India Volunteer Programs from $18/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

I really feel like this program is a great way to show love through service and also participate in essential tasks in each country. I was in Faridabad in India and in the mornings on placement we learned so much. Then in the afternoons and on weekends we were free to explore. This program offered all of the safety of a home base and all of the freedom of solo travel. While in Delhi we visited the Devi temple, lotus temple, Geeta mandir, jampath market, Gurgaon, the Taj Mahal, old Faridabad market, sector 15, we went to a cinema, and all kinds of other fun things along the way. All this was done in only 1 week! The girls who stayed longer even went to Rishikesh and Jaipur! Delhi captures my heart. I told Soumita, our volunteer coordinator, I would graduate from medical school, learn Hindi and then come back and I mean it!

I had an absolutely incredible time teaching English with the IVHQ program in New Delhi, India. Before even leaving for India, IVHQ provided an informative and useful pre-departure guide, furthermore IVHQ staff readily made themselves available should I have any questions or concerns. Upon arriving in India, I was immediately greeted by staff and fellow volunteers. The initial culture shock of India was somewhat overwhelming, but my host family and IVHQ staff did a superb job of trying to make me feel at home, while providing me with useful information regarding the cultural difference between the US and India.

As mentioned above, I taught for 3 weeks at a school in the slums. Previous volunteers had left notes and materials for activities that were successful in their classroom, which helped make my first few days drastically easier. IVHQ staff also routinely checked in at the school to ensure that I was doing alright. Throughout those 3 weeks I fell in love with my compassionate, caring students; and my only regret is that I didn't volunteer for longer. Additionally, the food IVHQ provided was AMAZING! I would catch myself consistently going back for seconds and thirds. Traveling to a foreign country is always a little unsettling, but IVHQ does a tremendous job of preparing volunteers before departure and then providing continued support throughout the program. I'd highly recommend volunteering with IVHQ for anyone that wants to travel throughout the world at an affordable rate.

I volunteered in New Delhi, India in a Slum School placement from February 17th for 3 weeks. My experience in India with IVHQ was brilliant, from the moment I registered to my flight home. The admin staff answered all questions and concerns that I had while applying very promptly and the website layout was very user friendly. All the information you need including Visa information / specific country information is there in a informal format that was very useful for me. Anything that wasn’t there was answered within 24 hours via email.

The staff in Delhi were also outstanding. They went above and beyond to make all the volunteers feel comfortable attending to our every need. We felt very valued and like part of the family from the get go! They even helped us organise tourist trips over weekends, finding us good price hotels and transport... very helpful when we need a translator! They are clearly passionate and made our experience 100 times better.

Our accommodation was clean and comfortable in spacious apartments... there was 3 to 4 beds to a room but if you require a private room this could be catered for for an extra price. The food was AMAZING. Every day was different and there was plenty of it! All made very fresh and piping hot. Filter water available for free water bottle refills.

Our placement in the slum school was crazy but we eased in rather fast. Our placements were definitely in the most in need areas which made them challenging but all the more rewarding. I will always remember the children I worked with and my amazing experience teaching them. I feel very lucky.

As long as you come with an open mind, ready to work hard and ready to receive a whole lot of love from the kids you will love IVHQ Delhi.

The program is amazing: you'll get to work in a slum clinic and experience the real India with the opportunity to learn a lot from the local doctors about general medicine and being able to do hands on assesment of the patients.
The host family (Dr. Prabhat's) is amazing and they'll become your new mom and dad.
The weekends will be free, so you'll get the chance to do some sightseeing too.
To help the people in the slum you're more than welcome to bring with you any medications or material that will be extremely useful for the daily practice like gloves, hand sanitizer, betadine, ecc.

