Volunteering India Testimonials-5
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Daniel Snell
Program Name - Volunteer work with street childrenProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 12 May, 2010 
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How did you find the pre departure booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare?
Very helpful and informative about pre - departure info and things to bring.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
I really enjoyed my placement, mainly due to the other teachers making me feel very welcome.
Accommodation and meals
Accommodation was clean and comfortable. Meals were nice and delicious.
Coordinator
I found Rajiv and Priya both very friendly and answered any questions I had. Thanks.
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
The highlight of my trip was working with the kids and the NGO, the kids were very humbling and very enjoyable.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others? yes/no
Yes, I found it a worthwhile experience.
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Parminder Dhillon
Program Name - Volunteer Teaching EnglishProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 3 May, 2010 
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How did you find the pre departure booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare?
The information provided was extremely useful and answered all the questions which I had mentally prepared.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
Yes! Everyone was warm and friendly.
Accommodation and meals
Accommodation was excellent and the meals were very tasty.
Coordinator
Rajiv and Priya have been very welcoming and warm. I felt like if I had any problem I could ask the both of them. Thank You!
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
Meeting such wonderful volunteers was a clear highlight! Along with observing the chaos that is Delhi.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others? yes/no
Yes
Any comments and suggestions
Thanks so much for being so hospitable! I have had an amazing stay. Thank you sooo much!
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Katie Weilbacher
Program Name - Women Empowerment ProgramProgram City - New Delhi Program Date - 3 May, 2010 
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How did you find the pre departure booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare?
All of my Pre - Departure e-mails were answered promptly and I was pleased with the level of communication. The booklet had useful information about the program and when paired with reading guidebooks I felt very well prepared for India.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
I enjoyed the Womens Empowerment program very much. The girls are 16 - 24 and learning vocational skills. I worked mostly in a computer class + simply speaking in English to help them practice. The girls were SO fun, energetic and happy to learn. The staff and director made me feel very welcome.
Accommodation and meals
The volunteers home in Rajiv's family home was well equipped with TV, hot showers, WiFi and it was nice having our own space to "come home to" at the end of our workday. The house is in South Delhi in a very nice + Safe neighbourhood with amenities close by. The food, mostly vegetarian, was yummy!
Coordinator
Rajiv, his wife Priya and Dheeraj all were caring + available for big and little questions helping with a problem or giving directions! Having a smiling face waiting at the airport was such a welcome sight!
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
My personal highlights were the 30 or more "little sisters" I gained at the womens center, the knowledge that I helped them build skills for a better life and also the great friends I made among the volunteers.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others? yes/no
Yes - I felt very well supported, safe, and so pleased with the volunteer work I was able to do in 1 month.
Any comments and suggestions
Volunteering India is fantastic, as is volunteer work and India itself. Do be prepared for life in Delhi - its awesome but has challenges, transportation, learning Hindi (or enough to get by) and just the details of living in India. If it is your first time I would STRONGLY recommend the Orientation week, mostly because it lets you slowly get your feet wet and acclimate to India before jumping into work + haggling with rickshaws on your own. Rajiv is very knowledgeble and educated guide - you'll get far more out of sightseeing this way then on your own
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Kathleen Froese
Program Name - Volunteer in Health ProgramProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 12 April, 2010 
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How did you find the pre departure booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare?
Everyone was wonderful- Thanks for replying promptly to many emails. The pre departure booklet was very informative and really helped me pack. It would be helpful to know the ages of children in the host family so that I could have bought more age appropriate gifts.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
I really enjoyed working at Csi. The staff were very helpful, friendly and welcoming. Dr. Manish is wonderful. I learnt so much about India's healthcare and poverty. It's a fabulous program.
Accommodation and meals
Beautiful accommodation! Very clean and comfortable. The food was delicious. The host family was so wonderful and very welcoming. I enjoyed learning about traditional Indian Culture.
Coordinator
Thank you for everything. I felt very supported and safe.
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
It's hard to choose just one highlight! I really enjoyed living with the family and playing with their young children and celebrate Holi. I also really enjoyed working in the mobile health van, It was such a great learning experience. The trip to Taj Mahal was also very memorable.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others? yes/no
Yes! Wonderful Program
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Kate Wood
Program Name - Street Children ProgramProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 7 January, 2010 
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Pre Departure
Good information, prompt and efficient contact.
Arrival/Airport Pickup
No Problems, smooth pickup and transfer to home.
Placement/Volunteer Project
Eye Opening and heart wrenching experience working with the poor runaway or abandoned boys at the shelter. Despite their plight, boys were happy, friendly, smart. Most with great potential. The staff working at shelter give boys an opportunity they would otherwise not get for return to families, or training for jobs or futher education. I have such admiration for those staff working there. It was an inspirational place.
Home Stay /Host family and meals
Home stay was very comfortable. host family made everyone feel welcome and part of the family life and celebrations (diwali) with us. they were always supportive and the meals were outstanding. It was a home away from home!
