Aim Abroad and Volunteering in India

Happy Republic Day

2012-01-26T21:17:00.000+05:30

Republic Day is a Day To remember,
When A Thought Of freedom Was Born,
Dont Just take It as A national holiday.
Try Something New To Improve Our Country..
Have a happy Republic Day.

Feed Back , Medical volunteering

2012-01-13T19:03:00.001+05:30

For the last three weeks I decided to step out of my comfort zone and volunteer in Faridabad India with AIM abroad. My first reaction off the airplane was complete culture shock of seeing a new country. I was so surprised by what I saw a part of me wanted to re board the plane back to India but now I can confidently say I am extremely happy to have stayed and had this experience. You learn so much each an every single day that every day truly feels like a week and every week feels like a day.

One of the most amazing parts of this experience was living with the host family. The amount of hospitality and kindness the host family displays became vital to help me cope with my new surroundings and feel comfortable. The host family is always working to make sure you are happy often going out of their way to sacrifice their own luxury to make you more happy. They help to work to make sure you accomplish all of your goals and constantly work to make sure you are safe and comfortable. As I traveled to various places in India I can easily say the best place I have stayed is with my host family. And I will guarantee if the family's kindness doesn't amaze you the food surely will.

While in India I was able to volunteer at a hospital, ambulance service and a afternoon slum school. In terms of the medical volunteering you are exposed to a completely different health care system that is shocking. It was amazing that I was only a college student and was able to sit in a c-section, gallbladder removal, urinary stone removal and other various surgeries that even medical student in America would never be able to see. Aside from the medical exposure the patient doctor interactions and cost of health care that I was exposed to gave me a unique perspective on my own health care system. Seeing this helped remind me why I wanted to be a doctor and helped show me how to truly help people.

Although I came for medical volunteering my experience in volunteering in the slum school was both surprising and amazing. Being exposed to people in India with the least almost taught me the most. To be hanging out with kids that are so happy to show you that they can recite the ABC's was mind blowing. While most kids in America are happy to receive a new toy these kids are just as excited to be picked up and tossed in the air or played with. On Christmas me and the other volunteers went to hang out with the kids which was amazing. We simply drew a Christmas tree on a blank piece of paper and handed them to the kids to color in. The awe and happiness the kids had over something so simple was sensational and something I could never forget. Being in the slums shows you the true strength of Indians and how people with nothing can have the same strength and greatness of the richest people in India.

Aside from volunteering the people you meet create friendships that are really amazing. Sharing such amazing experiences with other people make those just as unique and important as the experiences. At the end of such 3 short weeks I can confidently 100 percent guarantee that the people I met are life long friends and some of the friendships I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am writing this at the end of my experience and there is so much to say I feel like nothing I say can truly sufficiency express how amazing this experience was.

Take a chance and step out of your comfort zone to experience and unique and truly amazing world.

Rehan
Medical volunteer USA

Merry chrisrtmas and Happy new year 2012

2011-12-25T09:00:00.002+05:30

May this Christmas be merrier and New Year even more prosperous and fulfilling for you and your beloved ones!!!

During this Christmas and New Year of 2012, we would like to say a big thank you and send our most sincere appreciation and gratitude to you for what you have done to support our children. Without your help and support it would not have been possible for the children to be what they are today. You have given them the best possible gift of all: a caring and loving home: Alice in wonderland

Each child is unique in its own way and each has a different story to tell. These children at Alice in wonderland have endured a common but most difficult and traumatic experience that would make even the toughest soul weep. With your helping hand, these children have overcome the misery and paint a smile in their faces. We are not talking about the monetary support but the care and love you have rendered to them.

On this occasion, on behalf of these children I would like to send sincere thanks and best wishes to you and your family.

Enjoy your holidays!!!!

Best regards,

kranti sharma

Alice in wonderland Slumschool

2011-09-22T18:56:00.000+05:30

Aim Abroad and Volunteering in India: Happy Independence Day

2011-08-15T21:23:00.000+05:30

Aim Abroad and Volunteering in India: Happy Independence Day: "Freedom in the mind, Faith in the words.. pride in our souls.. lets salute d nation Happy Independence Day to all"

Happy Independence Day

2011-08-15T21:20:00.000+05:30

Freedom in the mind,
Faith in the words..
pride in our souls..
lets salute d nation
Happy Independence Day to all

MVI_0289.AVI

2011-08-13T06:04:00.000+05:30

MVI_0293.AVI

2011-08-12T20:59:00.000+05:30

AIM Abroad: Volunteer Abroad Program - Verge Magazine: Volunteer abroad, work and travel, study abroad | Verge Magazine: Volunteer abroad, work and travel, study abroad

2011-08-12T08:30:00.000+05:30

AIM Abroad: Volunteer Abroad Program - Verge Magazine: Volunteer abroad, work and travel, study abroad | Verge Magazine: Volunteer abroad, work and travel, study abroad

MVI 0285

2011-08-12T08:14:00.000+05:30

L'Inde, que d'aventures!

2011-07-31T19:57:00.000+05:30

C'est dans le pays le plus colore du monde que j'ai fait mon entree. Ouvrez bien vos yeux car il y a quelque chose de merveilleux a chaque coin de rue. Arrivee a Delhi pour passer la premiere nuit a Faridabad et deja la vie a l'indienne vous innonde de chaleur, de chansons locales, de lumiere et de couleur. Le premier jour, recontre avec les petits orphelins de Faridabad, ils vous sautent dessus et reclament toute votre attention et bien evidemment, impossible de resister a tant d'emotion. Ces petits ont tant d'amour a partager, ils font chaud au coeur et c'est avec le sourire que vous en repartez.
Apres une bonne nuit de sommeil, depart aux aurores pour me rendre a la ville rose, Jaipur. Quelques six heures de bus parmis les Indiens, pendant lesquelles je n'ai pas pu fermer un oeil, un trajet qui vous montrera la plus grande pauvrete, melangee a de superbes paysages. A l'arrivee, un accueil incroyable par une famille, l'hospitalite Indienne est epoustouflante et m'a permis de plonger dans leur univers, leur vie quotidienne, rythmee par les repas, les prieres, les discussions et le travai..l. J'ai appris enormement et ai cree des liens indefaisables. A nouveau, c'est dans un orphelinat que j'ai partage mon temps, avec le plus grand plaisir. Pendant mon temps libre, les visites de la ville sont a l'honneur et j'en ai pris plein les yeux!
Une experience qui reste gravee a jamais en soi, qui vous permet de realiser qui sont ces gens, parfois si pauvres mais si bons. Un enrichissement personnel mais aussi partage. Merci Aim Abroad pour ce voyage incroyable.

information for medical volunteers

2011-07-16T21:14:00.000+05:30

Christina Morse
I spent two weeks in June volunteering in a small clinic in Faridabad...it was an amazing experience; the doctor was very welcoming and living with the host family was unforgettable. There is really no better way to learn about Indian culture (and food) than living with a family. I got to play with their son, learn how to cook, share stories, and learn all about Indian hospitality. If anyone has any questions feel free to send me a message! Thanks Aim Abroad

crismo@u.washington.edu
christinaamorse@gmail.com

Agra, Jaipur, and Jaisalmer

2011-07-12T22:03:00.000+05:30

During their work here, our volunteers have the opportunity to travel around northern India. We will organize trips so that volunteers can travel together by train, bus, or taxi. Hotels are about 5-10 dollars a night and food is 2-6 dollars per meal so it's cheap to travel.

Agra- 4 hours away--    http://agra-india.com/
              Of course the main attraction in Agra is the Taj Mahal and it's not a site to miss! Surrounded by gardens, the beautiful pristine marble building towers above you. The tomb is perhaps the most famous building in India and it is truly a wonder of the world. Agra is very clean because no factories are allowed in the city to prevent pollution from contaminating the Taj. I would recommend going for a weekend although the city can be covered in a day trip.

Jaipur- 7 hours away ---http://www.jaipur.org.uk/
               As the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is a huge and active city in the hills of east India with a population of 3.5 million. As the home of ancient kings of India, the city is filled with forts and palaces. You can get group tickets for all the historic sites for a discount and spend anywhere from one to four days exploring the winding staircases of the forts and intricate architecture of the palaces. To see the sunset from the top of a fort is breathtaking but remember that you will be doing a bit of a hike around the city so be comfortable and be aware of the heat. As many historic buildings as there are in the city, there are just as many animals. You will see goats, pigs, cows, monkeys, peacocks, camels, and elephants to name just a few. You can take an elephant ride to the top of Amber fort and visit a monkey temple where the monkeys will eat peanuts out of your hands.
                     Jaipur is also known for its shopping, filled with jewelery and textile markets that you can get great deals on. I would recommend spending a weekend to a whole week in Jaipur depending on how much you want to see.

Jaisalmer--19 hours from Delhi (take an overnight train with a bed though and you really won't notice) http://www.jaisalmer.org.uk/
                Jaisalmer is in the middle of the desert which is not for everyone but can be a real life changing experience if you're up for it. In the summer, it is almost completely deserted of tourists and has its own gorgeous fort worth wandering around in to really get to see Indian life and locals. Book an overnight camel safari to see the sand dunes, travel on your own camel, and sleep under the stars. You can also travel by dirt bike or jeep to see the beauty of the desert. Jaislamer is a great place to go for a weekend.

useful information for volunteers

2011-07-12T17:09:00.000+05:30

Just uploaded some pictures of the children from the Alice In Wonderland orphanage in Faridabad. For those of you who are arriving in the near future or who are interested in coming these pictures are from the orphanage program. In the next few days we will be uploading more pictures from the Slum School and other orphanages around the area. When you arrive we offer wi-fi internet access, comfortable beds and meals. In the language and culture program, you're able to go to Delhi to enjoy the daily culture and if you wish you can travel to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, to Jaipur to enjoy the elephants and cobras or to Dharmshala by bus to see the Monks for a very small fee!

Agra for the day is 800 rupees for the transportation and 700 rupees for entrance into the Taj Mahal.
Delhi for the day including most of the popular sights will be around 1000 rupees for the day!
Old Delhi and the Red Fort will also be around 1000 rupees for the day!

We can also arrange trips to Jaipur, Dharmshala and even Goa!
If you have any questions email Shaun Fantauzzo via shaunfantauzzo@gmail.com!

As I have said, more pictures to come.
Namaste!

Sponsor A Child's Care

2011-07-05T21:16:00.000+05:30

As many of you already know, much of my time in India has been spent working with an orphanage run by a program called Aim Abroad. Aim Abroad is located in Faridabad, a town just South of Delhi.

Presently, Aim Abroad is in need of help in the form of sustainable small donations. Before I share the specifics of its needs, please take a few moments to read about the services Aim Abroad performs.

Aim Abroad is a six-year old program that runs its own small orphanage and connects volunteers with other reputable orphanages, slum schools, hospitals, and women’s empowerment initiatives. Aim Abroad additionally serves as the orientation point for many volunteers entering Northern India through partner organizations. Volunteers generally spend one-to-two weeks in the residence of the program Coordinator or a local host family, during which time they receive lessons in Hindi, helpful aid in acclimating to Indian culture, full meals, organized and safe transportation to and from the specified projects and opportunities for sightseeing in Delhi, Jaipur and Amritsar.

Presently, Aim Abroad has finalized construction on a second small orphanage catering to the needs of handicapped children, but needs your help to furnish that facility, as well as to make certain the incidental monthly costs of caring for the children in both orphanages and the volunteers can be sustained. Such expenses include, but are not limited to clothing, food, school books and school fees, wages for caretakers, appropriate furnishings and fixtures accommodating children with special needs, and medical aid for the children.

Since it is a small organization operating under the larger umbrella of the Global Orphanage Trust and currently receives only nominal donations, Aim Abroad does not yet qualify for a tax exempt status, which would qualify your donation as an exemption. Aim Abroad is growing with marked speed, and hopes to qualify for exemption status within the next year.

In the meantime, I can personally vouch for the merits of Aim Abroad and the aid it is servicing to a community in dire need. But, Aim Abroad needs your help in the form of a sustainable cumulative donation of $100 - $200 USD a month. It does not matter if the amount comes in the form of $2, $5 or $10 USD a month from multiple persons or if a sponsor is able to contribute on a larger scale. What does matters is that Aim Abroad is able to continue servicing its community and country in providing a loving and safe home to the children it looks after and the volunteers it connects with other relief agencies. Aim Abroad wishes to sustain its current operations and movements towards expansion so as to reach as many children in need as possible.

If you are able to contribute to Aim Abroad on any scale, please contact info.aimabroad@gmail.com via email urgently. If you know of opportunities for large scale corporate or private sponsorship, let us know. We will perform the leg work. Documentation, receipts and photos can be provided to you as evidence of how your money has been spent in the continued aid of the orphanages and volunteer services. Additionally, you are invited to come to India or send a representative to make purchases for Aim Abroad directly, should you feel more comfortable. Opportunities to volunteer are also possible. Aid in all forms is welcome and so very much needed.