Two weeks I will never forget. I went to India with IVHQ this summer in June. My time there was a beautiful experience. As my first trip abroad and as a relatively new traveler, I was a bit hesitant to fly across the world alone to a country in which I knew no one. My family and friends thought I was crazy to want to go there on my own, but I did not care. I had no idea what to expect when I landed in Delhi, but I had been planning this volunteer trip for over a year by that point, so I was more than ready to go. I had dreamed of seeing the world for as long as I could remember. Dreamed of experiencing different cultures and meeting the diverse people across the world. India's culture intrigued me, so I chose to go there. Once I landed in India and met the other volunteers at the airport, I felt so relieved. I was finally there. After all of the anticipation.

Talking with volunteers from all over the world was so exciting. After orientation, we were taken to our host families and projects. Staying with a host family was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It is a great way to be submerged into a country's culture/lifestyle. Plus, I gained a new family!

Our orphanage on the Childcare project was a small Christian one; there were about 12-15 kids ranging from 8 to 18 years old. The first day the other volunteers and I went to the orphanage, we met the kids and we drew pictures with them, learning their names and where they were from. Over the short span of two weeks, I had grown close to them and I did not want to leave them. I had struggled with the idea of having people come into your life and then parting ways with them too soon. But I will always carry them with me, and hope to see them again some day. Throughout my time in India, I met various people who shaped my soul through their words and actions. I learned a lot from the people I was surrounded by. From my host families to the local staff to the children at the orphanage and in the slums to the people we met in passing, I always felt welcome in their country.

The other volunteers and I got to travel on weekdays after the orphanage and weekends. We had a lot of time to explore, which was so cool! My time in India was an incredible experience overall. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity. India is a complex and intriguing place. The only thing I would change is the duration of my stay - I wish I had stayed longer than 2 weeks! I will definitely be back one day to continue exploring! Thank you, IVHQ, for helping me see the world and showing me all the places I want to go next.

At first going into my ivhq program I was kinda scared and filled with questions, but at the very moment I arrived to India I knew there was nothing to be scared off. The local ivhq staff greeted us at the airport and was really kind. When being placed in our programs they were really understanding and were really flexible in what we as volunteers wanted and thought fitted us the best. My homestay was also really good, the family was so kind and so welcoming that they made me feel like home. I have no words to describe how amazing the volunteering was, since day 1 y knew this was going to be a life changing experience and I can say it really was, I feel like I really left a part of me with the kids at my slum teaching program but I can as well say I took a part of them that I will for always remember. I have nothing else to say but to give it a go and not be scared, it will truly change you as a person.

The IVHQ program in India was awesome! All the staffs were very helpful and so nice! The orientation was very organized and super fun! I made so many friends from all over the world during my stay in India, along with so many cherishable memories I would never forget. However, the one thing I would never forget during my stay in India would be the time I spent with the children in the slum teaching program. All the children in the B.V.N Slum School were amazing, funny, and eager to learn English! I taught 4th grade through 10th grade and they were all so special that I even went to school on Saturdays to teach them! I regret volunteering for only 4 weeks here, if I could, I would have stayed so much longer! It broke my heart to say goodbye to all the children I taught because we became so close over my short period here. I'm happy I chose IVHQ India for my first volunteering abroad experience because they helped me tremendously to transition smoothly for my stay!

HOMESTAY
Arriving in India was easy. Immediately greeted by a long-time staff member of IVHQ, I could breathe easy and enjoy the chaotic drive to my temporary homestay. Over my first weekend I explored the city with some new friends while other volunteers slowly arrived from the airport. Our house "parents" were so kind to immediately offer a ride to the market for water and toilet paper upon arrival. The orientation was very helpful- covered basics about the culture, the volunteer program, languages, etc. The volunteers were then sent to our permanent homestays for the duration of our programs. The other volunteers seemed wonderful so it was sad that we didn't get to know each other more before being split up. Auntie and Uncle at my homestay were some of the nicest people I have ever met. They were always there to answer questions, make sure we are enjoying ourselves, and keeping well. All accommodations have wifi, not necessarily good wifi- but 3am is usually a good time to sign on. Auntie walked us to our school on the first day of teaching and made us all memorize her house number which saved us on numerous occasions :) The IVHQ staff members checked in every Tuesday and Thursday to make sure we were happy and comfortable.

