyday-life is in rural India. I was never bored! Always someone inviting me to their houses, giving me food and they were always very interested in talking to me.

The school is such a lovely project. I was teaching in pre-nursery, 5.std and 7, std. In pre-nursery it was sometimes a little difficult to keep the children quite while we were teaching. The small children were so much fun. In 5, 6 and 7 std. teaching was easier. My host family has been abso-lutely amazing! They are the loveliest people and they sure will be my friends for the rest of my life. They have helped me much and they have been taken so good care of me. They made me feel like a part of their family. I have always felt that I was very welcome.

All in all, I wouldn’t have missed my stay in India for anything else in the whole world because of the school and family.