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International Volunteer Opportunity in India – Smile Society

Details: There are thousands of refugees coming every year from nearby countries and from different cities and villages most of these families are living in very poor conditions at slums or on streets. Smile Society (ngo) had started their activities to help these kids in washing, cleaning, cleaning their clothes ,cutting hair and nails, basic education (pre-elementary), vocational training, food distribution, health care, art and craft, drama, language, and music.

Daily schedule:
Morning breakfast 7:30 am
Leave for work: 8 am
Transportation: public ( train/bus) or by car ( extra cost)
Work end: 1:30 pm
Lunch: 3 pm
Workshop: 5:30pm – 6 :30pm
Cultural exchange: 6:45-7:45 pm
Dinner: 8 pm
Bed time: 9:30
Working Days: Monday to Friday
Weekends : No work

(Special city trip can be organized against extra charge)other activities done since 2003!! There are few. Non formal field service educational cum other work done in these projects. We often need work camper, short, short, medium, long term volunteer to run these projects!! Volunteer can have great fun to stay with the local host and learn local food habits/culture/dress/arts. A cultural exchange programme would take place regular basis to learn each other country and heritage !! More over Volunteers would have great fun time altogether!

Starting Date :Flexible
Place :- Madhyamgram/Sealdah (near Kolkata)

Long term, short term, medium term, workcamp, special camp, group camp places open with smile society,India.

…..Book your place as soon as possible!!

www.smilengo.org

Volunteer-Programs Coordinator Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation Awareness Project

Would you like to do volunteer in India!

Do you have a desire to volunteer? Are you Interested in helping with the work Heeals is doing? Or do you want to do your internship at an Indian NGO? Our commitment to empower the underprivileged, marginalized and downtrodden community living in rural and urban areas in and around New Delhi and India, it would not be possible without volunteers and interns significant contributions. We warmly welcome you to support us in our efforts.

Why Volunteer or Internship at Heeals?

Heeals is a growing organization which offers volunteers and interns the unique ability & mechanism to have a truly significant role in organizational and program development

The variety of activities at Heeals is available for volunteers to cater students as well as professionals , where they incorporate a healthy mix of community development, team building and Goal management tasks.

Living at Heeals lets volunteers from around the world not only work together, but spend time exploring India as a whole , each state has a distinct flavour, while still allowing volunteers to experience Incredible India.

Heeals offers an affordable volunteer opportunity.

Heeals works with local and international volunteers/ interns, and always welcomes continued support. Whether you have six months or just a few hours or a week, Heeals has a wide range of project opportunities. We have placements for university interns and professionals, but also for those who would like the opportunity to gain some hands-on experience in grass-root non-profit work.

One basic requirement for a volunteer and intern is that he or she speaks and writes English. We recommend a minimum stay of two or three months, so you can experience Indian culture and gain relevant work experience to the fullest. We generally ask a minimum of a one to two months commitment, although we are happy to negotiate if your circumstances do not allow this length of time. We look for people , who have a keen interest in community development , good team worker, show good initiative, are open-minded and willing to work in a new and challenging environment.

Core Activities for Volunteers and Interns

Following areas where volunteers can assist Heeals .

Awareness Campaigns & Surveys
Organizing Events and Campaigns
Pamphlet & Brochure Making
Writing press releases , news letters and other PR materials
Alliances and Partnership with external organization and corporate
Tutor or oversee children’s independent class work
Teach elementary spoken English
SHGs and Microfinance
General administration tasks maintenance and improvements
Ideation and Knowledge Management
Photography & Movie making

Apply NOW!

The contact information for Heeals is :

692, Sector-22-b

Gurgaon-122015

Delhi NCR

( Haryana)

E-Mail: communications@heeals.org

Mobile: 9716599921

Candidates who wants to apply for Volunteer or Internship can apply through a prescribed application form that can be downloaded at : http://www.slideshare.net/heealscommunication/volunteer-form-heeals

and mail it to e-mail id mention above on completion.

