4 Family Volunteer Vacations to Experience in India

With a wide variety of programmes with included excursions, every volunteer can combine traveling with volunteering in India.

Every year, vacation vibes mean packing your bags and planning a trip around the idea of having fun. How about taking a trip that’s more meaningful, a holiday that can teach your child to be altruistic? We will tell you how.

Voluntourism or a volunteering family vacation is an increasingly popular ways for travellers to explore, learn and give back to the community. You make genuine connection with the locals, encourage your kids to step outside the comforts of their life and build life skills.

Benefits: Everything positive you experience as a kid becomes fond memories of your life when you grow and understand more about the world.

Auroville, Tamil Nadu

About the place: This Puducherry township tops the list if you are looking for Voluntourism

amidst vast expanses of landscaped gardens and tranquil surroundings. Stay at one of the many guest houses if you are travelling with young kids, to get access to gratifying workshops and activities such as building bamboo houses, sustainable farming, or facilities like dining at the solar powered kitchen. With grown up kids, you can sign in as volunteer to have a more intimate experience at Auroville. As a volunteer, you could be invited to conduct a dance or martial arts session, become the herb gardener or learn how to make paper by hand.

Fund raining, research, IT, content writing are other opportunities where you can pitch in. The Auroville community works towards giving back to it neighbourhood with a variety of projects, from schools to renewable energy, handicraft production and employing 4000 to 5000 local villagers. It only helps that you will be staying amidst old-fashioned French Quarters and palm-lined beaches.

How to reach: Nearest city: Puducherry Nearest airport: Chennai (140 km) Nearest railway station: Chennai(165)

Nature of volunteering program: alternative healthcare, renewable energy, education & village outreach, ecological practices, construction & architecture, organic farming and animal care.

The Auroville website periodically updates the list of opportunities it has to offer.

Suitable for: Those who want to take a break from the fast-paced life or simply want to switch off and go back to basics

Age-group: 18 years and above, kids allowed

Approx cost-budget range: Auroville offers and host of options to stay in, in exchange for volunteering services.

How to contact: email at study@auroville.org.in

Lha – Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh

About the place: If working on vacation is far more rewarding than sitting in the mountains sipping coffee, opt to volunteer for some language lessons at Lha. It’s not necessarily for everyone but be sure that this will not be the kind of work that comes from your laptop or school assignments, but the kind that comes from your heart.

Ilha is the grassroot charitable trust in Dharamshala that works to support the Tibetan community in India. Whether you are skilled or unskilled or have only one day or six months available, rest assured, there is always a way that you can participate at Lha. Apart from taking language lessons for refugees and monks, you can assist in the community kitchen or help curate news from Tibet in their local magazine or offer your services at Tibetan schools. You are welcome to join in as a drop-in volunteer as well.

How to reach: Nearest city: Pathankot Nearest airport: Kangra Airport Nearest railway station: Kangra Mandir(22) or Pathankot(85)

Nature of volunteering program: language teaching, content creation

Suitable for: Those who can teach languages such as French, English, Chinese, German and Spanish or volunteer at the children’s nursery

Age-group: 18 years and above

Approx cost-budget range: $250 to $300 USD monthly. Guesthouses and homestay options are available to fit the volunteer’s budget

How to contact: To apply for a volunteering opportunity, you will need to fill the online application form on Ila website.

Ladli, Rajasthan

About the place: While you pack your bag to get bedazzled by magnificent palaces, beautiful temples, imposing forts, scrumptious food and rich culture & heritage in Jaipur, the ‘Pink City’, make some time in your itinerary to allow yourself to volunteer a few hours at Ladli. This Japiur based NGO I-India’s project, Ladli works towards providing basic means of living for the children working or living on the street of the Pink City.

Ladli welcomes your family to volunteer for as little or as long as you like. Volunteers at Ladli have worked from about just a week, to over a year. There are many ways for you and your child to help here. Your child can be part of ‘Prempathshala’ and ‘School on Wheels’ which provides education to homeless children at street schools. She can teach the children English, engage with them in relaxing and fun exercises or dance or simply play. You can support the ‘Annapurna Street Kitchen’ which ensures meals for children on streets. If you have jewellery or textile experience you can show the children new designs and techniques. Or you can suggest your own way of helping. Ladli helps over 3,000 most needy street children daily.

How to reach: Nearest city: Jaipur Nearest airport: Jaipur International Airport Nearest railway station: Jaipur Junction

Nature of volunteering program: community building, child education, skill development, empowering below poverty line, nutrition. Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, though they are flexible on timings

Suitable for: Those with keen interest in jewellery making, textiles, handicrafts, paper industries, cooking and teaching.

Age-group: No specific criteria

Approx cost-budget range: Stay and daily commute to the Ladli centre

How to contact: email at ladligirls@yahoo.co.in or call on 09829011124

Also Read: Best Family Attractions in the world, you must explore

WWF India – Delhi, Mumbai, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and other parts of India

About the place: Humans have been around for more than 2 million years but in the last 44 years we have managed to kill 60% of earth’s wildlife due to human activity, says WWF report. Humans are releasing CO2, creating ocean acidification and eroding forests and widlife. As nature is not just a ‘nice thing to have’ but instead it is imperative for our survival, WWF is calling out for changemakers at every level to pitch in and collaborate on the best ways to save the planet. Across 6 states in India, WWF enrols volunteers to help with short and long term projects such as riverbed cleaning, implementing waste segregation strategies or setting up trap monitoring cameras. Younger kids can volunteer for simple tasks such as upcycling newspaper as paper bags that can be supplied to a nearby local market and help them go plastic free and in turn support UN’s ‘Clean Seas Programme’.

How to reach: Check for available volunteering options available in your nearest city

Nature of volunteering program: Nature and Wildlife conservation

Suitable for: People passionate about environment issue and self-driven to build environmentally conscious community

Age-group: Everyone is welcome

Approx cost-budget range: Minimal

How to contact: Register on the website for various ongoing volunteering projects

Also Read: Things you can do in Maldives with your loved ones

Points to consider before choosing for a holiday volunteering programme (Things to know, keep in mind and be sure of)

What kind of programme suits you: teaching, cooking, childcare, short term volunteering,
What are your activities of interest: wildlife, nature, rural India
What is your budget: would you mind spending on the programme or are you looking to just offer your time
How familiar are you with the spoken language: hindi, english or local dialect
How much time can you dedicate: a few random hours, a week or more

Other Voluntourism Options

Ecosphere Spiti, Himachal Pradesh : Work in Village
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Across India (Headquarters in Mumbai) : Animal rights awareness
The Andaman and Nicobar islands Environmental Team (ANET) – Andaman Islands : :Islands’ diverse social-ecological conservation
Fertile Ground, Assam : To incorporate organic agricultural practices, composting and natural pest control
SECMOL, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir: Teaching and skill training

At most places, volunteers can work flexible hours, so you get plenty of time to unwind and explore the destination either during the rest of the day or weekends while giving back to the community, all at the same time.

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