General Volunteer: Volunteer India
Meaningfully offer your skills, experience another culture, and help those in need at Amar Seva Sangam.
Placement Location
Tamil Nadu, India
Duration
Flexible (Up to 6 Months)
Placement Fee
$400 CAD
Program Overview
Handi-Care Intl’s “Volunteer India” program is designed for individuals who want to immerse themselves in service. Our base of operations is at Amar Seva Sangam (ASSA), a premier institution for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities located in the scenic foothills of the Western Ghats.
What to Expect:
As a general volunteer, you will be assisting in day-to-day campus operations, working with children and adults in need, and using your skills to bolster the organization's administration, education, or caregiving sectors.
Living on Campus: Volunteers stay in on-campus guest houses. This safe and serene environment serves as the perfect launchpad for a true cultural immersion experience.
Areas of Focus
We work to align your specific skills, background, and passions with the active needs at ASSA. Popular areas where general volunteers make massive impacts include:
1. Education & Childcare
- Assisting teachers at the special school for children with disabilities.
- Organizing arts, crafts, games, and recreational therapeutic activities.
- Tutoring or helping local students practice spoken English.
2. Campus Administration & Skill Training
- Contributing to marketing, report writing, and clinical data logging.
- Assisting with vocational training programs like tailoring, bookbinding, or basic computing.
3. Impact from our placements
- More than 40 HCI volunteers have been sent to ASSA and have all returned with raving reviews of their experience.
- The Volunteer India experience has inspired and guided many volunteers to choose career paths that involve working with people with disabilities.
- Following the volunteer experience, all of our student volunteers have been able to enter their desired field of study such as Education, Medicine, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy. Our student and older volunteers have enjoyed contributing in various areas such as psychological counselling, teaching English, arts, music, dance and helping in computer related area.
- The experience of living in, giving to and receiving from a developing country has changed many of the volunteers’ perspectives and many have gone on to contribute significantly to their local and global communities.
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HCI Volunteers have made significant contributions at ASSA. To name a few:
- CPR/ First Aid training
- Educational sessions in Autism and Cerebral Palsy for special education teachers
- HIV education for students
- Training staff in enhanced physiotherapy assessment and treatment tools
- Assessing and reporting on effectiveness of village based rehabilitation
- Creating a proposal for a School for Special Education
- Many volunteers have continued to work with HCI and ASSA after their volunteer placements.
Application & Requirements
Basic Requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years of age.
- Willingness to adapt to simple, modest on-campus living conditions.
- Respect for local cultural norms and dress codes.
The Application Process:
- Submit Inquiries: Reach out to Handi-Care Intl. at info@handicareintl.org to verify open positions.
- Complete the Form: Once pre-approved, you’ll need to submit the official application form and pay the $350 CAD placement fee.