For more information on Aim Abroad please visit www.aimabroad.org or http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1342886865.

Please contact us via email me should you be interested to help at info.aimabroad@gmail.com.

Very best,

Bethany Renee Mezick

Aim Abroad Volunteer

General Informations form a Volunteer

2011-05-30T20:59:00.000+05:30

Hi! My name is Rachel and I'm currently volunteering with Aim Abroad. I've been here for 5 days and it has been truly amazing already. So far I've worked in the orphanage, volunteered at a hospital and worked with an empowering women project. They have all been really interesting and the program is really great about letting you mess around until you find a project that suits you. They also help plan trips for you if you want to travel and make sure you have other volunteers around you. Through trying out different programs I have met 4 hosts families and they are all wonderful people, really wanting to help out the volunteers staying with them and inspired to help those in need in India. The two things I was most worried about coming here were the heat and my safety. To tackle the first one, I will be honest....it's hot, slightly hotter than 100°F, 40°C every day. However, Indians beat the heat by waking up early before it gets too hot to go outside and staying indoors with AC for the hotter part of the day. As long as you drink plenty of water, you'll be fine. Water btw is about 20 rupees, 40 cents per liter so it's easy to come by. The second concern, safety, hasn't been an issue at all. I have walked to different volunteer sites and markets near my host family's house by myself just fine. It takes a little getting used to to be in such a different environment and I originally walked with other volunteers but now I feel comfortable to go out during the day alone within walking distance of the house. If I go out at night, it's with other people and we avoid unsafe areas.

The country is extremely busy and it is definitely a culture shock when you first get here because it is different than anything you can picture. However, even after only 5 days I have been able to become comfortable with the environment and really appreciate the crazy Indian culture surrounding me :)

I hope this helps you with an introduction into Aim Abroad. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions --rachyspp@gmail.com

Alice in Wonderland Monthly Update

2011-05-08T15:59:00.000+05:30

   The following update should serve as an insight to the day-to-day life of the children at the Alice in Wonderland orphanage, and other projects, for anyone interested; especially potential volunteers and those wanting to help. The Alice in Wonderland orphanage, is located in Faridibad, about an hour's car journey south of Delhi and was founded around a year ago to offer a nurturing environment to children who would otherwise be without. The residents include Muskan and Rajat, brother and sister aged 12 and 9 respectively, Anish and Manish, brothers aged 7 and 6, Brijmohan, 7, Sonu, 7 and Khushi, 3. All with distinctive personalities that are guaranteed to charm.
The 17th of April was marked by Brijmohan's 7th birthday, which was celebrated with a tea party at the orphanage which all the children and 3 volunteers attended. Just like there should be at every child's birthday, there was cake. Also greatly enjoyed, were the presents and a pinata. As a special birthday treat, the next day at school, Brijmohan proudly wore his own clothes, instead of his uniform!
   Not as fun for the children, however, was the outbreak of head lice, which resulted in haircuts all round. That's apart from Muskan; (12 years old) to chop off her beautiful, thick head of shiny black hair would be a crime!
   Another notable event was the day that the children received new outfits, courtesy of Simone and Colin, mother and son volunteers from London, England. The excitement could be felt in the air and they were only to happy to pose together for their very own photo-shoot. Being the subject of photographs is something they are only too used to as not a day goes by without a volunteer snapping their movements, whether they are dipping their chapati in their chai at breakfast time or waddling to school with their enormous backpacks, which they recently received from Bethany, a most-dedicated volunteer from New York, USA. Bethany was intending to take only a week out of her busy traveling schedule to spend in Faridibad, but after falling in love with the children of AiW, ended up staying with them a month, also sharing her devotion and skills helping and photographing the various other projects in the surrounding areas which volunteers can choose to donate their time to.
   Anyone willing to offer themselves to an extremely worthy cause should take note. As a volunteer who has spent 3 weeks here already (out of 5) I can say from experience that the considerable amount that can be given by a dedicated volunteer and gratefully received by the children, is unsurpassed by the amount that can be learned.
   Also worth taking note of is the current temperature, which has been reaching and exceeding 40 degrees Celsius almost every day. The heat, however, is not uncomfortable if the following precautions are taken: drink plenty of water, around 3-6 liters, appropriate clothing is always worn, which can be purchased from the nearby markets for extremely reasonable prices. (Additionally, wearing appropriate clothes from the market is appreciated by the locals and helps to make you feel less like a foreigner!) At certain times of the day, it is best to be indoors where the fans and air conditioning make a considerable difference. Most of the projects are equipped with fans, more recently the Alice in Wonderland school, which hosts around 30 children from the surrounding slums in Faridibad, has been fully kitted out, making it a more pleasant working and learning environment.

It won't be long before the next update, thanks for reading! For further information, photographs and contact details please visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1342886865

My Adventures In India: A couple of Day 11 picturesSome of the slum huts ...

2011-04-26T16:07:00.000+05:30

My Adventures In India: A couple of Day 11 pictures
Some of the slum huts ...: "A couple of Day 11 pictures Some of the slum huts around the Morning Star school Mom teaching at the school Some of the smaller k..."

New Project Ready To Open in a Few Days!

2011-04-01T23:19:00.000+05:30

We have some exciting news over with the projects at Aim Abroad! Our new orphanage for children with disabilities is almost ready to open! We finished all of the exterior construction about a week and a half ago, and as of this morning, the interior reconstruction has finished! Now, we are working on cleaning and organizing the orphanage, and getting enough supplies and everything ready for the opening. Additionally, we are not clear on exactly who will be given the opportunity to live in the orphanage, but we do know two children, desperately needing a home, whom we would like to offer a place in the home and family. Aiming to house about four to five orphaned and disabled children in this home, we are looking forward to this great new project to help the poor and needy in India, especially now with a focus to help disabled children too! Otherwise, our school for children who live in slum areas has been going well. We have been maintaining an attendance of thirty children, who are all eager to come and learn (and enjoy a treat for arriving on time!). The children have been studying learning their ABCs orally, and they have been working on mastering the use of the pencil, drawing straight lines, circle, squares, basic shapes, etc. Hopefully soon the children will be starting to draw the symbols in the English and Hindi alphabets!

Medical Volunteering and Orphanage Children's Academic Reports!

2011-03-28T23:07:00.000+05:30

Today Marie Murphy (as seen above), one of our medical volunteers from New York, went to a charitable hospital called Sharma Charitable Center. She mostly took measurements of the patients' blood pressures, weights, heart rates, etc., but she also had the opportunity to go with the doctors on rounds and observe the doctors working in the outpatient department. In one particular case, she described a patient with a rash on his chest, resulting from heat and dehydration. The doctors prescribed a lotion and told him to drink copious amounts of water, as the summer is around the corner and the temperatures are not too extreme right now: he needs to prepare for how his body will react when the temperature will peak by the end of May. Most of the other cases were fairly common cases, including cold or flu symptoms, which she felt were not noteworthy, but the rash case was particularly interesting to an aspiring dermatologist.

Otherwise, the children in our orphanage have been doing very well in their classes! Earlier this month the children took their final exams for the year, and tomorrow they will be starting their new academic year in school. In India, the academic system works differently than how most volunteers describe their academic system runs in Western countries: Our new term begins in the end of March, and the school year ends in the beginning of March. Children have summer vacation off as well, but in the middle of their school year. Once the children finished this academic year, the results came in! Muskan, Rajat, and Anish, all performed at the top of their classes! Brij Mohan and Sonu also did very well in their classes, as Brij Mohan placed second and Sonu placed fourth out of all of their classmates. Unfortunately, it breaks my heart to see Manish struggling so much through his school work. This year Manish did poorly on his exams again, though the teachers have been seeing improvements! After our parent-teacher meetings, we all decided that he would stay back in lower kindergarten, and in three months' time we will reevaluate his progress. Sonu, Anish, and Brij Mohan moved on to upper kindergarten, while Rajat moved on to 1st grade and Muskan onto 5th grade. We will continue our hard work with all of the volunteering projects, especially educating the young children in our orphanage! Our results, for the most part, prove that we have been doing the best job possible!

Volunteers Visit the New School!

2011-03-24T22:21:00.001+05:30

Today one of our volunteers, Jenny, from Malaysia, went to volunteer at our new school for children who live in slum areas! While there, she helped distribute some donations to the children, mostly school supplies, textbooks, stickers, etc. and helped put up charts and posters of different fruits with their names in English and Hindi, and different vegetables with their names in English an Hindi. Now that we had a volunteer with us, the teacher and Jenny went around the classroom helping the children starting to learn how to properly write some Hindi and English letters, though they have only started a few characters in each script. Jenny also helped the children pronouncing the names of the English letters and numbers, and the children have been practicing their nursery rhymes, oral counting (in Hindi and in English), and orally reciting both the alphabet and devanagari (the Hindi alphabet). We also want to express our satisfaction with our project's success, as our new program of rewarding the children with candy for attendance has had such a great impact on our attendance rate! Now our school has grown by 50%, as today we had thirty children. We do not think we can extend the group to more children, as our workspace and funds are prohibitive, but this improvement shows that our work and ideas are helping the kids in being motivated to come and learn!

More about our Newest Project

2011-03-22T19:21:00.000+05:30

At the school for children living in slum areas, the work has been a bit slow, since we have several obstacles to overcome before our children can start learning at a rapid rate. At the moment, because the school is in the beginning stages, many of the children have been arriving irregularly and tardy, which drastically limits our rate of progress: We must work on punctuality to help discipline the children. After reviewing our budget, we have decided to implement a program to encourage the children to arrive on time: We will award the children who arrive before classes begin with a small candy, a rare treat for these deprived children. Our volunteers have not been to the school since its opening, but starting tomorrow the volunteers will work at the school, now that the children are a little more accustomed to using pencils and doing the activities requested by our teacher, Neetu (who is shown holding a child in the first picture). We feel that the volunteers' presence will have such a great impact on the children: while the children focus on learning very basic techniques with writing, the volunteers will practice songs with the children so that they can start learning the alphabet and counting. Neetu is also teaching the children the Hindi alphabet system, known as "devanagari," or "ka kha ga" (which is comparable to "ABCs" in English).

Neetu is actually a local teacher, having grown up in the very same neighborhood as the children! She is very studious and self-motivated, and she is pursuing a degree by correspondence right now. In the mean time, this job will help her earn while she honorably helps our students gain an education. Though her English communication skills are somewhat limited, she will be able to communicate enough with the volunteers to work together. One common theme in our children's behavior is a lack of discipline. We would like to be able to afford uniforms for the children, to help foster a sense of discipline and professionalism in the children, but the funding is simply unavailable. One complete set for the uniforms per year would cost 1,000 Rupees per child, about $22 USD, or for the entire school of twenty children, about 20,000 Rupees, or $440 USD per year. Considering what we do provide the children, however, we still feel that there is much room for improvement, once we have all of the funding necessary to support our cause. With our current budget, we can only provide one banana per day per child, but ideally we would like to provide a nutritiously balanced meal rather than a small snack. Let's see how the work with the volunteers goes tomorrow!

Happy Holi!

2011-03-21T07:58:00.000+05:30

At Aim Abroad, we wish everybody had a colorful Holi yesterday! In spirit of the festivities, we helped organize a Holi gathering for the children at our orphanage! The children played on the roof of the house where they stay, and everybody had a wonderful time. For those who do not know about the holiday, Holi is a festival where we take colored powder, called "gulaal," and mix it with water or throw the powder on its own to color everyone in a variety of colors. There are many stories and different origins of the tradition; however, one tradition's moral is that the color of one's skin does not matter, a very respectable teaching!

Many of our volunteers recently went traveling, mostly to Jaipur, as the celebrations in Jaipur tend to be a little more vibrant than in our region of Delhi, so we hope that they too had a wonderful time. This evening most of the volunteers will be returning to their host families to continue with their projects tomorrow. We will be continuing our work with the new school and continue to post updates about the progress of the children's education. Once again, we wish everyone had a Happy Holi, or "Holi Mubaarak," as we say in Hindi!

School in the Slums Project Began Yesterday and Holi 2011!

2011-03-18T06:07:00.001+05:30

Yesterday we started our first day of teaching at the new school in the slum area! Here is a picture of the view from the school and its vicinity. Though today we didn't have any volunteers go to the project, we met with the teacher for the school and began the first class with the children. We have about twenty children from the neighborhood in the slum areas, all who are completely illiterate up until now. To get them accustomed to school, the teacher passed out supplies for the children, among them pencils, which they had never used before. They all practiced grasping the pencils, and were getting used to properly holding a pencil so that we can eventually teach them writing skills. After the children we used to the proper technique for holding the pencils, they began some scribbles and doodles, and at the end of the day they a chance for creating their own art. Although today their artwork was not so artistically impressive, the children's dedication to their task and their satisfaction with their own creations impressed us by far! We are very happy that the first day was a success, and look forward to more improvements with the school!