Candidates who are unable to download the form can write to us at communications@heeals.org our team will send you a copy of the application form.

We are looking forward to working with you!

What to do if you are arrested while volunteering abroad

“You can be arrested and not charged. You can be arrested and have no right to counsel.”-
Harry Belafonte. When volunteering abroad, your biggest hope is that nothing goes wrong during your experience while in a foreign country, but as fate would have it things can often go wrong, and most likely when you least expect it. It will help you a lot if you are prepared for some likely unfortunate circumstances that you may find yourself in. Here are some guidelines in case you get arrested.

A volunteer can get arrested for a number of reasons, ranging in seriousness; one can be arrested for something as simple as a traffic offence, or something more serious like drug possession. Whatever the reason for your arrest, it helps for volunteers to try and not get arrested for blatantly breaking the law of the country you are in. While you are abroad you are subject to the laws of the country you are in, and therefore you have to obey them to the best of your ability.

There are some instances where as a volunteer you could be committing a crime and you don’t know you are breaking the law. In such cases you can’t tell the police officers that you didn’t know you are committing a crime, as ignorance of the law is not a defense. For example chewing of gum in Malaysia is a crime and the punishment is a few days in prison or a hefty fine. To avoid this from happening it is advisable to be properly oriented about the rules and regulations of a certain place. If you are not sure of the rules ask for some help from the locals who will guide you.

If you are in a country and you don’t speak the native tongue it will be hard for you to explain yourself. When you commit a crime, the police will arrest you despite of the fact that you are a foreigner and they won’t extend you the courtesy to try and speak to you in a language in which you understand. As most of the police officers won’t be able to communicate with you effectively and hence defending yourself could be an issue. In such extreme cases ask for permission to call one of the local people who is your friend and who would help with the translation.

If arrested, first thing you should do is contact your embassy or high commission office. Officers from your embassy will help get in touch with your emergency contacts, and in some instances help you get a local lawyer who understands and speaks your language. This is one of your rights, so do not be afraid to ask for legal representation. Always try and be polite and not lose your cool while dealing with the local or arresting officers, especially if you have been arrested for a minor offence, this can help you come to a speedier and simpler resolution and release, also ask if you can be released on bond while the issue is being resolved.

If arrested abroad, ensure that proper documentation is provided for all the belongings that were in your possession when arrested, make sure nothing incriminating has been added to the list of your belongings, also ensure that you thoroughly check your personal effects when released to make sure that nothing is missing.

One more thing to look out for if arrested while volunteering abroad is to make sure you do not put your signature on anything that you have not thoroughly read, and if possible gotten some legal advice on, you do not need to make things any more worse for yourself

For more free information and low cost volunteer in Africa programs visit http://www.volunteercapitalcentre.org/ghana.aspx

5 questions you must ask yourself before volunteering abroad

Volunteering, especially volunteering abroad, is one of those life changing experiences an individual can go through, it can form some of the best moments of one’s life or the worst, and so before a person commits themselves to volunteering abroad, there are a few things you need to ask yourself, to ensure you are making the best choice. Here are a few questions you may consider.

Why do you want volunteer abroad?

There are many reasons why people choose to volunteer abroad, one may just feel as though they need to do some good for those people whom they feel are less fortunate than they are, some do it for the experience of travelling abroad and working with people of different cultures, and therefore in doing so, get a different perspective of the world in general.  A common reason for volunteering abroad is simply to make your resume that much more interesting than the next guys, but a good many people do it for reasons that are personal to them. Whatever reason you may choose to volunteer abroad, you should, it helps one to know that the good you are doing for others is also fulfilling to yourself in one way or another, this way your experience becomes worthwhile to you the volunteer as well.

Where do you want to go?

Once you have established your reason for volunteering abroad, then you need to have an idea of which foreign country you want to volunteer in. This is a stage that can be influenced by a number of things going on around the world. For most people this choice is influenced greatly by the media, many people signed up to volunteer in Haiti, Japan, New Zealand and Australia after the earthquakes and floods that occurred there. Again for some the place you volunteer in may be a place that is of personal significance, some people who may have managed to change nationalities in search of greener pastures sometimes choose to volunteer back in their home countries, giving back to the community that they left behind. Culture and language help to influence where you can volunteer.

