Volunteering in Rishikesh - A Selected List

There are thousands of volunteer opportunities in India, most of them involves teaching children in a school. Many volunteer work agents are online, looking for summer school volunteers. How do you choose where to volunteer? There are several reasons I think most volunteer work opportunities are not useful and not ligit.

First of all, most volunteers have no more than a week or two. What do you think the kids will stand to gain in this short period of time apart from a temporary friendship and a couple of possibly ill-prepared lessons? So if you do want to do it, give it more time and not take it as part of a traveller experience to be marked off the list. Look for opportunities to work with the organisation in other capacities beyond teaching, such as some office work, IT related work, cleaning up work, teaching sports to the kids, etc. Work with your skillsets.

Secondly, why go with these agents who take a cut from making travel arrangements for you and connecting you to the organisations? Your money is better off as a donation to the organisation. If an experience is what you want, why not look for an organisation yourself, write to them and ask. Making travel arrangements on your own is also part of the experience isn't it? If you are old enough to travel and volunteer, you are old enough to do this yourself.

Thirdly, be careful of where you volunteer. Stories of fake schools are not unheard of. These charity schools are set up with donations from foreigners trying to do something good for the village children. In fact, the schools get financially maintained from overseas funds, they buy some books, uniforms and stationary for the children but they don't normally run! Only when sponsors visit or when there are volunteer groups, do the children and teacher appear!

In Rishikesh, I wouldn't suggest volunteering in an ashram because ashrams are usually well staffed by paid employees who can do the work and where you probably won't feel very useful. Just stay in an ashram and take up whatever programmes they offer if you want the experience. Volunteering in a commercial yoga school doesn't make sense too. These are schools that charge huge amounts of money for yoga courses and should be able to maintain their schools with paid employees (this helps someone have a job too).

After all the scepticism, here is a list of places in Rishikesh where you can directly be in contact with the organisation. These organisations aren't fakes, they look pretty well-run, located in very local neighbourhoods where the community is served and most times the founders live in Rishikesh and work personally in their organisations. Click on the names to go to their websites.

Kushi Charitable Society

Mother Miracle Community Development Programs

Children of the Ganges

Ganga Prem Hospice

Karma Animal Trust

Rishikesh Animal Care

If you wish to donate something, do check what is needed and buy them from the local Rishikesh market to support the shops. Check around for prices. It is also better to explore this on your own then to simply pay a local to do it for you, chances are, you will get a better deal.

PS: I found 2 very small, genuine Rishikesh charity initiatives recently which may need more support. Check out the other blog post - one particularly supports widows and underprivileged families in Rishikesh in various ways.