Also, we would like to wish everyone a very happy Holi! May your day be as filled with color as it will be for all of us in India!

Launching a New Orphanage Project and a New School Project

2011-03-13T19:51:00.001+05:30

Here is a picture of a new orphanage we are creating: this orphanage is especially geared towards helping children who are disabled. We will be hosting five children when we begin on April 1st, 2011! We are still working on refurbishing the home and some construction on the exterior of where the five children will live, which is why we have not begun the project yet.

Also, our school project has been coming along nicely as well. We currently have our student body ready, and the students' parents have agreed to allow us to provide their children with a free education, school supplies, and one meal daily. Approximately 20 students will comprise the student body. We have made the arrangements for supplies for the school (a blackboard, chalk, a carpet, etc.) and will be beginning this project later on this week too. Though we will be the size of a small classroom, we hope that we can spread awareness of the need for education to more students in the neighborhood, and we hope to raise more funds to support a larger student body!

Though we have been unable to write on the blog as often as we would like to, our projects have been running continuously, and we are finding more and more ways to give back to the community with each passing day! We will try to update as regularly as possible. If you would like to learn more about the program, please check out our website, http://www.aimabroad.org. We look forward to meeting more altruistic volunteers with a passion for inspiring and helping the needy in India and around the world!

Donations from the Local Community!

2011-03-13T17:03:00.000+05:30

Last night the children at the orphanage had special guests visit them for dinner! A local family in Delhi NCR decided that they wanted to come and spend time with the children, and brought dinner for each of the children at the orphanage: The family was also interested in spending time and making donations for the children, for which we are extremely grateful. In other news, one of my husband's acquaintances has a connection with the people who own a restaurant at the park, which the children love to visit, and he has requested that we mention his name, and the children will be able to order anything that they like! Though we will not spoil the children and tell them, we are certain that whenever the children go to the park, they will have the opportunity to eat at the park, as a chaperone would use the connection and provide the food for the children! Here is a photo of the children at the same park, as they enjoy their morning together in the park with some volunteers! It is a true inspiration to see the kind of help that so many people in the neighborhood are eager to offer.
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New School with Aim Abroad!

2011-02-13T12:31:00.002+05:30

We are sorry that we have been unable to post this week, but things have been very busy here in Delhi NCR as our volunteering programs are expanding and helping more people in need! We have some wonderful news as well! This week, we have been working on opening a school for slum-children in the neighborhood, and we have received the funding for start-up costs! We plan to open the school close to an area of very needy people, who cannot afford food or basic amenities for their families. Most of these families prefer not to send their children to school, as they would rather have the children work or earn money. We plan to offer the children at the school one meal daily, school supplies, and a set of school clothes and shoes for the summer and winter, to help persuade local parents to enroll their children in our school (for free) and invest in their own children's education and future! For the past few weeks, we have been meeting with some real estate agents to find an affordable yet convenient location for our mission, and we believe today we have found the right spot! Here is a picture of a girl nearby, who we believe will be one of our future students! We are very much looking forward to this endeavor to reach out to help more people in a different way, as this can help sustain children who have families yet are trapped without a means for education.

Also, the volunteers who went to Delhi this past weekend had a great trip. They described that they changed their itinerary a bit while on the road, and went to Chandni Chowk and Red Fort, otherwise known as "Laal kilaa" in Hindi, reserving Sunday for a trip to Connaught Place and the Lotus Temple before heading back to their host families with Aim Abroad!
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Volunteers in Delhi and Weekend Plans

2011-02-05T11:40:00.001+05:30

This weekend a group of three volunteers went to the central area in Delhi to visit some of the tourist attractions such as Delhi's famous Qutab Minar, the Lotus Temple, and Connaught Place, Delhi's famous shopping district. The volunteers headed out early in the morning, and we are certain they will have an interesting time, as other volunteers had advised them based on their previous traveling experiences. Also, this morning, a pair of volunteers went to the orphanage to help the children get ready for their half-day at school today. In the afternoon, a few of them will go with the children to Town Park, a very nice park in the area! I have attached a photo from when the volunteers took a few of the children from the orphanage over to the park a few months ago. We are looking forward to a nice day with everyone!
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Volunteering at the Orphanage

2011-02-03T12:11:00.001+05:30

At Aim Abroad, our volunteers have been continuing their work with us, especially with the orphanage and our newest addition, Khushi ji! One of our volunteers has been diligently waking up every morning at 7:00AM to help the children get ready for school. She has been with us for about five months, and her hard work and dedication are much appreciated by all of us, especially the children! After school, the children spend time with the rest of the volunteers, as they improve their English communication, which is a long, but worthwhile work in progress! Also, some volunteers are making plans to visit the main areas in Delhi on the weekend, and visit some of the tourist sites such as the Lotus Temple and Connaught Place, Delhi's major shopping district. We are looking forward to their exciting plans as it's always nice to explore every facet of the volunteering experience while in a foreign country!
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New Child at our Orphanage!

2011-02-01T11:03:00.001+05:30

We have been very busy with Aim Abroad this past month, and thus we had not had time to update our blog in a while! We are sorry about this, but we hope to continue to be able to post as often as possible, as we want to keep everyone updated about our volunteering projects and programs! Firstly, we have some wonderful news! We have a new addition to our orphanage, Khushi, age 3! She is the second girl we have hosted at our orphanage, and now Muskan (holding Khushi in one picture) has a new friend who is a girl! We have all been very happy together, but with the new addition to our family, our work has increased a lot! The other kids have been adjusting well with Khushi ji (a respectful way to refer to Khushi in Hindi), and the volunteers have been enjoying working with a new individual as well! Our volunteers, in the mean time, have been continuing their volunteering projects in the orphanages and the medical projects, and a few have been volunteering at the schools for the children who live in slum areas. Mostly the volunteers have been working with our orphanage, since we have been making adjustments with Khushi ji, but everyone is having a nice time while we are all working together to make advancements!
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Hindi Lesson 3

2011-01-03T14:25:00.001+05:30

Continuing with our discussion about using the English alphabet to represent the correct sounds in Hindi, I would like to go over the other vowel sounds, and some new important consonant sounds. In Hindi we find many different vowels, which are present in English, but the English vowel sounds are affected by the other letters in the words. For example, in English, we have a short "u" vowel with the sound in "book" ("buk," in this writing system) or "who" ("hu," in this system), which we will represent with the letter "u" in these Hindi lessons. This sound is not often come across in English, but we do find the longer "u" vowel more often, such as in "loom" ("luum") or "fool" ("fuul"), which we will represent as "uu" in this series of lessons. The difference is very subtle, and not extremely important, but it will help the Hindi student who has an interest in learning to properly speak the language. Basically, the short "u" is a shortened version of the longer "uu," which can be easily differentiated when we look at the difference in sounds between the words "book" and "loom."

Similarly, we have a short and long form of the vowel "i." Short forms are found in words like "pin" or "kin," while long forms are found in words like "clean" or "seen." To represent these vowel sounds, we will represent the short vowel form of "i" simply as "i." Thus, "pin" and "kin" are spelled exactly the same in both English, and this version of phonetic English. For the longer "i" sounds, we will use the symbol "ee," which is less strain on the eyes than seeing a word written with "ii" (for example, "deal" is easy to clearly represent as "deel" rather than "diil"). So, for "clean" or "seen," we represent these words as "kleen" and "seen" respectively.

Lastly, the last vowel sound to consider is the "o" sound. When we use the symbol "o," we are representing the sounds in words like "joke" or "most." For Hindi pronunciation sticklers, the sound is a little abrupt, in the sense that when we say "most," the first sound in the vowel is the sound we want, and the sound which almost sounds like the "uu" sound just as we pronounce the "s," this is a second, independent vowel, which should be omitted it in Hindi. In fact, the sound in "omit" is a much closer sound to what we want! Now, there is a final sound in Hindi which is similar to this "o" sound, which we will represent as "au," which, is its own vowel, and not two separate vowels, when you read through these lessons. This sound is uncommon, but found in words like "aural" or "drawer." This completes our discussion on using vowels!

We won't be able to finish up the consonants in this Hindi lesson, but I will introduce a very important discussion about pronouncing some of the most common consonants we come across in Hindi, and in the next lesson we can finish up these introductions to properly pronouncing Hindi words. Moving on, in Hindi, when we pronounce words such as "to" or "take," we do not pronounce them as "tuu" or "tek," but rather, as "Tuu" or "Tek" in this writing system. These capital letters differentiate between the t's, in which the tongue touches behind the interface of the top front teeth and gums ("t"), and the t's in which the tip of the tongue touches the palate ("T"), where the tongue touches the rear ridges in the roof of the mouth. This is very important to clarify, as in English, we do not use the tip of the tongue to make these sounds! We instead use a different region of the tongue, not the tip. In Hindi, we only use the tip of the tongue to make any sounds, and the rest of the tongue does not act in the articulation of refining sounds.

Similar to the "T" sound I have introduced, we also encounter "D," which is essentially is the same as "T," except the sound rolls as the tongue is still resting on the palate (similar in the comparison between "t" and "d"). In Hindi, we also have aspirated sounds, so we will also see the sounds "Th" and "Dh" appear, which should have clear pronunciation guidelines if you have been following these Hindi lessons. We also find a "n" sound, in which the "n" is produced by placing the tip of the tongue in the same place as when making the "T" sound, and we represent this as an "N." Similarly, we have a "S" sound, which nowadays has a sound equivalent to "sh," but in the older language the sound was produced by positioning the tip of the tongue near these hind ridges in the roof of the mouth, but not touching the roof of the mouth, and making a "sh" sounding utterance. This distinction between "S" and "sh" is commonly ignored nowadays, but I will remain true to the original and proper pronunciation of formal Hindi.

This wraps up today's lesson! We hope you enjoyed the lesson, as we feel it's necessary to cover the important tips about proper Hindi pronunciation for the avid learner!
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Happy New Year and Children's School Grades!

2011-01-01T20:26:00.002+05:30

At Aim Abroad, we would like to wish everyone a very happy new year, or, "Naayee saal kee mubaarak baar!" ("Happy New Year" in Hindi), or simply "shubh kaamnaayein" ("congratulations" in Hindi)! At our projects in Delhi NCR, we have been quite busy during the holiday season! The children at the orphanage have had holidays from school, so we have been spending all of our time with the children, when they would normally have school hours. The children have also received their grades from school, and most of the children did extremely well! Muskan, the oldest child, came in first in her entire year in the school! Brij Mohan and Rajat, two of the elder boys in the orphanage, also received the highest marks out of all of the children in their year! Anish did very well in his class, and Sonu received decent marks, however, Manish was not able to receive passing marks in school.

We were very sad about the news regarding Manish's results from school, as we have spent every day working with Manish and helping him; but the language barrier, since Hindi is a foreign language to this five year-old, is simply too large an obstacle for him at the moment. Though he has improved immensely, we truly struggle with his inability to communicate or understand Hindi that is not extremely basic, and we especially struggle with his attention and focus issues, in conjunction with his hyperactivity. We are really searching for any volunteers who have special experience working with children in his shoes, either incapable of complex communication, or with hyperactive and attention disorders. Though the news was difficult for us, we are doing our very best, and seeing the progress of the other children has motivated us that it is possible to help Manish, and he will one day reach a level of success, if we persevere! Attached, I included a photo of Manish on his birthday, just a few weeks ago!
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Hindi Lesson 2

2010-12-22T09:43:00.001+05:30

Attached is a photo taken at the street children project, as a teacher writes song lyrics in Hindi for students to memorize! A volunteer from Spain taught the song to the children, as the teacher wrote down the Hindi spelling for the sounds she heard in the lyrics of this Basque nursery rhyme!

Today I would like to discuss a bit more about the notation I will be using to teach some basic and useful Hindi to travelers or volunteers coming to India, before moving on to more helpful phrases in the language. In Hindi, we have several sounds which may be difficult to differentiate to a non-native speaker of the language. The first I will mention is an aspirate sound, or, the difference between "p" and "ph" in Hindi. A "p" sound is a soft sounding "ph," in the sense that when you vocalize the sound, there should be no puff or exaggerated exhale from the mouth (which may be noticed by keeping your palm close to your mouth when you speak the sound). For example, the exhale can be heard or felt with your hand when you say the word "pounce" ("phauns" in this system), whereas the normal "p" sound can be detected with the "p" in the word "lip." In Hindi, we have several of the aspirated consonants, so when you see a consonant followed by an "h," the sound is actually one consonant, with this exhale to execute the proper sound. One exception, for the consonants, is with an "s," as an "sh" will have the sound of an "sh" in English, as in "shun" (or "shan," in this phonetic system). Also, please remember that a "c" has the sound as in "choose," but a "ch" has an extra aspirated effect, as in the word "chase" (These are the best English words I could find that can be used to differentiate the sounds textually).