FOOD
The food was always delicious, but quite heavy with bread, rice and potatoes. Don't worry about gaining weight because you walk, sweat, and drink too much [bottled] water to retain any fat. We would buy fruit a lot for breakfast because we needed to switch it up. Having an upset tummy is pretty much inevitable, but don't hesitate to ask for a doctor visit- it is so cheap and you don't want to ruin the rest of our trip!

TEACHING
The school was extremely disorganized, but I attribute that to Indian culture ;). We had no idea what we were supposed to be teaching, what the students were previously taught, etc. I think the local teachers had a hard time seeing situations from the volunteers perspective because they were unable to offer much guidance. The classrooms were mixed with different age groups and levels so it took a few days to get settled into a routine. Once in a routine, each day proved itself to be a rewarding experience. A note to future volunteers: be prepared to discipline as much as you teach and know that the local teachers will use corporal punishment on the kids. The younger ones can be quite rambunctious, so sometimes pairing with another volunteer helps to keep control of the classroom. On the positive side, the kids were so eager to practice their English and volunteer during activities. They adore games, but resources are quite limited. I recommend planning out some games ahead of time that would work for larger groups of kids without extra resources. They will tell you what they want to play, but their favorite games are not usually educational (which is obviously ok every now and then). I also brought colored paper and pencils from home which brought plenty of afternoon entertainment! Travelling to the city after class and on the weekends is pretty easy, it just takes a lot of energy especially during the hot months.

TRAVEL
We were able to travel to the Taj Mahal through IVHQ, but found out that we probably could've gone for much cheaper on our own. Everything works out- by going with IVHQ we didn't have to work out a single travel detail all day..peace of mind is sometimes worth the price. We used the weekend to travel to Jaipur where we made new friends, painted elephants, fed monkeys, and shopped till we dropped (literally- we were so exhausted!). Mohit, an IVHQ staff member, is super cool and coordinated the taxi that picked me up to take me to the airport on my last day. I couldn't have planned a more smooth trip.

SAFETY
I always felt safe in India- of course that doesn't mean I didn't travel with precaution. The buddy system is a must everywhere you go, especially for women. The metro offers cars and separate security lines just for women. Always stand alert (not staring at your phone) and walk with a purpose to lessen your risk of an uncomfortable situation- this obviously applies everywhere you go, but it is something to keep in the front of your mind when you are in a unfamiliar place. As part of the orientation, IVHQ reminds women to dress modestly- this is also to reduce unwanted attention. Anyone who looks European will still get plenty of attention regardless, but for safety don't feed into it by dressing skimpily which is so tempting in the heat. From my pre-departure research I anticipated being groped on the trains, but luckily never had to deal with that situation.

OVERVIEW
From the beginning Louise, the IVHQ-India coordinator, was always responsive, friendly, and amazingly professional. She checks up on you during your stay and follows up with you when you return home. Everyone already knows that India is chaotic, dirty, and known for scams, but what you don't realize until you get there is that the pros outweigh the cons. The beautiful sites, the strangers that offer help and don't ask for your money, the laidback "India time" concept, the compassion of the different religions represented...all of these things remind you of what is important in life and teaches you to live more simply and enjoy each day.

I originally signed up with IVHQ because it offered short or long term programs which fit my life and what I was looking for. IVHQ was the easiest, best decision for volunteering overseas and I recommend it to everyone. I plan to volunteer again and definitely use IVHQ.

So....I hope my book of a review is helpful, especially to those new to travelling! I also included some pics that I think summarize my experience with IVHQ. Louise at IVHQ has my email in case anyone wants to reach out.
*Namaste*