Charities in India
Here are just some of the charities that accept voluntary workers:
Denjong Padma Choeling Academy c/0
Sonam Yongda, Pemayengtse Gompa, West Sikkim 737 113 ©03595/50760 & 50141 The academy, with around 200 orphans and destitute children, relies on donations and welcomes voluntary teachers. Sikkim is a restricted area, so you will have to make arrangements with the academy to get a special permit.
The Farm Project International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC), Apple Barn, Week, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6JP, UK ® 01803/868650; ISEC/Ladakh Project, P0 Box 9475, Berkely, CA 94709, USA® 1-510-527-3873; ® www.ecovillage.org/india/ladakh. The Farm Project is part of the Ladakhi Women’s Alliance and set up by ISEC to help promote the rehabilitation of traditional Ladakhi agriculture. The project uses volunteers on two- to three-month agricultural projects; experience helps but is not a prerequisite.
The Missionaries of Charity international Committee of Co-Workers, 41 Villiers Rd, Southall Middlesex UB1 3BS, UK ® 020/8574 1892; or the Mother House, 54A AJC Bose (Lower Circular) Rd, Calcutta. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity has numerous charitable institutions throughout India, some of which use casual volunteers. Contact the International Committee of Co-Workers to find out more.
SECM0L (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), Leh, Ladakh © 01982/52421. SECMOL was set up to protect Ladakh’s culture against the detrimental effects of modernization and strives to increase awareness of developmental issues amongst the young. Qualified English teachers are welcome, especially during their summer schools.
SOS Children’s Villages of India A-7 Nizamuddin (West), New Delhi 110 013 ©0111/464 7835 & 464 9734, ® www.soscvindia.org. SOS has 32 villages and numerous allied projects in different parts of India, including Karnataka and Rajasthan, giving shelter to distressed children by providing a healthy environment and education including vocational training. Volunteers are welcomed at some of their centres - contact them first.