There are also several different places where your tongue functions in Hindi, quite different from the way it does in English! When I write a "d" or a "t," these are sounds where the tip of the tongue should touch behind the top of the front most teeth on the upper jaw. The effect of the sound is similar to the sound in the word "the," but slightly off to a native speaker of Hindi, as the tongue goes beneath the teeth, rather than behind the top, where the teeth meet the gums. Also, there are corresponding "dh" and "th" sounds, which also require the tongue to move to the correct location, while adding an exhale to the sound. The best example, for an English word, which I could find was "th" in "thistle." An "r" sound in Hindi is a bit of a rolled sound, where the tip of the tongue slightly rolls backward while you make the sound (similar to how you roll the tongue when saying the "tt" sound in the word "latter," except the tongue should not touch the roof of the mouth).

Now let's move onto a couple of grammar concepts. To review what we learned, adjectives precede the nouns they modify, and the basic sentence structure is "Subject, Object, Verb." In Hindi, the nouns all have a gender, and the adjectives and verbs (usually) agree in the gender as well. For example, the sentence "The wait/delay was long" translates to "intezaar lambaa thaa" in Hindi: "intezaar," a masculine word, means "wait," "lambaa," which is inflected to correspond with the masculine gender of the noun intezaar, means "tall/long," and "thaa" is the word "was" in the masculine form. If we delineate the grammar of each individual word in the Hindi sentence and translate it to English, we see that it sounds like "wait long was," as the grammar is "subject, object [none in this sentence], verb." I hope this clarifies things a bit!

Let's compare this phrase with an identical phrase in meaning, but slightly altered phrase because of gender agreement. The masculine word "intezaar" has a feminine synonym, the word "prateekshaa." Intezaar is the word we use at home when we speak Hindi, and prateekshaa is a bit bookish sounding, but it is also an appropriate word, with a root closer to Sasnkrit, rather than an Urdu word, like intezaar. So, though we have two sentences, which have the same English translation because of the use of synonyms identical in meaning, the difference in gender affects each word in the sentence! Here is a comparison of the two sentences:

Original Sentence: "intezaar lambaa thaa"

New Sentence: "prateekshaa lambee thee"

Learning from the examples, usually words ending in the "aa" sound are masculine, though not always, because "prateekshaa" is one of the few feminine nouns that has a masculine-appearing ending: thus, "lambaa" and "thaa" correspond to the gender by having their masculine forms. Similarly, words ending in "ee" sound are usually feminine words, just like "lambee" and "thee" are the feminine forms of these words. Here is another example (I am using a Haryanvi word for boy/girl, as it is an acceptable word in Hindi to use, and I can't describe the Hindi word in this writing system until next lesson):

Masculine: "choraa patla hai"

Feminine: "choree patlee hai"

Before dissecting each word, strikingly we can see that the word "hai," meaning "is," is not a gendered word! Though in the past tense, "thaa/thee," in the present tense, this verb is the only verb in the present tense that does not change gender. Other verbs will require a lesson in verb conjugation to discuss, but we will keep our lessons to "is/was" lessons in the beginning to emphasize these other grammar concepts before reaching a more difficult topic. So, the word "choraa" means boy, and "choree" means girl. The words "patlaa" and "patlee" mean "thin," with their uses reserved for the corresponding gender of the noun which the adjective modifies. Reviewing, we see that the sentence resembles "boy/girl thin is," when we translate each word in order. Finally, as I tell you a new word from now on, if it can easily change in gender, like "lambaa/lambee" or "patlaa/patlee," then I will describe it as such: The word for "thin" is "patlaa/patlee." I hope you enjoyed a more insightful look at Hindi grammar for beginners!
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Holiday Volunteers and Orphanage Children Visit Park!

2010-12-19T10:52:00.001+05:30

Among the volunteers that are with us, and not traveling around India, several have been continuing their work at the volunteering projects! Here is a photo taken at a local Hindu temple, where some volunteers went to learn about Indian culture and Hindu traditions! Otherwise, our volunteers have been continuing their work in the medical projects, working with a pediatrician and helping the nurses in the nursery with taking care of the infants there; other medical volunteers have also been volunteering with the handicapped children this week, as they taught in their classrooms and with their therapy. The volunteers who have been working at our orphanage are going to take the children to the park, as they love visiting the locally famous destination! There is a restaurant at the park, where a generous supporter of our work has promised to subsidize any snacks or meals that the children would like to eat! Every time we go to the park, we are reminded by the generosity of the people in our local community who help support our dream of offering the children with us a simple concept: each of our children should feel like they are an essential part of our warm and loving family!
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Orphanage Renovations Complete and Varanasi Trip!

2010-12-17T22:07:00.001+05:30

We wanted to notify our readers that we have completed the renovations of the upstairs floor in our orphanage! The bathroom has been retiled and is now operational, and the caretaker's room on the second floor is also fit to be used! At the moment we don't have any pictures, but hopefully soon we can upload a few pictures so that we can share what it looks like! Though the entire floor is not complete, the rooms that are constructed now look great, and we just need to construct one bedroom; because of our limited funds, and because there is no urgent need for building the room at the moment, we have decided to wait until we are able to muster some funds so that we can properly build an appropriate bedroom, separate for the girls at our orphanage.

Also, we have finally finished signing up the children at our orphanage on a health insurance plan! Though we could not subsidize all of the children's plans and coverage, we felt that it was necessary to keep the children's health insurance covered on a plan, and we dipped into our own funds as well for the task. We are just extremely relieved about the health insurance coverage, as this was an important responsibility for us!

One of our main benefactors, who has been with us all of this month, will be ending her stay with us in a few days. With all of her help, donations, and time, we have bought the children all of the necessary clothes for the winter, finished the refurbishments of the home in the orphanage, purchased an essential cabinet in the orphanage to store winter clothes and blankets in the summer, along with other invaluable resources she has provided for us! We will surely miss her! At the moment, she went on a short vacation with another volunteer to Varanasi! Here is a picture from Varanasi, when our past volunteers had previously visited the city! Other volunteers have been ending their programs recently, as they had wanted to go home for the holidays! Which reminds me, we would like to wish everyone happy holidays, or "Mubaarak ho" in Hindi (literally, "congratulations")!
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Hindi Lesson 1

2010-12-14T08:25:00.002+05:30

हिंदी - Hindi (in Hindi)

I wanted to dedicate a few blogs to teaching some useful Hindi phrases, so that anyone interested in traveling to India, especially North India, would have an easier time with the language barrier after learning a bit about the language and culture of the region! I will start with a few useful phrases and a brief look at grammar, but only the bare essentials of each for beginners!

Before we begin, I wanted to clarify the writing that I would use: English consonants get their pure sounds, with the exception of "c," which will have a soft "ch" sound like in the word "choose." The t's and d's used in this lesson are different from native English sounds: your tongue should touch the back of your teeth when you make these sounds (other t's and d's, similar to English t's and d's, will come up in another lesson, and I will address the notation then). A single "a" will have the sound as in "gum" or "come," which would be spelled as "gam" or "kam" in this phonetic manner I am utilizing. Two a's together, or "aa" will sound like the long "a" sound in "fall" or "gone" (spelled "faal" or "gaan" in this system). Finally, the only other point to make for this lesson about this writing system of Hindi using the English alphabet is that the vowel "ai" will act as one vowel sound, similar in sound to the vowel in the words "catch" ("kaic"), "fail" ("fail"), and "fan" ("fain"). Now, moving on to the phrases:

To say hello and goodbye in Hindi, the word is the same, and we say "namaste." There is another word, "namaskaar," that people use as well, which sounds a bit more formal, but is also very polite and has a nice ring to it. "namaskaar," like "namaste," also means both hello and goodbye.

We also have two words for thank you. "shukriya" is the word volunteers tend to prefer, as it is easier to pronounce and remember than "dhanyavaad," the other word for thank you. These words are synonyms, but they originally come from two separate languages etymologically: "shukriya" is an Urdu word, and "dhanyavaad" is a Sanskritic word, but both are equally accepted and used, depending on the location and reason for use. Some may say that "dhanyavaad" is a bit more formal, but it is typically more appropriate to use this word, rather than "shukriya," when in a Hindu context.

To say "My name is Kranti," we say "mera naam kraanti hai." The word "mera" means "my," and the adjective precedes the noun, as in English. "naam," to no surprise, means "name," and this is a masculine noun, as Hindi is a gendered language. As such, the adjective "mera" has a masculine inflection to match the gender of the noun it modifies, "naam." My name, of course, is Kranti, so this remains the same in both languages. Finally, the word "hai" means "is," and in Hindi, the main verb is always at the end of the sentence. So, the phrase "My name is Kranti" has the grammatical organization in Hindi of "My name Kranti is."

To ask someone "What is your name?" (referring to the person respectfully in a formal sense), we say "aapka naam kya hai?" in Hindi. "aapka," like "mera," is an adjective meaning "your," which corresponds in gender to the word "naam." The word "kya" means "what," as an interrogative, and interrogatives are always placed near the end of the sentence, just before the verb.

That should be enough to focus on for one lesson. In the next lesson, I think it would be good to focus on proper pronunciation, as best as I can describe with an English alphabet! I hope this has been helpful and interesting!
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Orphanage Film Part 2

2010-12-13T09:12:00.001+05:30

And here is Part 2 of a version of the short film about our orphanage that we reformatted! We hope you enjoy the film!
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Orphanage Film Part 1

2010-12-13T08:45:00.001+05:30

Here is Part 1 of a version of the short film about our orphanage that we reformatted! We hope you enjoy the film!
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Goodbyes and Orphanage Renovations

2010-12-10T22:46:00.002+05:30

This week, one of our oldest volunteers, who has been with us for six months, and earlier for five months, has gone back home to the US after his long volunteering trip with Aim Abroad! He has spent a lot of time helping out at the orphanage, teaching the children English, Mathematics, other subjects, and even some written Hindi he picked up while here too! Everyday, he would tutor the children at the orphanage, spend time with them, and even take them to the park when he had the chance to do so. He also helped a lot of the volunteers, as he was learning basic Hindi during his time here, and was fluent in Spanish, so he helped translate for any volunteers from Spain who had limited English communication skills. He would frequently volunteer at the hospitals as well, and was very known to our group here in Delhi NCR! Even my family has welcomed him as a member of the family, and we attached another photo from the wedding, when a bunch of children at the wedding enjoyed speaking to him! All of us will really miss him while he's gone, but we will keep in touch, and we are certain to see him again when he decides to come back to India for more volunteer work! "Kaash ki ham ussey jaldi milein!" ("We hope that we will see him soon!" in Hindi)!

In other news, we have begun construction in our orphanage, for renovating the second floor! We hired a plumber and mason to work on the upstairs bathroom and upstairs caretakers' quarters, and the construction has been coming along nicely. If we can reach our financial goal, we expect to also construct a new room, so that we can separate the girls' quarters from the boys'. At the moment, there is no pressure to construct the room in the coming months; however, in about a year the new room will be compulsory, as our oldest girl will be reaching an age appropriate for a separate room for girls. As such, since we had the funds to renovate the existing rooms in the orphanage, we decided to touch up the rest of the floor, which will be nice for the orphanage when we do make use of the space for the girls at the orphanage. Let's see how we can reach our goal to upgrade the orphanage!
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Indian Wedding in Haryana!

2010-12-04T12:22:00.002+05:30

A few days ago, a pair of volunteers from the US went to a "Shaadi" (or "wedding" in Hindi) with me and my family in Rewari, Haryana! The photo was taken with the bride and groom just moments after the wedding ceremony, during the reception! Overall, the wedding was a wonderful event, and the volunteers were welcomed as every other guest in the family! They were reluctant to dance to Bollywood music and other western dance songs even at first, but the children attending the wedding insisted that they dance, and they were so happy they did! Everyone enjoyed the evening, and the volunteers went back to their home in Delhi NCR in the evening afterwards. As we say in Haryanvi, "Ghanaa jeesa aa gya!" (Everyone had a blast!)
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Traveling in India!

2010-12-01T11:31:00.001+05:30

Here are some more photos from Manish's birthday! Also, recently several of our volunteers have been traveling around India! A group of four volunteers went to Ram Nagar, nearby a tiger reserve, bird sanctuary, and elephant safari conglomerate, among other recreational areas, by the city Nainital. This morning, two volunteers from Europe went to Rajasthan to tour around Jaipur and Udaipur, two must-see tourist destinations in North India! Also, three of our volunteers went to Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama will be giving lectures in his home town and temple! Though the volunteers will be unable to see the Dalai Lama, as they have not registered, it should be a spiritual experience for them to be in the same city as he is in at the same time! Two of our volunteers will be traveling to Agra either tomorrow or the next day to see the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal! We always encourage our volunteers to see the wonderful sites of India, as they are only here for a short time!
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Manish's Birthday and Gay Pride in India!

