The Ultimate List of Volunteering Opportunities in India

Volunteering at different organizations in India can be a way of traveling on a budget while you contribute to the betterment of the future of this country. There are many famous organisations that receive a huge number of volunteers and also charge for the same. While others, who are not so famous on internet, go unnoticed. While managing travel expenses is the problem for most of the backpackers, such organisations come to their rescue who provide them the basic necessities in exchange of their service to the institution.

 Here by I would try to put forward the needy institutes that provide the best volunteering opportunities for the travelers in India. Please note that I am putting only those organisations which are not too famous with people and really need the volunteers.

While it would help you spend less along with a great experience, it is a moral responsibility that you devote to the work at the institutions sincerely. Those who would be identified as taking the opportunities for granted and not working sincerely shall be immediately dismissed. 

volunteer India
The little kids at Rigjong Public School at Kargil.

Volunteer in the field of Education

Rigjong Public School 

  • Location: Leh and Kargil (Jammu and Kashmir State)
  • Volunteering Task: Teaching English, Science, Math, Craft or other activities to the students or pre-school, primary, and secondary. You are given complete freedom in experimenting with different teaching styles and methods.
  • Duration: Minimum 30 days
  • Working Hours: 4 or more hours a day
  • Preferable Months: March to October
  • Provision at Leh : Accomodation in the school hostel and food from the hostel mess
  • Provision at Kargil: Accomodation at a home stay.
  • Contact: Purvi Kamaliya 7208349934 (Closed for 2017, enquire only for 2019 )

Munshi Habibullah School

  • Location : Kargil, Ladakh
  • Working hours : 3 hours a day – Monday to Friday
  • Volunteers needed for: English conversation classes, painting, science, music teaching, teachers training , public speaking. You are given complete freedom in experimenting with different teaching styles and methods.
  • Duration : 1-2 months minimum
  • Provision : accommodation in the students’ hostel
  • Contact : Sadiq Ali 9419786981, Purvi Kamaliya 7208349934  (Closed for 2017, enquire only for 2019 )

The Ultimate Truth Preaching Mission – Mahabodhi school.

  • Location: Tuichawng village, Lunglei district, Mizoram.
  • Work available: Teach English, Maths, Science to Class 9 & 10 students.
  • Working hours: Flexible, mostly 9 am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm.
  • Food : Three meals will be provided.
  • Accommodation: Home stay. Stay with the family member of the organization.
  • Contact: Sudip Chakma – Email : [email protected], Phone : 096126 02899.

Pyunli 

Pyunil mainly works with the kids aged from 6 to 14 years and hence, the volunteers must be patient and friendly with the kids.

Rules: No smoking or using foul language in front of the kids. Wear decent clothes,

  • Location: Gauchar, Uttarakhand
  • How to Reach: 4 hours drive up hill from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
  • Available work: Teach English, other languages, art, music, dance, yoga, crafting, origami or any other activities helpful to kids. Work in rice and wheat fields.
  • Working Hours: 4-5 Hours
  • preferred month: Throughout the year except March
  • Minimum Duration: 7 days
  • Accommodation and Food: Pyunil Home Stay, a  clean room and 3 veg meals a day and visits to nearby villages (Pay : 700 INR) The amount goes to the home stay and the NGO as it does not get any funds/donation nor does it charge anything from the kids.
  • Contact: 8755090328/ 7895527055

Ananda Vatika Green Gurkulam

It is a school located in the most beautiful location lake view – Tehri dam reservoir of 42 km. The school with a difference on the concept of school -after-school  “education beyond the school walls and ahead of the school syllabi” system — calls for fundamental positive changes in the personality of the students. The concept of the school is one local teacher and one volunteer passionate teacher,  from any part of the world. You can also see nearby places like sem mukhem temple,tehri dam with permission, khait parvat famous for fairy tales, king’s palace in Pratap Nagar and Nachiketa taal, water sports in Tehri jheel, tipari -madannegi ropeway and plenty of spring and waterfalls in the nearby villages.Organic. Farm-to-table. Woodfire stoves. Sizzle. A taste you’ll never forget. You also get the chance to explore Garhwali culture and the unique language Garhwali and their songs and dances while you work with the kids.