Coordinator
Rajiv was a friendly and supportive coordinator. He had a wealth of knowledge of Indian culture, hostory and way of life, here which he shared with us constantly. He was very organised and always there to sort out any problems.
Would you recommend this program to future Volunteers
YES!
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John Clapp
Program Name - Language and Cultural Orientation Week, DelhiProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 19 October, 2009 |
Please comment on Orientation and Hindi Language classes.
Rajiv was very thorough with all aspects. He is a knowledgeable and thoughtful man and explained in details. I particularly enjoyed learning about the History of India.
What you have to say about Food/Welcome Dinner/Accommodation?
Food - Priya did an excellent job preparing and presenting all meals. There was good variety and it always tasted yummy. I learned a lot from Priya.
Welcome Dinner - very good.
Accommodation - Rajiv, Priya and Jenny were very Welcoming. I have no reason to complain.
Everything was Perfect.
How was your experience visiting the different historical sites and places of interest in Delhi?
Again I could not fault this. Dheeraj and Rajiv were knowledgeable and made sure experience was memorable.
What you have to say about Coordinator/Staff?
Rajiv is very Organised and Professional.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes, I will tell other to come and I will definitely return.
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May Soh
Program Name - Child Care ProgramProgram City - Palampur Program Date - 30 September, 2009 
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What areas did you like about our website?
The description of the program
How did you find the pre departure booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare?
Excellent. The staff was also good in following up on queries.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
Yes, it was great.
Accommodation and meals
Accommodation was good and comfortable and the hosts were really hospitable. The meals were a bit repetitive and a bit of variety would have been good. Overall, the meals were delicious though.
Coordinator
The coordinators were fantastic. Both were friendly and extremely hospitable to the volunteers. I enjoyed my time thoroughly.
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
Working at the daycare centre and getting to know the children was the highlight of my trip as that was the main objective of this project. There were also many additional benefits such as meeting other volunteers, the tour of the tea gardens and the great surroundings of the accomodation.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes
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Nikki Hiu-tung Sham
Program Name - Language and Cultural Orientation WeekProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 7 September, 2009 
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Please comment on Orientation and Hindi Language classes.
We Learn much from the classes, especially some useful phrases.
What you have to say about Food/Welcome Dinner/Accommodation?
Food in India are very nice :)
The accommodation is very good, but Heat in India is quite too much .....
How was your experience visiting the different historical sites and places of interest in Delhi?
It is good to have visiting different historical sites in Delhi. I took a lot of pictures and I have to say people in India are actually friendly.
What you have to say about Coordinator/Staff?
The only person we are sticking with is Mr. Rajiv. he is very friendly and helpful. We have a wonderful week. He drive us around and told us about the History.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes, I would recommend this program to all my family and friends.
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Peter Lamiszki
Program Name - Language and Cultural Orientation WeekProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 7 September, 2009 
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Please comment on Orientation and Hindi Language classes.
Well chosen information and lesson schedule.
What you have to say about Food/Welcome Dinner/Accommodation?
The food is good and I appreciate how the staff tries to provide some amount of variety. I wasn't expecting filtered water on site so that was a nice surprise.
How was your experience visiting the different historical sites and places of interest in Delhi?
A good experience. No changes are required.
What you have to say about Coordinator/Staff?
Extremely intelligent and caring. Could not be better.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes, I will
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Sarah Landry Maltais
Program Name - Child Care ProgramProgram City - Palampur Program Date - 31 August, 2009 
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What areas did you like about our website?
It was easy to navigate and easy to get an idea of each program.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
Yes, I really enjoyed it. The kids were adorable and I had a great time with them. My day care was well attended and there was always lots of action.
Accommodation and meals
Excellent! Bobby’s house is awesome and very cozy. His family and staff are really welcoming and nice, I immediately felt at home and very comfortable.
Coordinator
Bobby is awesome! He is always available and goes the extra mile to make our stay really a great experience. He really makes a point that the volunteers are not only taken care of but also understand the Indian culture.
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
Seeing the kids getting really exited to learn new games and do new activities. Walking home with a little girl from the day care with whom I had a great connection.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes of course!
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Reyes Felip
Program Name - Summer Volunteer Program IndiaProgram City - Delhi, Agra and Jaipur 2009 Program Date - 30 August, 2009 
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What areas did you like about our website?
I liked the information given on the website, the fact that it had a Facebook link to its group, so that we can meet other volunteers before coming. Also I liked the evaluation feedback from past volunteers.
How did you find the pre departure booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare?
It was very helpful, the booklet was very informative as it helped me to prepare my stay. As for the service given, it was always quickly answered any possible doubt through email.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
It was an unforgettable experience. I did not only enjoy my placement, but learnt many things from the place and people I worked with.
Accommodation and meals
Accommodation was good, we had more facilities than I had expected. The meals were the traditional meals from Indian family and we even learnt how to make some of the dishes, thanks to Priya.
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
I cannot tell just one thing. It has been the overall experience of living. Delhi is crazy but once you get used to it, you start enjoying it. As I said the work with children was were rewarding.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes, Of Course!