2010-11-30T13:45:00.001+05:30

Two days ago was a very special day here in Delhi! It was Manish's fifth birthday, and perhaps his first birthday party ever! Two volunteers from the US bought him his birthday cake, balloons, the birthday present, and his birthday card to celebrate the occasion! On the evening of his birthday, my entire family, all of the children at the orphanage with the caretaker, three close family friends who frequently visit the orphanage, and four volunteers (one from Canada, one from Spain, and two from the US) all gathered for butterscotch cake and fun! The children loved playing with the balloons afterwards too, but made a mess on the floor! When the volunteers were getting ready to leave, they figured it would be best for the children to clean up the mess of popped balloons on the floor, so one volunteer, who had just learned the phrase "Saaf karo!" ("Clean up!" in Hindi), said the phrase for the first time, and she really impressed all of the children! At first the children, who did not see her say the phrase, all looked at her, dumbfounded, as if they were thinking "Did she really say that?" Then, she repeated the phrase, and in one minute, the entire home was clean! We were all amazed at the children's respect for our volunteers, especially the volunteers who come and spend much time with them! It was a very successful event, and we are looking forward to celebrating Rajat's birthday on January 31st!

In other news, two days ago, on Manish's birthday, it was also Delhi's annual Gay Pride Parade! The parade is usually held in the summer, but because of the excessive heat during this period, they shifted the date to the winter to expect more turnout at the event! Several volunteers expressed interest in going to the event, but decided in the end to stay in our region of Delhi to be with Manish on his important day! According to the papers, this was the most successful Gay Pride Parade in Delhi ever, with over a thousand participants! We are very happy to see that Delhi is becoming more and more welcoming of sexual minorities and equality for every person!
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Orphanage Benefactor and Inspiration!

2010-11-26T11:30:00.001+05:30

Before we begin about the news about our orphanage, here is a picture taken at Vrindavan on the Yamuna River, when our volunteer went with his family to visit the holy town. The volunteer, who drank a sip from the sacred river, did not know at the time that the water is said to be "Amrit" (a Hindi word which somewhat translates to "Panacea" or "elixir"). Though he drank the water about five days ago, he is still healthy with no stomach complaints! He is very lucky to have had the opportunity to learn so much about Hinduism and Indian culture in just a short day-trip.

Yesterday, our major benefactor and the person whose dream it was to begin the orphanage, from the US, and who inspired us to work on the project, donated a wonderful shoe rack for the children! She has been staying with us for about two weeks, and we have bought the children all new clothes and sweaters, winter quilts, frames and homely pictures for the home, and some funds for renovations of the home and hopefully a washing machine! The children have loved spending time with their "Didi" ("Older sister" in Hindi), and she has fallen in love with the children, seeing them and interacting with them each day since she has been with us. We are so thankful for all of her help, because without her monthly contributions and constant support, we couldn't have started this haven for our six children at the orphanage!
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Spanish Volunteers and New Orphanage Plans!

2010-11-23T09:46:00.001+05:30

Yesterday another volunteer from Spain has arrived here in Delhi NCR to help the needy here! Before coming, she emailed another previous volunteer from Spain, who was recently with us, and she decided to join the program and make a difference with us! She is a nurse back home, in Vitoria Spain, and today she has gone to volunteer at the ambulance project, Help Age India, with another volunteer from the UK. Another volunteer from Spain, an acquaintance of hers, who is also a nurse, will be arriving to volunteer with her in just a few days as well!

Otherwise, one volunteer from Canada and another from the UK have gone to a nearby public school to teach the children English, play with the children in the nursery, and paint and color with several of the classes. The volunteers at the women's empowerment and street children programs have been enjoying their stay with their new host family and new project assignments. Also, we are interested in starting a new orphanage this month, if we are able to fund the project! We have very exciting and promising plans, and we will post more information as time passes. Here is a photo of five of the six children at our orphanage, as they got ready to go out to the park with the volunteers the other day!
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Vrindavan and Volunteers

2010-11-22T11:38:00.001+05:30

One of our volunteers from the US went with his family to a very special city, Vrindavan, for a day! This city is especially famous for the Hare Krishna movement, and many foreigners live in this city! It lies only about two hours from Delhi NCR, so they left early in the morning and came back in the evening. He describes the city as an extremely spiritual place, as he went to "Bankey Bihari Mandir" ("Bankey Bihari," a name for Lord Krishna, "Temple" in Hindi), Iskcon Temple, and the Yamuna River in particular. At Bankey Bihari Mandir, our host prayed in what we know as "God's home," the place where Lord Krishna used to play when he was a child; he even went up to the sanctuary in the temple for blessings and prayers. After eating some "Prashad" (offering to God after prayers) and receiving the "Teeka" (the symbol on the forehead after prayers), he exited the temple with his family and they enjoyed the very famous "Lassi" (yogurt shake) from Vrindavan out of the special clay glasses which are unique to Vrindavan. Then, the family went to the Iskcon Temple, where they prayed and observed beautiful paintings and prayed to Radha-Krishna. Finally, for a scenic view of the city, the family went on a small boat on the Yamuna, where they learned more about the city and even tasted the holy water from the Yamuna. The volunteer had a fantastic experience with his family, and he is sure to go back to visit the city another day! The first picture is of the Bankey Bihari Temple from outside, and the second was taken on the Yamuna River.

In other news, the orphanage, children, and other volunteers have been doing very well! Yesterday morning, one volunteer from the US, another from Canada, and two from England went to Town Park, in Delhi NCR, with all of the children for a nice picnic. In the afternoon, they enjoyed some toast and chai with their host family, and in the evening the volunteers went to the movies to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," about which they gave great reviews! Today, after helping the children get ready for school, one volunteer, a nurse back home, went to a government hospital to observe surgeries and assist with injections. Two other volunteers have gone to a public school in the neighborhood to teach the children and play with them, while another volunteer has gone to central Delhi for the afternoon. Though one of our volunteers from Australia has gone back home, the other four are continuing their project at the disabled children's school today, and this evening they will go to a different project to experience the women's empowerment program while also volunteering with slum children.
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Id Mubarak and Hindu Ceremony!

2010-11-17T13:46:00.001+05:30

We would like to wish everyone a "Bakra Id Mubarak" (Happy Bakra Id)! This holiday, a national holiday in India, is celebrated amongst Muslims, as they observe this day with goat for dinner. Yesterday, the group of volunteers from Australia, two volunteers from the US, and one volunteer from the UK went to an orphanage, which particularly specializes in "Sanyasi" (giving up the material world for introspection), so that the volunteers could observe meditation and a Hindu religious ceremony, called a "Pooja," which the women at the orphanage hold twice a day, every day. The pooja lasted for two hours, and the foreigners were involved in the ceremony, as they received some "parsad" (offering to God) and participated in the prayers and chanting. After the pooja finished, the girls at the orphanage (ranging from ages 5 to 16) interacted with the volunteers, as each were eager to speak to one another. One girl in particular, Maneesha (14 years old), is very clever, and she is able to communicate almost fluently in English, as well as Hindi, Bengali, and Haryanvi. She, and a few others who could communicate in both Hindi and English, interpreted for the volunteers and the other children, and everyone had a pleasant experience. Here is a picture of them in the sanctuary at the orphanage!
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Volunteers Begin Indian Culture Classes

2010-11-16T10:55:00.001+05:30

Hindi classes began yesterday for a group of five volunteers with us, visiting from Australia! Three of the girls are family, and they have been traveling together in Nepal; the other two girls, who are friends of the three family members, have also come together for traveling, but had stayed in India to visit Amritsar, to see the Golden Temple, and Dharamsala or McLeod Ganj, famous for one of its residents, the Dalai Lama. Yesterday, the volunteers focused on their Hindi classes with our Hindi teacher, as he taught about Indian culture and about some of the local languages and dialects. This teacher gave some information to the volunteers about the language spoken where I grew up, in rural Haryana also: This language, Haryanvi, is very similar to Hindi, but has a very harsh accent with a slightly different vocabulary. To give an example, in Hindi, when we say "Kya kar raha hai?" (What are you doing), in Haryanvi, we say "Kye kar reeya sai?" Though Haryanvi is a similar, yet distinct, language, the people in this region all speak Hindi, and almost anyone who grows up in Haryana can understand Hindi, because of its similarity to Haryanvi and its practicality as a spoken language. We find that many volunteers enjoy learning about the different cultures and people from different regions in India, and they particularly appreciate soaking up the details of our society here in Haryana and India. After the language classes finished, the volunteers ate some traditional Indian "samosas" (a pastry filled with spiced vegetables) with some "hari chutney" ("green sauce," or more specifically, coriander sauce/chutney), which everyone enjoyed. Afterwards, we introduced the volunteers to the cook at the orphanage where they have been staying, and he showed them how to make "roti" (or in English, we say "chapati"), which they enjoyed with "chaaval" (rice) and "daal" (lentils). We are looking forward to continuing their Hindi language classes and offer some sightseeing of the neighborhood in Delhi NCR! Also, we should have a very special blog post coming up, with a display of a video about our orphanage! One volunteer, from Barcelona, came, shot, and edited an entire documentary in just one week! When we finish reformatting the film, we will try to post it on the blog in the coming days! Here is a photo of Rajat, one of the children at the orphanage, holding the volunteer's camera at his home, as Rajat is shooting some of the video himself too!
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Snake Charmer and Helpful Volunteers

2010-11-13T13:39:00.001+05:30

One of the volunteers from Miami, who has been with us for five months, went with my daughter today for a parent and teacher conference: The volunteers very frequently become very attached to my family, as we welcome everyone as a member of our family, and the volunteer and my daughter had a nice day this morning together. The volunteer has been helping out at our orphanage, and he has really been connecting with the children and helping us with all of his volunteer work! We are always so grateful to have such wonderful volunteers come from around the world and help us with our mission to help the less fortunate. Tonight, another volunteer from the US, who frequently comes to India to support our social programs, will be arriving. We are very excited to see her after so many months, and we look forward to her meeting the children at the orphanage, which she helped us start. Other volunteers have been continuing their volunteering projects elsewhere, and many volunteers are taking the opportunity of the weekend to travel: Some volunteers will be in central Delhi, while others are going to Varanasi before heading to Goa. A group of other volunteers are currently in Jaipur as well. By Monday, most of the volunteers will be back from their travels to continue their work at the plethora of volunteering projects we have here. We look forward to hearing about each volunteer's trip! Also, here is a photo taken in central Delhi when some volunteers went to a restaurant and saw a snake charmer outside of the restaurant!
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Manish Needs our Help!

2010-11-12T16:28:00.001+05:30

In dedication to Children's Day, which we celebrate here in India on Sunday, we would like to talk about a very special child here at our orphanage. Manish has had a difficult time adjusting to his new life with us here, but he has made some amazing improvements since he first came a few months ago. He is the youngest of two, and they come from a state called Orissa, where Oriya, quite different from Hindi, is spoken. When he came to the orphanage, his elder brother, Anish, had picked up some more Hindi than Manish did, and he adjusted very well from the beginning. But Manish, just about four or five years old, could not communicate with anyone, as nobody understood Oriya. On top of his frustration with no one being able to properly communicate with him, Manish shows signs of hyperactivity and lacks concentration. When any of the other children take a crayon away from him, or slightly bother him, he becomes infuriated and is quite difficult to calm down. With the language barrier we all have with Manish, it only makes him more frustrated that when people try to calm him down he doesn't understand what they say, and that we cannot understand his language. After getting used to his nature, we have all adjusted ourselves gradually to find ways to keep him happy, yet setting boundaries as well. He has become very well-behaved, and is slowly picking up the language, as he is able to communicate one-word fragments in Hindi, which we manage to understand. His understanding of the language has immensely improved, as he is around other children and parents who are only speaking in Hindi, rather than in Oriya. I wanted to write about Manish today because I feel that there is so much more that we can do for him. Here in India we do not have many people who specialize in behavioral disorders such as ADHD, if he even does display such type of behavior, or the few that we have are far too expensive for us to offer him. I am writing this blog to reach out to anyone who has, or knows anyone who has, any specialty in working with or teaching hyperactive children, as we really want to learn about how to best help Manish with his difficulties. You are welcome to come and volunteer with us, as Manish really needs all of our support. Thank you, and I wish everyone a Happy Children's Day from us at Aim Abroad!
http://www.aimabroad.org

Hospital Volunteering

2010-11-11T11:25:00.000+05:30

Our volunteers have been continuing with their variety of social work programs here in Delhi NCR. Early in the morning, two of our medical volunteers went to work in a government hospital in India to assist in surgeries, distribute medicine, and learn about the health care system here in India, especially for the patients in poverty who cannot afford to visit private hospitals. Other volunteers have been continuing working with the women's empowerment programs, helping at orphanages, and teaching at the slum schools. In the photo, you can see María José walking the children from our orphanage to school: She and the children went together with her friend from Spain, Elisabet, who took the photo! Finally, several of the volunteers are planning to visit Jaipur this weekend too: it's always nice to see when the volunteers can balance their travels abroad with their volunteer work in reaching out to the needy!

