Volunteer to help orphaned and vulnerable children in southern India. Once homeless or living in unimaginable poverty, the youth we serve are now preparing for a productive, healthy future. As they mature in the safety and loving care of local people who care, they make way for other needy children seeking a refuge in this impoverished community. You can
teach and care for youth of all ages in a cheerful, optimistic environment, knowing that your kindness and attention makes all the difference to a struggling child.
Global Volunteers has pledged ongoing support and resources to feed and house orphaned and abandoned children in the suburb of Chennai in secure, clean and caring facilities. You can help expand this legacy of love and compassion by sharing your heart and hands in India this year! In this area alone, thousands -- perhaps hundreds of thousands -- of children don't have enough food or water for basic survival. Parents of these sick and malnourished children face unimaginable choices: watch them live on the fringe of society, without sufficient food, shelter or basic medicines; relinquish them to institutions that can feed and house them; or abandon them when their own lives end or become too burdensome. The children who are spared are taken in by local children's homes and clothed, housed and educated. Orphanage staffs needs you to play games with the kids, help them with their studies, teach them songs, music and dance and work with them on handicrafts and artwork. In addition, you will
teach conversational English or other subjects in the community elementary school or help with construction, painting, cleaning, repair or gardening in the facilities. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and others can be very helpful.
Indian culture - music, dance, temple art - is found in its purest form in Southern India. Chennai, the sprawling regional capital with a population of nearly 4 million, is the cradle of the ancient Dravidian civilization, one of the world's oldest articulate cultures, whose legacy is found in the amazingly ornate temples with soaring towers and intricate sculpture that dot that region.
Well-known nearby attractions include Mamallapuram, site of a world-famous shore temple (dating to 700 AD), one of the most photographed edifices in India. Bird and wildlife sanctuaries, historic colonial forts and picturesque
Indian Ocean beaches also are easily accessible from Chennai. The charming French-influenced coastal town of Pondicherry - with its whitewashed residences and brilliant gardens - is less than 102 miles from Chennai. Free-time arrangements and costs are your responsibility.
Continue on to explore and read much more on
Global Volunteers in India!