  • Location : Bhouniyara,( Rajakhet famous market in nearby place), tehri Dam, patti Dharmandal, Block – Jhakhanidhar, district tehri garhwal.
  • How to reach: Direct buses available by 8:30 / 9 am from  Rishikesh (5 hours Journey)
    Working hours : 3  to 6 hours a day All seven days ( In case teacher also want to support local formal govt. and private school in the location)
  • Volunteers needed for: English conversation classes, painting, science, music teaching, teachers training, public speaking, preparing kids for science exhibition. You are given complete freedom in experimenting with different teaching styles and methods.Make teaching aids in the form of charts or any small piece of craft. (Please carry the required stationary you wish to use by yourself from Leh/ your hometown as no proper stationery is available nearby the villages. Expenses for the same can’t be reimbursed
    Provision : you can stay at the local teacher’s home by paying the minimum charges for stay and food: around 150 INR per day including food.
  • Duration : 3 -4 days minimum and maximum is up to you
  • Contact: Anita Nautiyal – 9897005957, 8447264778 mail: anandvatika.greenschool@gmail.com

Darchik Government School

It is a school located in the most beautiful Aryan Valley of Ladakh. And it is kind of an opportunity to teach and interact with the Brokpa kid. During the free hours, you can visit the villages of Dah, Hanu, Batalik, Gargardo, Chulichan, Biama, Garkone and Sajank which are famous for its rich culture and beautiful people. You also get the chance to explore the unique language Minaro and their songs and dances while you work with the kids.

  • Location: Darchik Village, Ladakh
  • How to reach: Direct buses available by 8:30 / 9 am from Leh town.
  • Available work: Make best items out of waste materials in the school,Teaching basic English conversation to the kids, after school conversation sessions as the kids take you around their village and people invite you for the tea. You can also play with the kids or carry a boombox/portable player to conduct a dance session for them, make teaching aids in the form of charts or any small piece of craft. (Please carry the required stationary you wish to use by yourself from Leh/ your hometown as no proper stationery is available nearby the villages. Expenses for the same can’t be reimbursed as it is a government institution with no proper authority )
  • Working Hours: 3 hours a day
  • Minimum duration: 7-10 days
  • Preferred months:  March to September (Free Comment: The town is all covered with Apricot blossoms in March/April and seems like the cherry blossom fest of China is going on)
  • Accommodation and Food: Stay at a local guest house if you are in a huge group. Food would be provided by the guest house (Pay by yourself) Option 2: If you aren’t in a group and are alone or just 2, you can stay at the teacher’s quarter by paying the minimum charges for stay and food: around 300 INR per day including food.
  • Contact: Sadiq Ali – 9419786981, Purvi Kamaliya – 7208349934  (Closed for 2017, enquire only for 2019 )

 

Volunteer at Hostels and Hotels

Zostel/ Bacpackers’ Panda/ Hostelavie/ Goamazing/ Wanderer’s Nest/ NoName Hostel/ Bedweiser/ Moustache/ Stops Hostel

  • Location: The hostel chains exist all most at all the tourist attractions
  • Work available: Receiving Backpackers, ensuring the cleanliness and proper facilities to the inmates, handling the reception, cleaning payments, cooking and cleaning (applicable only to a few), painting the walls, guiding the city tours or other events.
  • Working hours: Varies from hostel to hostel.
  • Food and Stay : Three meals and stays on sharing-basis are provided
  • Contact: Mail the specific branch to ask about the available work, working hours and minimum duration of volunteering

Backpackers Desert Tour

  • Location: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
  • Volunteering Task: Manage and promote the property, handle the reception desk, respond guest queries
  • Duration: Minimum 5 days
  • Working Hours: 4-5 hours a day
  • Preferable Months: July to March
  • Provision: accommodation, Food and 1 day of free desert Safari
  • Contact: Dilbar Jaisalmer – +91 9571559453, +91 9782822565, [email protected]

Volunteer for Trekking Events

Youth Hostel Association of India

  • Location: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan.
  • Volunteering Task: receiving and registering the trekkers at the base camp, handling accounts/cash, preparing vouchers, leading and managing the materials at the higher camps (Note: Task will be allocated based on your trekking experience) Knowledge  of M S office is mandatory.
  • Duration: Minimum 21 days
  • Working Hours: Almost full day with breaks.
  • Preferable Months: Whole year.
  • Provision: accommodation, food and 3-tier AC tickets to and fro your destination
  • Contact: Apply Here. (Note: As they receive a huge number of applications, the applications are approved based on a selection process)

 

Volunteer for the sake of Environment

Healing Himalayas Foundation

Healing Himalayas Foundation is an active NGO in the state of Himachal Pradesh. They mainly deal with cleaning the villages and up-cycling of the waste products. If plastic waste is something you hate, then this organisation is perfect for you.