Current Volunteering Projects

2010-11-10T13:11:00.000+05:30

Today the volunteers from Aim Abroad have gone to several different projects: A few of our volunteers are staying at an all-girls' orphanage in Delhi NCR, where they have been helping running the orphanage by learning to cook Indian food and lending a hand in the kitchen and by helping the children with their chores in the orphanage. Another pair of volunteers is at a slum-school project, where they teach the children English communication and grammar, basic computing, and elementary mathematics. Four other foreigners here in Delhi NCR are helping out at a women's empowerment program, where they interact with rural women and help them with English communication and arithmetic skills, useful for their profession of creating materials for sale and awareness. Three other volunteers have been in a different women's empowerment program as well, where they have been participating in similar activities as in the other project. In the meantime, two volunteers have gone to Jaipur to finish their Golden Triangle tour. One volunteer from the US has been consistently volunteering at one of the nearby orphanages, where he has been ensuring that each child finishes homework ahead of time, so that the children can go to the park and play before dark. I have attached a photo from when one of our volunteers, Silvia (from Spain), donated to the children new pencils and pens, since they were short on supply. You can see the difference!

Happy Diwali!

2010-11-07T17:37:00.000+05:30

Happy Diwali, or "Shubh Deepawali!" I was unable to post this week because of the festivities here in India, but we had a very nice holiday here in Delhi NCR. Some volunteers, two from Barcelona, one from Japan, another from the UK, two from Canada, and two from the US spent their Diwali with my family, in-laws, and parents. We all participated in the Pooja (Hindi word for "prayer") ceremony, which my father-in-law led, at our home. We all enjoyed a nice evening, filled with fireworks and delicious Diwali treats. Other volunteers went to central Delhi to observe the fireworks and celebrations from India Gate, whereas most other volunteers stayed with their host families for the holiday and a few others went traveling for the festival. Yesterday, some volunteers finished up their Hindi language and culture classes, and they went to see a new Bollywood movie, Action Replayy. Today, many of the volunteers are going to Agra for a day, while others will be participating in today's holiday, Bhaidooj (the last day of Diwali): This festival is celebrated amongst brothers and sisters, and we place a "teeka" (vermilion dot on the forehead after a prayer) and a "moli" (red string tied around the wrist) on our brothers for protection. We wish everyone a Bhaidooj kee shubhkaamnayein! ("Happy Bhaidooj" in Hindi!)

Children Play in Park and Diwali Approaches

2010-11-02T08:51:00.000+05:30

Yesterday one of our volunteers from the US and another from Barcelona took the children from the orphanage to a local park in the morning for a few hours. The children were ecstatic to be with the volunteers and venture into the large park, where they played on swings, monkey bars, slides, and even rides! here are some photos of the children while they were enjoying their day in the park!

Today the volunteers walked the children to school, as it is their last day of school this week because of the festival of Diwali! During this holiday, nearly everyone in Delhi NCR, where we are, will celebrate the holiday with massive fireworks all throughout the night! We will celebrate the holiday with the volunteers, family, and orphans, by having a Pooja ceremony (the Hindi word for "prayer" or "worship") together, and then celebrating by lighting the Diya and fireworks. We have even decorated our homes with lights, just like Christmas lights, to prepare for the holiday. We are really looking forward to spending this holiday together!

Volunteers Motivate the Children!

2010-10-31T16:23:00.000+05:30

The two volunteers from Barcelona, María José and Eli, finished their poster project for the orphanage! On a poster, they wrote a few rules, disguised as good habits for hygiene and cleanliness, in an interesting and creative way to attract the children! They wrote these rules in English and Hindi (tracing the Hindi that I wrote on the poster for them in pencil), so that the children can understand the rules, and even learn English from the poster when they get older! The rules translated into English also help the volunteers familiarize themselves with the rules and routine of the orphanage. María José and Eli also created a poster with a picture of each child, to help any new volunteers get to know the children, and to show the children how special each one of them is. When the children saw the posters with their photos, they were all enraptured to see how much we all cared about each of these special children. The children also helped mount the posters to the wall, and they were even helping some new volunteers this morning by showing them their routines on the poster! Shyann, one of our volunteers, with María José and Eli, also created some advice for the volunteers to keep in the volunteers' room for helping the orphanage and the children. We will never forget all of the help that these volunteers have given us! Last night, the orphans were very sad to see the volunteers leave, but they were more happy to have spent their time with them, and we will be organizing Skype meetings between them and the volunteers, along with keeping in touch my emails. The volunteers, on their way out, promised to all of the children that they will be back next year, and for even longer than this trip!

This morning, the rest of our volunteers went to the park with the children from the orphanage for some exercises. They helped the children shower when they returned, made sure that each child ate their breakfast, and finally went back to the host family home for lunch. The children don't seem to be too upset that the other volunteers left, though they do miss their good friends from Barcelona and the US. They have the comfort of each other, their caretakers, and the current volunteers with us.

Teaching English in Delhi NCR and Diwali Preparations

2010-10-30T15:18:00.000+05:30

Last night was one of our volunteer's final night with us, after a one-week stay at the volunteering program here in Delhi NCR. The children at the orphanage were sad to see her go, but this volunteer has really helped move things in a positive direction for the children, and they will never forget the impact that she has made here, in such little time! We are certain we will see her here again volunteering with us! Here is a photo of one of the two cupboards that she donated, as it is all settled in the orphanage now!

This morning, three volunteers went to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple for the weekend, as our two volunteers from Barcelona stayed back to help out at the orphanage on their last day with us. They went at 7:00AM to the orphanage, to take the children to the park and exercise with the children. After exercising and having breakfasts, our newest volunteer, also from Barcelona, with another volunteer, from the US, went to the orphanage to teach the children English homework. The smallest children practiced writing the alphabet, mostly only uppercase letters, and one child, who is a bit older, practiced dictation, writing words that the volunteer reads aloud (like "Book, look, took, rice, nice, fight, light, log, hot, mop," etc.). After finishing their work, the children enjoyed a snack, and began to color some "Looney Tunes" coloring book pages, which the children loved! Two of the eldest children, Rajat and Muskan, were painting their "Diya" for Diwali! These clay "Diya," or lamps, are decorated to celebrate the return of Lord Ram to his home in Ayodhya, after having defeated Ravan, the symbol of evil in Hinduism. When the Diya are ready we will post some pictures!

Orphanage Project

2010-10-29T11:05:00.000+05:30

Here is a photo taken yesterday morning, as the children had gotten ready for school and the volunteers were ready to walk with the children to school. The volunteers wake up around 6AM every morning to help wake up the children, have breakfast with them, and get them ready for school. After walking with the children to school, they come back to the host family to spend time with the family and then rest. In the afternoon, they pick up the children from classes, and take them to the park to play around and exercise. Then, when they return from the park, they separately finish their homework, with the volunteers' help whenever they wish. The oldest child, Rajat (second row, second child from the left), really loves one of our volunteers from the US, and he has dedicated the rest of his time here to spending time with Rajat, as he desperately seeks good male role models, like my husband and this volunteer. Yesterday he spent a few hours with Rajat practicing English and dictations, which immediately excited Rajat and made him enthusiastic about wanting to study! Today he will spend a lot of time with Rajat as well, from 4PM, to continue his studies and spend time with him.

The other volunteers, especially those from the US, Canada, and from Barcelona, have taken an interest in creating a few posters for the orphanage. They have spent the entire evening writing meticulous descriptions of each child, to help the volunteers get to know the children, along with descriptive details for the children's chores and the volunteers' responsibilities. They have worked on the text for these posters in both English and Spanish, to help the volunteers who come from many different countries. They have also made a list of rules, written in both English and Hindi, that will help the children gain more discipline and practice their English understanding as well. Today they will complete the posters, and hopefully they will be able to put them in the orphanage today! As soon as they are ready I will take the pictures and post them here!

Delhi Sightseeing

2010-10-28T15:30:00.000+05:30

Here is a picture from a volunteer's trip to Shimla!

The volunteers went to the major shopping district in Delhi yesterday after having worked at the orphanage! The volunteers were washing all of the children's hair with medical shampoo, as one of the children had lice. It was nice to see that the volunteers were very dedicated to helping the children, and they are maintaining strict hygiene habits to ensure that the lice doesn't spread or come back to the children. Afterwards, the four volunteers (two from Barcelona and two from the US) went to see the famous Lotus Temple in Delhi, which they all really enjoyed. They then enjoyed a delicious North Indian restaurant nearby India Gate. The foreigners then went to Connaught Place, where one volunteer bought a beautiful emerald bracelet and two pearl necklaces, in the underground Palika Bazar. After finishing their shopping in the bazar, they resurfaced to reach the famous Janpath Market in Connaught Place, where they spent three hours in one Kashmiri Store! The volunteers bought many pashminas, mostly for gifts, and learned a lot about the tricks of the trade in the Kashmiri goods' industry. Finally, the volunteers had some comical encounters with the local people selling goods on the street: One volunteer bought two runners from, what seemed to be the same shop, but in reality the shop had two different owners, and the volunteer had accidentally purchased an item from the wrong vendor! Later, as the volunteers were walking away, the true vendor asked them to go back to the shop, where they finally settled the confusion and mix-up with the other store owner. They described that the local people were not upset, as they understood that accidents can happen. Later, one of the volunteers decided that she would like to have another bag, so that she could have more space to store her things while she is traveling around India. The four of them found a man who sells such bags, and he showed them a bag, with wheels, that was also a backpack, and also a sport bag, even with a lock on it! His starting price was fairly high (950 Rupees), but the interested shopper was thinking to purchase it. The shopkeeper thought he would make a great deal, so he started putting everyone's shopping bags, with newly bought pashminas in them, inside of the bag that he wanted to sell. When the volunteer noticed how heavy the bag was getting, she decided that she didn't even want a bag, because then she would have to lug the bag with her everywhere, and it would tempt her to buy more souvenirs than she needs. As they were walking away, he was shouting at them to buy it for 600 Rupees: Now, the volunteer thought, "No, it's still too expensive, and I don't even want the bag!" Well, the shopkeeper saw them walking away, chased after them, and pleaded to them to buy the bag at a price of 300 Rupees! Now, the volunteers were getting pretty annoyed, and even some local people were trying to tell the guy to drop the matter. Finally, one of the volunteers, who speaks Hindi, explained to the guy that it was not an issue about money, she just didn't have any interest in having the bag at all. As he was walking away, the shopkeeper grabbed his arm forcefully, and begged that she buy the bag for 250 Rupees. Aggravated with the shopkeeper, the volunteer explained that even if the bag were free she wouldn't take it! The shopkeeper must not have believed him, because now he said, "Ask her, if it is free, will she take it?" So, the volunteer, chuckling, asked her if she wanted the bag for free from afar. She gave a very loud response of "NO!" and frowned at the shopkeeper, who was flabbergasted that she truly wouldn't even take the bag for free! Finally, he must have gotten the point, and he left. The volunteers came home later, told me and my husband the story, and one of them said "If anyone ever needs a bag I know where I can get them a free one!" and we all burst into laughter.

Cows in Haryana and Volunteers Plans

2010-10-27T09:44:00.000+05:30

Here is another picture from Jhajjar, in Haryana, when one of our volunteers went with his host family to visit extended family in Jhajjar. The picture was taken at Gurukul, where there is a cow shed. Each cow produces between twenty to forty liters of milk each day!

Last night the volunteers in one host family home enjoyed a nice Karva Chauth, with a traditional Hindu Pooja (prayer ceremony) to conclude the fast and holiday. At the orphanage, the children have been doing very well, and they enjoyed watching the Disney movie,"The Aristocats" on TV, in Hindi, along with a new Bollywood film, Dabangg, which recently premiered in theaters in India. Today, the volunteers awoke early and helped the children with their chores. After making breakfast, the volunteers walked the children to school, and came back to discuss with the host family ways to improve the orphanage. Today the volunteers decided that they will work on some rules for the orphanage to help maintain as routine a schedule for the children as possible. They will get a large poster, markers, and decorations to design these rules in a kid-friendly approach, so that they can associate the rules with things that they enjoy, such as attractive colors or entertaining designs. The rules will be written in both English and Hindi as well, which should be interesting for the volunteers to learn how to say new phrases in Hindi too! Since the children are in school now, the volunteers are on their way to the major shopping district in Delhi, as it is one of their last days here in India. Hopefully they will make some great purchases and find some great sales during the holiday season, especially as Diwali approaches!

Karva Chauth Holiday and Traveling in Rural Haryana

2010-10-26T11:08:00.000+05:30

We have a new addition to our orphanage as of last night! This child, Sonu, has adjusted instantly to the orphanage, quickly established relationships with the other children, and has even begun his first day of classes today without any breaks in routine as if he had been living in the orphanage for several months or years! His mother had passed away several years ago, and his father is terminally ill with Tuberculosis, so we have given him the best we can offer as a new resident in our home. We are very thrilled to be able to offer such an opportunity to a truly needy individual!

