Volunteering in India is a great way to experience the culture, learn new skills and make a difference to other people’s lives. Here are five of the best volunteer programs in India for 2026 and 2027.
1. Street children program, Delhi
Perfect if you love working with children. You help at shelter homes, non-formal education centers and day-care centers in Delhi, supporting the staff with lessons, games and care for children from the city’s poorest neighborhoods. We don’t place volunteers in orphanages.
2. Medical internship, Delhi
If you study medicine, nursing, dentistry or physiotherapy, or are a pre-med student, this internship is for you. You join a private hospital in Delhi and shadow doctors and nurses in the departments you choose. Most of the internship is observation, with hands-on help only where your training and your supervisor allow.
3. Childcare and elephant rescue
India is home to more Asian elephants than any other country, and this 15-day program lets you help some that have been rescued. After a week at children’s projects in Delhi, you spend three days at a rescue center near Agra, where trained keepers and vets care for the elephants. Volunteers prepare food, build enrichment and look after the grounds, and learn how the center cares for each animal. There is no riding and no performing.
4. Women’s empowerment, Delhi
Community centers in Delhi’s urban slums, run by local NGOs, give women and girls education and job training. You help with spoken English, literacy, computer skills and vocational classes such as sewing, so that women can earn and become more independent.
5. Slum schools, Jaipur
A grassroots project in Jaipur’s slum communities that teaches children for free. You co-teach small groups English, math, computer basics or sport alongside the project’s own teachers, and can run workshops in art, dance or crafts. Lessons usually run from 2pm to 5pm, moving to the mornings in the hottest months.
Volunteering in India is a great way to make a positive difference. Whether you want to help children, gain hospital experience, care for rescued elephants or support women, there is a program in India for you.
Interested? See all our programs to explore your options, or email info@volunteeringindia.com.