  • Location: Dhamsu, Manali, Himachal Pradesh
  • How to reach: Board a bus from Manali going towards Naggar and get down at Dhamsu
  • Volunteering Task: Cleaning Campaigns in the Himachali Villages and trekking trails, plastic waste upcycling. painting sign boards and walls
  • Duration: Minimum 2-4 days
  • Working Hours: 2-4 hours a day
  • Preferable Months: May to October
  • Provision: accommodation and Food (400 INR per day)
  • Contact: Pradeep Sangwan

 

Volunteer in the Farms   

The Green Gardens

  • Location: Thekkankolli-Annapara Road, Annapara, (12 km from Sultan Bathery) Chulliyote – P.O. Wayanad, Kerala.
  • Major crops: Tea, coffee, black pepper, cardamom, arecanut, ginger, turmeric and seasonal vegetables.
  • Livestocks: goats, ducks, cows, chickens.
  • Volunteering Task: Help in process of orthodox method of green manufacturing, harvesting coffee and other spices, taking care of the livestock (feeding and cleaning)
  • Provision: Free accommodation at the farm. Self-prepared food for which you need to pay the minimum amount.
  • Contact: Mr. S. V. Laiju. [email protected].

Dev Bala Organic Family Farm

  • Location: Gharoh Village, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
  • Major crops: Rice, wheat, fruits and seasonal vegetables.
  • Livestocks: ducks, cows
  • Volunteering Task: Harvesting rice, wheat and vegetables, preparation of vegetable beds, taking care of the livestock (feeding and cleaning), can learn how to make cheese and yoghurt, weeding (clearing unwanted plants)
  • Provision: Free accommodation at the farm. Three meals in a day would be provided.
  • Contact: Mr. Devinder Rana, 9816359458, [email protected]

The Goat Village Farm

  • Location : Nag Tibba Trek, Pantwari village, Distt. Tehri, Uttarkhand.
  • How to reach: Three-hour-drive from Dehradun. Public transport also functional from Dehradun to Pantwari. The hike to The Goat Village begins from Pantwari.
  • Major Crops: Maize, Green peas, Pumpkin, Carrot, Radish, Spinach, Tomato and other seasonal vegetables.
  • Livestock’s: Cows, Chickens, Goats.
  • Volunteering Task: Harvesting vegetables and Weeding, Taking care of goats, Preparation of vegetable beds, planting fruit trees.
  • Provision: Three meals will be provided, mostly vegetarian. Accommodation – Dorm room and also in mud huts
  • Contact: Mr. Mani Mahesh Arora , Email: [email protected]

Bodoland Organic Tea Farm

  • Location : Dimakuchi, Udalguri, Assam.
  • How to reach: By bus Guwahati to Dimakuchi will take 3 hrs.
  • Major Crops: Tea, Pomegranate Pineapple, Citrus and other seasonal vegetables.
  • Food : Three meals will be provided.
  • Accommodation: Twin bed room in farm.
  • Volunteering Task: Help in processing of Balck and Green tea manufacturing, Collection of firewood, Preparation of vegetable beds
  • Contact : Tenzing Bodosa -Email : [email protected]

My heartiest thanks to a regular volunteer Deva Prasath for his contribution in this compilation. You are free to mail me at [email protected] to add any organisation’s volunteering details in this list.

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6 thoughts on “The Ultimate List of Volunteering Opportunities in India

  • May 23, 2018 at 10:23 am
    Permalink

    Hi Purvi,

    You & Deva have done a great work by creating a post on such a topic that needs attention. A lot of Non Governmental Organizations in India needs volunteers and travel volunteering is one of the best ways to explore a new place and at the same time do something good for others. Voluntourism, volunteer travel in India can be a great experience for travelers. Choose a cause you would like to give your contributions for and then find the NGO’s working for the cause and this post is a useful guide for many. Do some research and directly contact the right NGO in India and this way you can eliminate the need of a placement agency and thus can save money and get the right opportunity. Surman Sansthan, a women & children NGO in India also provide volunteer programs in India. If anyone is interested then please get in touch with the organization for detailed information. Get a chance to connect with the street children in India and orphans and help improve their lives with volunteer work at Surman Sansthan orphanage in India.

    Reply
    • May 26, 2018 at 3:31 pm
      Permalink

      Hello Priyadarshini, Thanks for your kind words and appreciation.
      Please mail me the details of the organisation with its contact details in the format used in my post. and it would be available as a reference for all. Thanks.

      Reply
      • June 6, 2018 at 10:38 am
        Permalink

        Hi Purvi,

        Many thanks for the consideration. Sure, I will email you the complete details of Surman Sansthan NGO in the format as required.

        Regards
        Priyadarshani Parashar

        Reply
  • April 8, 2020 at 10:28 pm
    Permalink

    Thanks a lot Purvi, I got lots of info in volunteering in India

    Regards,
    Gunasindhu

    Reply

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