Child Care SupportIndia

Volunteers provide essential assistance to underfunded and understaffed day care centres within the local community as well as supporting community outreach projects.

In the mornings volunteers run activities at day care centres, a fun and interactive way to develop children’s English speaking and listening skills through songs, games and activities. Volunteers also run arts and crafts activities and the children love the opportunity to be creative which they don't usually get a chance to do.

Children experience a ‘classroom environment’ and develop skills that will set the groundwork for when they start primary school. There are usually 7-15 children who attend each day, between the ages of 3 and 6 years. At the end of the session, volunteers help with meal time and promoting the importance of washing hands before eating.

In the afternoons volunteers work together at community outreach projects leading games, sports, dance, arts and crafts sessions or additional English and maths lessons. The sessions run for around 2 hours and the children are mainly between 5-14 years old.

The outreach projects include supporting a rag picking community where the children collect and sell rubbish to generate an income for their families. By interacting with volunteers, the children and community can start to engage in the education system. The children are full of life and love to get stuck into a new game!

“Without our volunteers we wouldn’t be able to achieve our goals and help underprivileged communities. Together we can provide support to the less privileged people of India to develop the knowledge and skills which will assist them in leading positive and independent lives.”
Ravi, Founder

Typical day

During your first few days you will be given a full induction and cultural introduction for your volunteer placement. The local team are on hand to assist you throughout your placement and their experience is invaluable in helping volunteers plan their sessions.

Volunteers work 5 days per week, from Monday to Friday. Working hours vary depending on the activities you are involved in that day; some afternoon activities will finish at 4:30pm while others finish at 6:30pm. In between the morning and afternoon session, volunteers return to the accommodation for lunch and will have time to rest and plan the afternoon’s activities.

Daily travel to the project sites is arranged by the local team and varies from 10 and 30 minutes, using a rickshaw or car.

Weekends are free to experience free time activities and the exciting trips which are included.

Other volunteers

There are normally 1-4 Child Care volunteers.

Animal Rescue, Child Care and Community Education volunteers all live together so there are normally 5-12 volunteers at the accommodation with a maximum of 18. Some volunteers choose to combine the different volunteer roles while in India.

Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award

This placement has been approved by the DofE as meeting the requirements for the Residential section of the Gold Award.

Child protection

Pod is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults - please see our Child and Vulnerable Adults Protection Policy. All volunteers are required to have a criminal records check, which we will arrange with you.

Local support

Ravi and Guarav are brothers and run a social enterprise which supports communities around city of Udaipur to help break the cycle of poverty. They provide ongoing assistance to local schools, child care centres and community outreach projects. They also tackle wider issues including gender bias, female infanticide and child labour and marriage.

Ravi and Gaurav support volunteers together with Ravi's wife, Neha, who teaches volunteers cooking and henna and can help buy locally made saris and spices. Gaurav lives at the volunteer accommodation and Ravi and Neha live nearby.

Volunteers live in a family guesthouse alongside the local team. You share a bedroom with up to 3 other volunteers on a single-sex basis and each bedroom has its own bathroom.

The accommodation is simple but clean and has a TV room, dining room, kitchen and has WIFI.

Meals

All main meals are provided and are vegetarian. Here are typical examples of the food you will have: 

• Breakfast – bread, toast, cereals, spreads and fresh fruit
• Lunch and dinner – traditional Northern Indian curries with rice and local bread

In the afternoons there is sometimes local chai tea to enjoy.

Vegans are welcomed and can be catered for.

Drinking water is provided at the volunteer accommodation which you can take to the project with you. 

The project is based on the outskirts of Udaipur, a vibrant city that attracts visitors with its colourful temples and palaces. A day can easily be spent exploring the colourful street markets with beautiful Rajasthan jewellery and clothing. Known to locals as the “City of Lakes”, it is now considered one of the most romantic destinations in India, thanks to its lake and mountainous scenery!