In the photo above, one of the volunteers visited a small town in Haryana called Jhajjar. He went with his host family to visit family in Jhajjar, and they went together to Gurukul, a place where students learn Hindi, Sanskrit, and about Hinduism, almost completely distant and separate from the rest of civilization. The first picture is at the students' meditation area, and the second picture was taken as the children were washing their clothes outside. The volunteer really enjoyed his trip with the host family and visiting a new city in Haryana!

Today, the volunteers are celebrating the holiday of Karva Chauth! Some volunteers will be going to Hindu temples in Delhi NCR with their host families, while others will spend the day with the host families to observe the traditions that they will observe this evening. The holiday celebrates marriage, and married women observe a fast from the morning upon seeing the moon, when the husband feeds his wife her first morsel of food for the day. This Hindu holiday honors the sacred bond of marriage and demonstrates the dedication that family members have for one another. We would like to wish all married women around the world a "Karva Chauth kee Shubhkaamnayein," or Happy Karva Chauth!

Donations to the Orphanage in Delhi NCR!

2010-10-25T12:19:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, one of our special guests had decided to purchase some cupboards for the children in the orphanage! Her donation was really thoughtful and generous, and the children were extremely happy to start organizing their personal things in their first private area for themselves! In the photo, you can see our volunteer Shyann, in both photos, with the cupboards she donated to the orphanage and some of her new friends, the other volunteers! While the children were at the nearby park, where they were on Ferris Wheel rides, the cupboards were delivered to their home. The children came back from a wonderful Sunday evening in the park, filled with snacks, a full course dinner, and some ice cream, only to return home to the surprise of the new cupboards in the home! Our orphanage is looking more and more like a cozy home, and we can see that the quality of the children's routine lives is not being compromised, though they are orphaned children.

Today, three of our medical volunteers went to a local general hospital in Delhi NCR, which focuses on pediatrics and gynecology. Two of our volunteers from Barcelona, who are trained nurses, have gone to another hospital, which specializes in surgical procedures and gynecology: They have given the host family and doctors at the hospital advice for improving the quality of care they provide to their patients, and they are constantly planning ways to offer their services or any extra supplies to these hospitals in need. Another volunteer, who also happens to be a trained nurse from the UK, went to a charitable hospital, where she will assist the hospital, since they have an overwhelming number of patients and few health care providers who work for this charity. Other volunteers have gone to street children projects to teach children English and Computing. The projects have been running very smoothly and have greatly been benefitting from the help of the volunteers!

About our Orphanage

2010-10-24T10:38:00.000+05:30

In the photo, my daughter (left) is with one of the orphans, Muskan (right).

I wanted to thank the current volunteers who have been here, during this pivotal time for Aim Abroad. The volunteers have been extremely helpful at our orphanage, making sure the children are in great hands and teaching them with dedication. We can see that the children are learning much more English, and have been establishing healthier relationships amongst each other and with adult figures as well. Our volunteers have been cooking, cleaning, helping the children with all of their chores, taking them to school each day, playing with them in the parks, and even taking out the children for excursions. When we see volunteers with such commitment such as Elisabeth, María José, Silvia, Elisabeth (all from Barcelona), and Shyann (from the US), it really inspires the children to make something really special out of their lives and overcome their unfortunate circumstances. I am very proud to be involved in this cause of helping the needy!

Haryana Games in Delhi NCR!

2010-10-23T16:16:00.001+05:30

Here is a photo from our fiesta, that we celebrated a few days ago! Two of the girls from Spain had gone traveling to Amritsar, and the other two girls, who are nurses from Barcelona, went to Agra this morning. In the evening, the volunteers in Agra will travel to Jaipur, where they will meet with their new friends, the other two volunteers from Spain who went to Amritsar! In other news, one of our new volunteers from the US has gone to the charitable school in Delhi NCR to teach the children English. She awoke early in the morning and helped the children at an orphanage get ready for school in the morning. After teaching the children at the school, she will go back to the host family home and help the children at the orphanage when they return from school. We also have an exciting event occurring in our area of Delhi NCR! The Haryana Games are being hosted in this community: there will be plenty of athletes from all of Haryana competing in these games, some of whom may be considered for representing India in the approaching Asia Games and Olympics in 2012. We are very proud of our athletes from the state of Haryana, and we wish them the best of luck in their efforts!

About our Fiesta and the Volunteering Projects

2010-10-21T11:15:00.000+05:30

Yesterday our fiesta was a success! The four girls from Spain prepared a "tortilla," or Spanish omelette, and a Spanish salad with mixed vegetables, vinegar, and olive oil. The girls also brought butterscotch and chocolate ice cream for everyone, and the children enjoyed trying some international cuisine, along with the host family and other volunteers! The volunteers went to the mall afterwards, after taking their first rickshaw ride in India: They were interested in the adventure and had an enjoyable time searching for a cheap and fair rickshaw, which they did eventually find! In the evening, the host family and the volunteers enjoyed a large batch of momos (similar to what volunteers call "dumplings" in the West). Today, they will enjoy a Bollywood film and then they will head out to central Delhi, where two will depart for Amritsar and continue with their travels around India, and the other two will enjoy the sights and shop in the tourism sector of Delhi. Other volunteers, two from England and one from Australia, have gone to volunteer in hospitals around Delhi NCR: Three are volunteering in the pediatric hospital, where they will spend time in the nursery with the infants and in the Out-Patient Department. Another volunteer, from the US, has gone to a hospital that specializes in gynecology and pediatrics: She has been offered the opportunity to assist with deliveries and other surgeries at the hospital, so we are optimistic that she will have a memorable experience. Finally, I have added two more pictures from one of the volunteer's expeditions in Shimla and Solan: This was the view from nearby his hotel!

Snake's Closeup and Spanish Volunteers Currently with us!

2010-10-20T12:33:00.000+05:30

I have posted another photo from the volunteer's encounter with a friendly, and trained, snake up in Shimla! His friend was holding the snake's head in his palm! Also, the other picture is a view from the top of the mountain in the Himalayas nearby where the volunteer saw the snake! In other news, two volunteers from Barcelona, both qualified nurses, have gone to a hospital in Delhi NCR where they will observe a lacroscopic hernia surgery, and, if there is time, they will also observe a spinal surgery in the afternoon. Afterwards, they have plans to prepare some traditional Spanish dishes for a mini-"fiesta", with two other volunteers from Spain, for their host family, who is very excited to try the international cuisine! After lunch, the four girls will go to see a Bollywood film, Anjaana Anjaani ("Strangers"), at a local theater. The two other girls from Spain woke up early in the morning to go to an orphanage and help the children with their chores and to spend time with the children before school begins. They have been helping at the orphanage every day this week, and we will really miss having them here with us, as they will leave tomorrow afternoon to travel around India before heading to Madrid.

More of Shimla and the Commonwealth Games Results!

2010-10-19T09:04:00.000+05:30

Before beginning today, I wanted to post another picture from our volunteers' travel in Shimla! The photo was taken in Solan, where he booked the hotel. This was the view from the bedroom in the hotel. This morning, volunteers have gone to medical projects, orphanage projects, and four from Spain have left to visit central Delhi for sightseeing at Redfort, Chandni Chowk, Jamma Masjid, Connaught Place, India Gate, and Raj Ghat, and they will return back to the host family this evening.

Today, I would like to comment on the Commonwealth Games, because this has had such a huge impact on our city here in Delhi NCR. The games went very well after the city made many efforts to make the preparations for the games necessary. The infrastructure has greatly improved, as the metro is expanding to other areas in Delhi NCR to reach suburbs of Delhi that were only accessible by roads earlier. Many of our volunteers went to watch the Commonwealth Games as well, and it was interesting to hear their feedback about being a part of such a major event and milestone occasion. India came in second place, with 38 gold medals, and we are very proud to be Indian during this important function and the holiday season here in India. "Jai Hind!" (Long live India!)

Volunteer work in Delhi and Festival Season in India!

2010-10-18T10:56:00.000+05:30

Our volunteers with Aim Abroad have gone to a variety of projects this morning! Two of our volunteers from Spain woke up early to help the children at an orphanage with all of their chores and to get ready for school. They learned how to cook traditional Indian meals with the caretaker at the orphanage, and enjoyed the meal shortly afterwards. The girls came back to the host family home for a short break, and will head back to the orphanage once the children return home from school. Two other volunteers from Spain, who are nurses in Barcelona, have gone to a local hospital in Delhi NCR, where they will assist the hospital in any manner possible, and possibly observe some surgeries today too, with another volunteer from the US. Three other volunteers, one from Denmark, one from Canada, and one from the US, went to a school for street children, which is located within a slum area, where the volunteers will focus on teaching English and Math to the children. Finally, another volunteer from Canada went to an all-girls' orphanage, where she will play with the children and help improve their communication. Here in the photos, one volunteer went with the orphans to observe the festival of Dusserha, where an effigy of Ravan (built by neighborhood children!) was burned! All of the children were very excited, and truly had a special evening with the volunteer and each other!

Festival Season in India with Volunteers!

2010-10-17T17:26:00.001+05:30

Aim Abroad would like to wish everyone a "Dussehra kee shubhkamnaayein" on this special day! The volunteers in one host family home have woken up and showered early for a special pooja (prayer service) for this holiday, during which we remember that on this day Lord Ram killed Ravan, who represents all evil in Hinduism. The event will be followed by traditional customs that are practiced on this day, and in the evening the volunteers will observe a unique event in which the death of Ravan is recreated in many places all around India today! Here is a picture taken at the event when four medical volunteers observed the holiday last year! At first, the effigies of Ravan, his brother Kumbhkarna, and his son Meghnad are built; at sundown, the reenactment of their deaths is shown, as Ram pierces Ravan with an arrow, and the effigies are burnt to signify their deaths. It is always entertaining for the volunteers to observe this custom each Dussehra!

Volunteering and Travels to Shimla

2010-10-16T11:35:00.000+05:30

This week at Aim Abroad the projects have been going very well! One volunteer, from the US, came with funds that she had raised for donations to the volunteering projects! She went this week with one of the teachers from the school to purchase book-bags for each child at the school (there are about 250 children who study at this school). Other volunteers have been going to the school for disabled children, where they have been spending time with these children during the festival season of Navratra. Two other volunteers have been visiting an all-girls' orphanage during this festival season as well, where they have been spending time playing with the children and helping them with their English communication. Another pair of volunteers has been volunteering at a local hospital here in Delhi NCR, where they have been learning from a gynecologist and a pediatrician in particular, along with other practices in the hospital. One of our volunteers from the US, who has been here since June, had gone to visit Shimla for a short vacation, with a very close friend. He had a wonderful stay in the Himalayas, and he has given us some photos to post on the blog! Here is a photo taken at Kufri, a popular tourist destination in Shimla.

Fir Milenge, or "See you later" in Hindi!

2010-10-11T22:31:00.000+05:30

Just a few hours ago, one of our volunteers have left after her three-week volunteer work with Aim Abroad. She was very sad to leave this country, her new family, and all of the volunteers that she met, that she was crying on her way to the airport. The other volunteers went with her to the airport to spend time with her, as they grew very close during her volunteering period with them. It is always very sad for us to say goodbye as well, so instead we always say "Fir milenge" (we'll meet again)!

Otherwise, today a few volunteers went to a school for disabled children, where they spent time with the orphans who live at the school: the school has limited accommodations for the students; however, some students have been disowned by families, and they remain at the school, with their new families. In the photo you can see one of our volunteers, Sonia, from Barcelona, Spain, while she visits this school for disabled children. A few other volunteers went to a different school for disabled children as well in another area in Delhi NCR, while two volunteers went to their new volunteering placement in an all-girls' orphanage. This evening, five of the volunteers went with one of the host family's children to the local market in Delhi NCR, where they bought the children some new clothes and ice cream! One of the children, who is nine years old, helped a volunteer get alterations to her new saree as well, which she bought here in India! It was a nice day, though bittersweet to say "farewell" to one of our volunteers.

Navratra kee Shubhkamnaayein!

2010-10-09T18:52:00.001+05:30

Some volunteers with Aim Abroad went to central Delhi today for an afternoon of sightseeing and shopping, while others are enjoying observing the Commonwealth Games! The volunteers wanted to go to Connaught Place, the major shopping district in Delhi, but today at Connaught Place the shops will be closed because of a cycle race, for the Commonwealth Games, scheduled throughout the neighborhood. Instead, the volunteers will spend some time at Chandni Chowk and perhaps Sarojni markets, both very affordable markets in Delhi where high quality items can be found.