What are you going to do?

A number of volunteering opportunities exist abroad; they include provision of medical services, teaching, construction, among a long list of other opportunities.  You may need to know this so as to make sure you are in the right frame of mind psychologically to handle whatever situation you may find yourself in. It is never easy to work with people who have a lot less than you do, if you are not well prepared some unfortunate situations can lead to you breaking down while volunteering.

For how long would you like to volunteer?

Some people get home sick after just a couple of days away from their home countries, while others can stay away from home for weeks or even make themselves at home away from home in the countries they are volunteering in. the amount of time you are away, will help you with your packing, light or heavy. It will also help you to make preparations for yourself back home, like getting someone to pick up your mail for you or take care of your pet

How are you going to make your stay comfortable as you volunteer

Volunteering abroad can be very expensive with regards to accommodation and food. For some this may not be an issue, while others may have friends or family where they are going to volunteer. If you are not in this category then you can look into volunteer service organizations to help you make your stay as comfortable and convenient as possible.

For more free information and low cost volunteer in Africa, and Asia programs visit http://www.volunteercapitalcentre.org/ghana.aspx

Honeymooning while volunteering abroad

Research has it that this is a growing trend among newlywed couples in this day. Newlyweds do not want their honeymoon to be a simple self centered holiday, as it was during the older more traditional days. More and more couples are carrying out their marriage ceremonies abroad; this scenario leads to a situation where most of these couples are in the most opportune destination for their honeymoon. Couples therefore see this as an opportunity to use the beginning of their matrimonial life to give back, and use this opportunity abroad to volunteer.

For a volunteer experience to fully be appreciated by both the locals and the newlywed couple, then it is recommended that the couple take at least a period of a full month volunteering while enjoying their honeymoon. You can do this in two ways, either use part of your day volunteering and an equal amount of the rest of the day relaxing and just plain old honeymooning activities or you can use the beginning of your honeymoon, say the first two weeks to volunteer then the last two weeks as a full honeymoon period.

You may notice that wedding traditions have changed, whereas it was common place for most newlywed couples to start living together after the wedding, today, most couples have already been living together for a while even years by the time they finally get married, some even have children together, and have the wedding ceremony mainly to formalize their relationship and to affirm their love for each other. One plus that comes with volunteering during your honeymoon is that the couple gets to further solidify their unity by working together on something that they both feel passionate about, in many situations the experience that he couple has while volunteering will form part of their most memorable time spent during their honeymoon, and they will also to get to learn more about their culture and the culture of others, not to mention getting to appreciate themselves and all they have in each other so much more.]

Many have a misconception that if volunteering while honeymooning you will have to spend your nights in  a locals home, this does not have to be the case many volunteer organizations can make arrangements for a honeymooning couple to stay in a hotel or just organize for suitable quarters for the couple.]

The honey moon does not have to lose its original purpose; a self centered time dedicated to knowing and exploring your partner further, some would prefer it to stay this way, after all many more holidays may come up and you can use these holidays to give back. But why not make your honeymoon experience mean much more by sharing not only with yourself but with others. The act of your wedding does not have to change just your life; it may also change the life of an eight year old orphan. Times have changed, it’s a new day, why not change with the times. Volunteering during your honeymoon otherwise known as ‘honeyteering’, or the honeymonth, is the trend of the future, so get with the times.

There are some volunteering programs that prepare the newlyweds about life. The married couple can work with kids and this will help them to understand how having kids will change their lives. It also prepares them for having kids. Community development programs which involve women help the couple to understand the value of both husband and wife. These programs show the power of unity and how much that can be achieved if both parties are there.

For more free information and low cost volunteer in Africa and Asia programs visit http://www.volunteercapitalcentre.org