Lake Pichola is a relaxing spot to try local cuisines and admire the stunning views of the Lake Palace, Monsoon Palace and the surrounding mountains. The Jagdish Temple and City Palace are interesting places to visit to learn more about the local culture and history.

Volunteers can arrange trips to some of India’s famous sights and cities including day trips to the nearby medieval hilltop fortress of Kumbhagargh (the second longest wall in the world!) and Ranakpur Jain Temple, as well as weekend trips to the unmissable Taj Mahal or Jodhpur desert safari.

You can enjoy yoga, cook local dishes, learn Rajasthan dances or practise henna at the volunteer accommodation - a great way to learn about Indian culture. Volunteers have free time in the evenings where they can relax, read a book, watch films and TV in the communal areas.

Trips

During your first week the local team arrange trips to the following local sights:

• Monsoon Palace - offers stunning views of Udaipur!
• Waterfront cultural theatre dance and puppet show

Travelling in India before or after your placement

Popular activities in India that you might like to combine with your project are:

• Visiting the Taj Mahal – a visit to India is not complete without a visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the World
• Exploring the spectacular city of Jaipur and its beautiful palace and fortress complexes
• Experience life in the Thar Desert and the iconic ‘Blue City’ of Jodhpur
• Look out for the elusive wild tiger in Ranthambore National Park and see the best of Northern India’s wildlife including jackal, crocodile and sambar deer

For more information on India and some of the things we loved when we visited there please see our India country page. This also features all our other India volunteering projects as you might like to consider combining this project with one of the others we offer to make a trip of a lifetime!

Climate

The city of Udaipur has a tropical climate. Temperatures are coolest from November to February, with average daytime temperatures ranging from 19 to 23˚C and can go down to 7˚C on a cold night. The dry season coincides with these ‘cool’ months.

The hottest months are from April to June, average daytime temperatures are approximately 28˚C but can reach to 35˚C on a hot day. Temperatures remain high during the monsoon season which generally runs in Udaipur from June to September.

Kirra – 2019

“My volunteer experience was amazing to say the least. Before going to India I had heard many things about India - both good and bad and was extremely nervous to travel there alone, however, as soon as I arrived at the host families house I felt right at home and knew it was going to be an amazing next 2 weeks.

Honestly, the worst part about my trip was that I didn’t stay longer. I will definitely be returning in the very near future.”

Sara – 2018

“I have never travelled that far away from home before so throughout the process of booking and planning for the trip I was very nervous; however, Pod Volunteer and the local team/host family made everything so easy. 
As this was my first time really traveling outside of my country and outside of my comfort zone, I couldn't be more grateful, thankful, and appreciative for this experience. 

Everything was so smooth, the accommodation and the host family made the experience very special, in the beginning they were all strangers and at the end of my two weeks stay they were all family. I feel like I left India with a new perspective on life. The children melted my heart.”

Charlotte–  2018

“We stayed in Udaipur as a family, my husband, myself and our 2 children (12 and 8). This was the best holiday I had ever had. I would recommend to anyone seeking a reality checkpoint. 

This is experience was so rich, both in terms of social help we were involved in the school, but also in terms of tourism, as Ravi and Neha made sure we enjoyed all the local sites and culture. 

There are no words to describe how welcome, safe and happy we felt to be part of this amazing project. My heart and soul are still there, and I'm struggling to adjust back to our reality here, even though we were there for only 2 weeks.”

Andy – 2018

“Our experience in Udaipur was incredible and far-exceeded our expectations. It offered a true balance of social-tourism.

The 'social' work was enriching, joyful, rewarding, challenging, and fun. It was well integrated within the broader timeframe, allowing us as a family to enjoy and experience all that India has to offer. We grew to love the people that we worked with and miss them every day.

The 'tourism' aspect was plentiful, immersive, inspiring, engaging...and fun! Thanks to our hosts, we were able to maximize our time in India. We felt at home with the family, welcomed in to their home as if we were family. It was a totally joyful experience.”

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