Orientation Week
It was very informative. I loved the combination of Indian culture lessons plus Hindi classes and trips to Delhi\'s monuments.
Summer Program 2009
It was an excellent program. I would definately recommend it to everyone. Within four weeks, you get lot of experiences, the orientation week, the placement with the children and the final travelling Golden Triangle trip. We visited so many interesting places and it was very easy as we had private driver and a permanent guide with us.The hotels and the food was excellent.
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Calder Bethke
Program Name - Language and Cultural Orientation Week, Delhi - IndiaProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 1 August, 2009 |
How did you find the Pre Departure Booklet given to you?
Good ... very detailed and to the point
Tell us about your Airport pickup.
It was on time, Found sign with my name within 5 minutes. It all went smooth.
Please comment on Orientation and Hindi Language classes.
Good, Saw most of the sign's in Delhi.
Hindi classes were very, got to learn so many things about Indian Culture and learned some useful Hindi phrases.
How was your meals and accommodation?
Very Good, enjoyed my stay, Friendly. The maid didi was very friendly and
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Priscilla Anne Marie Vogl
Program Name - Summer Volunteer Program 2009Program City - Delhi, Jaipur and Agra Program Date - 30 July, 2009 
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What areas did you like about our website?
I really enjoyed the video of that volunteer from Chicago. The Facebook link was also useful.
Any recommendations to improve the website
More Videos of Volunteers and the children would put people at ease/make them sure that the organization is legit.
How did you find the pre departure booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare?
I was impressed with the detailed guide and the quick response via email that I recieved from the staff.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
Yes, I wish the staff at the placement spoke better English becuase I had many questions. The Project and the place was fantastic. The kids were GREAT!
Accommodation and meals
The meals were extremely healthy/ well prepared. The accommodation was cleaned well regularly. Didi is the best!
Coordinator
Very helpful & sweet! It was a pleasure to speak to someone who could answer all my questions about India. Thank you for having such acceptance for so many people living at your home! I felt welcome and comforted & am so happy that I made the desicion to come here! Thank you for taking us out for such amazing meals as well!!!
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
Being able to meet such amazing kids at my volunteer placement. They were truly memorable! The chance to explore north India during the weekends with an amazing group of other volunters was also a treat!
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes! I have already told all my friends who are considering coming to India for the first time.
Any comments and suggestions
I think you all did a great job at introducing us to India and making us feel like we had a home in Delhi. Everytime we went away on weekends and come back - we kept saying \"I\'m so glad to be back home!\"
Summer Program Golden Triangle Tour - Delhi, Agra and Jaipur
The tour was a nice break from taking the hectic trains around India. Jaipur is a wonderful & coloful city & seeing the Taj Mahal in Agra will Always be in my memory. It was great to take part in Summer Program to be able to do this.
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Avni Shah
Program Name - Child Care ProgramProgram City - Palampur Program Date - 18 July, 2009 
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What areas did you like about our website?
I liked that the website was easy to work through. It was nice to see the pictures and read some of the testimonials on the website because that helped me and my parents in picking India to volunteer at.
How did you find the pre departure booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare?
How did you find the Pre Departure Booklet given to you and the service of the staff in regards to answering your questions and helping you prepare? The Pre Departure Booklet was pretty helpful in telling me about India and the weather and surroundings. Email responses were quick and helpful and every time I called the staff was helpful in answering my questions.
Did you enjoy working at your project / placement?
I did enjoy working at my placement. I was placed at a day care center which was very nice and I really enjoyed volunteering with the children.
Accommodation and meals
Accommodation was wonderful. Living with the family was really nice. The meals were nice.
Coordinator
Bobby was an amazing coordinator. He was always helpful and was making sure we were all taken care of. I could not have asked for a better coordinator. He was great and always made me feel as if I could ask him for anything.
What was the highlight of your volunteering experience and your trip?
The highlight of my volunteering experience was when I was helping a little boy read a book and he could read the story on his own after. It really made me feel as if I helped the boy and the day care center. Also, just working with the teachers at the day care made me very happy.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes, I would recommend the volunteering placements in Palampur to other people.
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Jessica Exton
Program Name - Language and Cultural Orientation Week, DelhiProgram City - Delhi Program Date - 9 July, 2009 
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Please comment on Orientation and Hindi Language classes.
Language classes were very valuable, we were encouraged to learn many useful phrases and enjoyed the informative insight into the written script.
What you have to say about Food/Welcome Dinner/Accommodation?
Lovely accommodation, have everything I need and Rajiv and Priya have made me feel so welcome. Food is yummy and nutritious and I am feeling very comfortable here.
How was your experience visiting the different historical sites and places of interest in Delhi?
It was very interesting hearing the insightful talks while seeing seeing the sights. travelling to and from was efficient and comfortable. Lovely experience.
What you have to say about Coordinator/Staff?
Lovely staff. Have made me feel very welcome and are efficient and organised. Have enjoyed getting to know the family.
Would you recommend this program and our organization to others?
Yes, Definitely a great way to introduce oneself to the culture and country.
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