Child Care

In the mornings volunteers organise sessions to help encourage the children to develop their speaking and listening skills. Volunteers work in child care centres with children from 1-6 years old to help develop their concentration and gain classroom experience to give them the skills they will need when they start school. Volunteers will be involved in:

• running educational activities
• organising creative games
• assisting the day care staff with meal times
• ensuring that all children wash their hands before eating to help educate the children on the importance of hygiene

In the afternoons volunteers work as team alongside Community Education volunteers to run after-school activities at local children’s homes and a disabled school for children aged between 3-16 years old. Volunteers will organise sessions which can include:

• games
• sports or dance
• music or art and craft sessions
• English and Maths lessons

During your first week you will have daily Hindi lessons and a tour of the main attractions in Udaipur (including the Monsoon Palace and Jain Temple).

Working days and hours

Volunteers normally work for 5 days a week and get weekends off. Generally volunteers work 6 hours per day.

Other volunteers

There are normally 1-4 volunteers taking part in the child care project at any one time and volunteers work alongside the local team.

Child Care, Community Education and Animal Rescue volunteers in India all live together so there is normally around 5 to 12 volunteers at the accommodation.

Some volunteers choose to combine the different volunteer roles while in India.

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.

Closure dates

This project is closed between the 15 May - 24 June 2017 and 13 May - 24 June 2018.

Volunteer reviews

Read about volunteer experiences and challenges in our India Child Care reviews.

Volunteers provide essential assistance to support the underfunded and understaffed nurseries, children’s homes and schools, in an effort to improve the support and education levels of children in the city of Udaipur. Volunteers are able to draw on their own experiences to organise and run fun new games and creative activities for the children.

Volunteers work with the local team to visit community projects and encourage children to attend the day care centres, volunteers also act as positive role models for the children.

The project that you will join in India provides continuous assistance to day care centres, children’s homes and schools which have limited funding and resources. The children’s homes provide care for children who would otherwise be on the streets. The homes not only provide the children with food and shelter but also allow the children to develop life skills and further their education to help to give them the best possible start in life.

The day care centres provide care and health support to low income families in the community. Many children are often left to fend for themselves or look after younger siblings while their parents work 12 hour days. The day care centres provide a safe, supported environment for the children to learn and play, they are also provided with a nutritious meal.

The project is based on the outskirts of Udaipur, which is a colourful Indian city with palaces and temples surrounded by mountains and with two lakes at its centre.

Volunteers live in a family guesthouse alongside the local team. Each bedroom has its own bathroom. You share a room with up to 3 other volunteers. Rooms are allocated on a single-sex basis. The accommodation is simple but clean and has a TV room, dining room, kitchen, resources and lesson planning area and has Wi-Fi.

You can easily organise yoga, cooking, dance or henna classes when you arrive at the volunteer accommodation which are a great way to learn about Indian culture. The area is a fantastic base from which to explore India, with the Taj Mahal easily accessible you could choose to visit it on your weekends off.

Before you go:

• Carefully selected and vetted volunteer project
• Support from our friendly and highly experienced Pod UK team
• Single point of contact - Lucy is your dedicated placement manager
• In-depth Volunteering Guide on your volunteering placement
• Travel information - visa, health and safety advice
• Help arranging criminal record checks
• Discounted online teaching course
• Access to specialist travel insurance at exclusive rates
• Recommended travel agency for flights and tours
• Access to special deals and resources
• Fundraising guide and support
• Financial protection for monies paid to Pod

On your placement:

• Child care volunteering placement
• Airport pick up from Udaipur airport and return transfer
• Accommodation - shared room
• Induction to the placement and culture
• Hindi language lessons
• Food - all main meals
• 2 day tours of the city and local sights
• Onsite support from local team
• Support from Pod UK office by phone and email
• 24/7 emergency back up
• Incident Management and Emergency Response Plans

On your return:

• Contact from your placement manager
• Feedback scheme
• Volunteering certificate (on request)
• References (on request)
• Member of the Pod community

Not included: Flights, travel insurance, visa, criminal records check. Budgeting guidance is provided in our Volunteering Guide which we will email you when you apply.

Pod Volunteer is run as a non-profit organisation. Fee levels are set to match costs and any surplus monies are distributed to the projects we work with via the Pod Charity.