Volunteer Projects in India by iSpiice

I attended the University of Saint Thomas and I had the privilege of being part of a 10 person team to volunteer for iSPiiCE. The iSPiiCE team met us at the airport and made it a smooth transition from the city all the way up into the mountains. Being a volunteer teacher was one of the most remarkable experience of my life. The community, and especially the students were welcoming and always went out of their way to make it hospitable. The iSPiiCE staff did a great job of balancing the workload and taking us on adventures throughout the city. There were times we forgot that it was a temporary engagement because we were lost in the beauty of the mountains, culture, and community. I highly recommend this trip because it changed the lives of everyone one on our trip and I wish to go back soon.

I have always been attracted to India, and in choosing to travel alone for one month (i had just 21 y.old) i placed myself in the capable and trustworthy hand of ISPiiCE. What i experienced was Beyond anything i could have imagined! The ISPiiCE team is exceptional. There is a magic at Ispiice that immediatly made me feel like i belonged and was at home despite being thousands of miles away from everything i've ever know befor.
The selfless, thoughtful, generous, and kind nature of the Ispiice team/staff is overwhelming. The weekends are fantastic opportunities to travel and uncover the rich and varied landscape of India. This was a fulfilling experience and a unique and rewarding opportunity to be welcomed and immersed into a community where we are truly appreciated and can make a real difference. I have gived to and gained so much from the people of Sidhbari that i wish to came back as soon as possible.
And REMEMBER...the best way to capture the deep essence of a country is to live and work with its inhabitants and immerse yourself in its cultures and traditions. For me it is inspiring and stimulating to discover and explore different societies and to have direct contact with ways of life different to my own.

I taught a computer class to a group of teenagers in the mornings, painted a daycare in the afternoons, and tutored children in English in the family's home during the evenings. The program leaders we stayed with took us to all of our lessons, prepared our meals, and gave us tours of important places in the community. I always felt safe and in good hands. Living and working with the locals was amazing. The people of India are so welcoming, generous, and kind. My heart grew 3 sizes while there and I wish I could've stayed longer!

My Personal experience is pretty closely inline with everything already said below in the other reviews. It will be one of the most memorable things you do ever do. You will grow as a person, you will have a chance to make and receive positive change.

However, a major thing not many reviews touch on is how amazing the iSPiiCE family is and how dedicated they are to the volunteers they support and the community the serve. You can see their purpose in their eyes, thoughts, and most importantly plans. iSPiiCE is vastly bigger than a volunteer based cultural exchange. As the success of the program grows, the impact it has on the local community can be seen. The numbers of people who get sent secondary school and college increases, the funding to build and run an orphanage become closer to reality, the list goes on and on. And it is hard and timely work, to make a difference. iSPiiCE knows that, and they are soulfully dedicated to make sure it happens.

It has been a year since I have been at the iSPiiCE camp, but every time I see a facebook post, my heartstrings are tugged. I will find a way to make it back, and I will continue to support them in anyway I can.

Before I went to India to volunteer with ispiice I honestly had no idea what to expect. In my opinion there were three main parts:

The volunteering, the travel and the social aspect. The volunteering itself is fantastic I can promise that you will thoroughly enjoy it. Teaching in the school and slums is something that will give you a great sense of achievement, everyday I loved it and the kids are great.

The travelling opportunities are also wonderful giving you a real idea of how big and cultured India is with trips to the taj mahal, Menali and the golden temple. Locally aswell the area is brilliant, almost every evening I would go on a walk for at least an hour as the scenery was incredible.

Socially the people that run ispiice are some of the friendliest and most accommodating people I have ever met, also you will get to meet people from all over the world. The camp is lovely I was quite surprised by how beautiful it was and it is a wonderful place to stay. Also I must mention the food, it was fantastic and there is plenty of opportunities to learn the recipes or even cook yourself.

With the volunteering you do you will feel like you are truly achieving something. I honestly believe that ispiice is the best volunteering project especially for the value for money, worth every penny I put into it!!!

I could honestly go on for hours about how wonderful ispiice is, I would say if you're considering volunteering to teach definitely go and join ispiice. I was there for a month but I would say if you can, spend longer.

I loved every second of the three weeks I spent at iSPiiCE. The program is so well organised with plenty of choices and oppurtunities to volunteer and make a difference. The hospitality and warmth the team brings to the program adds an even more enjoyable experience.

A highlight during my stay, was the opportunity I had to work with the children in the slums. Each day they greeted us with warmth and an incredible desire to learn.

The experiences iSPiiCE have given me will be one I will never forget.

Having spent 3 weeks as a volunteer with Ispiice, I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone wishing to teach abroad. The variety of volunteer workshops/programs balanced well with free time allowing me to explore and soak up the local community and culture.

I also found the Ispiice team to be extremely warm, helpful and generous with their time ensuring all needs of volunteers were met.

The absolute highlight for me was working with the children who had a burning desire to learn,

My only regret was that my teenage daughter and I could not stay longer.

John Rodgers - Please feel free to contact me on rodgersjohn@hotmail.com if you would like to know more about my experience.

I cannot believe my luck in finding the wonderful ISPIICE group to volunteer with. I had the most amazing month last summer, somehow managing to experience everything from achieving learning targets with different groups of street children to visiting multiple famous and infamous stunning gems of Northern India. The support you get and the safety you feel with the ISPIICE guys exceeded all my expectations! As a volunteer you are greeted with open arms from everyone around as they are so very appreciative of all the time and effort you put in. If it isn't already obvious I 100% recommend this project to anyone who wants a indescribably unique adventure, that will throw you out of your comfort zone in the best possible direction.