Otherwise, Aim Abroad would like to welcome everybody a "Navratra kee shubhkamnaayein!" ("Happy Navratri"). This holiday, which started yesterday, lasts for nine days, during which many Hindus fast during hours of sunlight, to commemorate the same fast, which the people of Ayodhya observed. Today, one of our volunteers is attending a special event at a friend's home, where the Ramayan, a Hindu sacred text, will be read aloud, from start to finish, within a twenty four hour period. The book must be read quite speedily, as it is about 2000 pages in length! Though the even will run for twenty four hours, people will stop by and spend time with others while the Ramayan is being read aloud. Two or three main readers will switch back and forth with the readings. The volunteer is quite excited about this event, as he knows little about the holiday and the Ramayan!

2010-10-08T12:50:00.000+05:30

The volunteers with Aim Abroad went to see the Commonwealth Games in India today! They went to the central area in Delhi where they can observe the games, and also see some sites in Delhi and shop in the neighborhood. They will come back on Sunday evening, I am sure with plenty of stories to share with the host family. Two other volunteers went to the street children project, where they will teach the children, focusing on English and computing classes. One of the volunteers has expressed interest in donating some supplies for the street children school, so we are very excited to help her with her mission! We are aware that the school is in need of some new uniforms, so perhaps with her donations we can purchase several dozens of uniforms for the children. As she decides how she would like to make the donation, I will be certain to write about it! In the photo, you can see more of the children who study at this school!

Current Volunteers with Aim Abroad

2010-10-07T11:30:00.000+05:30

Today, two of the volunteers with Aim Abroad went to the hospital to continue their volunteer work in India. At the hospital, they will work mostly with a gynecologist and a pediatrician, but they will also visit some of the other branches in the hospital to gain more exposure to medical practices and the health care system here in India. Three other volunteers went to the school for street children, where they have been focusing on English teaching, and they have been specifically interested in giving the children care and attention, which they cannot find at their homes. After they finish their projects, the volunteers will go back to the host family home for lunch, and possibly watch the new Bollywood film, Anjaana Anjaani (meaning Strangers). Last night, a few volunteers went to the mall with the orphans at one of the orphanages, where the children rode their first escalator, went to the cinema for the first time ever, and saw the movie Dabangg (meaning Fearless), which both the volunteers and orphans enjoyed. Afterwards, the children went to McDonald's for the first time, which they did not enjoy as much as the volunteers hoped! But, even so, the children still enjoyed their experience with the volunteers. In the photo, you can see some of the orphans with my children and a family friend at the orphanage. This weekend, a few volunteers are contemplating going to the Commonwealth Games to watch some of the events, particularly Gymnastics and Swimming. The event should be exciting!

Commonwealth Games and Dengue Fever

2010-10-04T20:39:00.000+05:30

Yesterday the Commonwealth Games opened for the first time in Delhi, India! We are very proud to host this event, and we are looking forward to the positive effect that the Commonwealth Games will have on our country, especially for Delhi NCR. With the influx of foreigners all around Delhi NCR, we are looking forward to the possibility of foreigners taking an interest in helping local organizations in need! If not, at least we'll enjoy the event at our home!

Today, one volunteer went to the school for underprivileged children, where she spent the day teaching them English. She mentioned that there was one child who had a confirmed case of Dengue Fever, and two other children who have symptoms, but there is no confirmation that they have contracted Dengue Fever. I feel like it would be an appropriate time to discuss some facts about Dengue Fever.

Mosquitoes that carry dengue usually bite during sunrise and sunset, but they also bite any time during the day, usually indoors, in shady areas, or when the weather is cloudy. This is interesting, as other mosquitoes, that do not carry dengue, usually bite at night. Symptoms of Dengue Fever can be minimal, such as headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and fever, while severe symptoms include severe fluid loss and hemorrhaging. Symptoms of Dengue Fever usually last between two and seven days. Currently, there is no approved vaccine for the virus. Typically, oral rehydration therapy is best for Dengue, and, while aspirin should be avoided, paracetamol and acetominophen.

After looking at these facts, it appears that the child who was bitten by a dengue-carrying mosquito was unlikely bitten at the school. This school is run outdoors, and for the past week it has been very sunny, a setting which the dengue-carrying mosquito does not prefer (In the picture, you can clearly see that the park wouldn't be damp after a week of sunshine. The photo was taken by one of our volunteers from Barcelona, Tania, when she volunteered with Aim Abroad on September 1st). From the information, it appears that the child is not contagious, as the disease is spread only by these mosquitoes, so there should be no concern about the health of the other children. It is likely that the child was infected with Dengue in his home, as the area where he lives is most likely a very damp area, like many of the slum homes, where hygiene conditions are very poor. Though the disease is a very serious concern, it is a relief to know that the children are most likely not being exposed to Dengue at their school. We hope that the child, and the other children, who potentially have Dengue Fever, will have a speedy recovery.

Current Volunteer Work in Delhi NCR

2010-09-29T13:01:00.001+05:30

Yesterday the volunteer work with Aim Abroad included two of our volunteers helping with a delivery! Two girls from the US went to a local hospital in Delhi NCR to help mostly at a gynecologist's office and at a pediatrician's office. At the gynecological ward, they observed the birth, and helped the nurses with taking care of the newborn baby. In Indian culture, it is believed that the first person who feeds a baby has a connection with the child, and the child will grow up to have a similar personality as the person who feeds her or him. One of our volunteers was able to feed this newborn baby for the first time and take part in this tradition! The nurses, doctors, and parents were happy to give the volunteer this opportunity, and she was quite ecstatic about the experience of feeding this twenty-minute old baby for the first time! After all of the volunteers finished at their projects (three other volunteers went to the school for underprivileged children), they met at a local mall and walked to a very nice market in the neighborhood. After they finished at the market, the volunteers decided to have a rickshaw race! Two volunteers went in one cycle rickshaw, two in a second rickshaw (which left about one minute after the first rickshaw left), and finally one volunteer went in the third rickshaw. The second rickshaw to leave the market ended up winning the race! In the photo, you can see what these rickshaws look like as one of our previous volunteers, Roger from Barcelona, sits on a rickshaw in Jaipur (although the rickshaws in Delhi NCR did not have a sunshade). After their short rickshaw race through Delhi NCR, the volunteers went back to the host family home, enjoyed their dinner, and watched "Mean Girls" with the host family after making some popcorn. Everyone really enjoyed their day with Aim Abroad yesterday!

Summary of our Volunteer Work in India

2010-09-27T13:15:00.000+05:30

Volunteers with Aim Abroad have gone to the street children program and one of the local clinics in Delhi NCR for volunteer work today. The volunteers who visited the street children project went to help teach the children computer processing and spend time with these extremely underprivileged children. The volunteers have been teaching computing from a text book, and they will hopefully be able to start teaching with a real computer so that the children can see how to apply a theoretical approach of computer's education with a hands-on method of seeing how to apply their learned material in front of a computer. We have seen that some preparations for the computer course for the children are under way, but the teachers would like to offer as much as possible for the children. I will update more about the computer course and how the children's studies are going. For now, though the children study in a park outside, they have been taking exams to keep up with their curriculum of the Indian government's standards, and the children have been quite successful with all of the help from the teachers and the volunteers. In the photo, you can see the children at their school just as school is about to start.

Two other volunteers went to one of the local clinics in Delhi NCR, where they will work with a gynecologist, a pediatrician, and several nurses and other health care professionals. The volunteers have been to this clinic once before, and gave wonderful feedback: that they would like to continue the volunteering project in the hospital. The volunteers felt that the doctors spent a lot of time with the volunteers to help explain medical concepts in depth, to help spark more interest in the volunteers' interest in a future profession in medicine. After finishing their project today, the volunteers will go to the host family home for lunch, and two will go to a local mall in Delhi NCR. This weekend, three of our volunteers went to Agra, and had a great time traveling around India as a group of friends. Otherwise, the projects have been going very well, and we are looking forward to all of the improvements the projects have been making with all of the help from the volunteers!

Volunteer work in India

2010-09-22T13:23:00.001+05:30

Last night, just minutes before the dance party at the host family, the volunteers who traveled to Rishikesh this past weekend came back from their trip! The six volunteers at the host family went to sing happy birthday, have cake, dance to very popular Bollywood songs, and even show their own dance moves from the West to the Indian girls at the host family home! The volunteers were a bit shy dancing, but one of them danced the entire night with the family!

This morning, a volunteer from Denmark and another from Canada went to the street children project to do volunteer work with the Indian children in Grade 2. Yesterday evening, three volunteers went to the street children's school's coordinator's home, where they sat in a presentation. The company, HCL, has created an interactive computer software for teaching English, Math, Social Sciences, and Science. The volunteers and teachers who listened to the presentation had mixed feelings, but in general were impressed, and thought about whether the software would be useful. The school does not have the funding to implement the program; however, they will get in touch with the corporate offices to see if they can perform their social duty and help a struggling school. We are very enthusiastic about the software, and hope that they will be able to implement the technology to improve the children's education. In the photo, there is one volunteer, Raquel from barcelona, with the children who go to this very school.

School for Disabled Children

2010-09-21T12:32:00.000+05:30

The monsoon in India is still going on! In at least the past thirty years, if not longer, the monsoon has never stayed in India this late! We have had much rain the past few days, and it doesn't seem like it will stop any day soon. The volunteers, however, have been enjoying the host family atmosphere during monsoon season. Many times, families sit together and play cards, drink chai, eat pakodas, samosas, or kachoris on these special occasions. The temperature has been very favorable too, especially in the evenings.

Today, though the remnant puddles of the monsoon cover the roads, the volunteers, one from Denmark and one from Canada, went to a school for disabled children in Delhi NCR. At the school, they will teach the children in English and Mathematics in particular, and will play games and do activities which help stimulate their minds. In the photo, one of our previous volunteers from Barcelona, Roger, went to volunteer at this school for disabled children. After the project ends in the afternoon, the volunteers will go back to their host family home to have lunch with the host family. This evening, there will be a birthday party for a set of twins in one of the host families! The twins, both who study in college, have decided there would be a dance party in their room at midnight tonight, and they are looking forward to the event!

Volunteers traveling to Rishikesh!

2010-09-18T12:36:00.001+05:30

At Aim Abroad, the volunteers are enjoying their time while here in India! Last night, after the volunteering projects ended, three volunteers from the US enjoyed watching a Bollywood film, Tere Bin Laden ("Without your Bin Laden"), that one of the volunteers purchased from the DVD store. The film was a comedy, and they thought the movie was enjoyable. Today, they will go to central Delhi to go to the US Embassy for a toga party: As they will already be in the central area, they will visit Palika Market in Connaught Place to shop around and spend time in one of the nicest shopping districts in Delhi. Afterwards, they will head out to Rishikesh, where they will most likely go white water rafting, and be in the yoga capital of India. If they have time, the volunteers will likely visit Haridwar as well, which is nearby. Both cities are in Uttarakhand, and I have attached a photo from when one of our volunteers from Barcelona, Raquel, went to Shimla, capital of the state Uttarakhand. Afterwards, when they return, they will begin the computing class with the school for underprivileged children. We are really looking forward to this new opportunity for the children!

School for the underprivileged

2010-09-17T17:34:00.000+05:30

This morning, Jess, one of our volunteers from the US, went to a school to teach the underprivileged local children nearby her host family home. At the school, she spoke to the school coordinator and another volunteer from the US, who went to the school. The three discussed the school's struggle with funds, their need for some shelter under which to teach the children, and a new computer course, which they want to start for the children. Although the school coordinator has two very old laptops, she would prefer better equipment for the children, should the computing class become successful. At the moment, there is no nearby area for them to teach the children computing in a proper room or classroom, and the school will somehow have to find a way to teach the children. The school and the volunteers looked into monthly rental leases, but they were far beyond the school's budget, which has decreased over the months with dwindled governmental support of the school. Even with their many obstacles, the school, with its extremely devoted staff, still runs, and the children come to school each day more knowledgeable and happy than the last. We hope that they are able to successfully teach their computing course, which would truly open endless opportunities for these bright children to learn. We have attached a photo from when one of our volunteers, Sonia, was teaching at this very school a few weeks ago.

Eid Mubarak!

2010-09-10T11:56:00.000+05:30

All of the members of Aim Abroad would like to wish everyone around the world a Happy Eid, or "Eid Mubarak!" This photo was taken at Kashmir, when our volunteers visited a famous mosque in the region. We hope that the people in Kashmir, and all other people struggling throughout the world, can find political as well as personal peace! Let us remember that there are many suffering throughout the world, and it's everyone's responsibility to help those in need!

Project Ceremony in Central Delhi

2010-09-09T13:41:00.001+05:30

The volunteers from Aim Abroad went to the charitable hospital again today. After they finish at the charitable hospital, they will go back to the host family homes for lunch. This evening, two of the volunteers will prepare for a trip to Haridwar and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand! In Haridwar, alongside the Ganges river, the volunteers will observe Hindu traditions. Rishikesh, famed for its focus on yoga and spirituality, will offer the volunteers a new adventure for their interest in Indian culture!

Last night, as I mentioned in the previous blog entry, four volunteers went to the Indian Habitat Center in central Delhi to attend a function for the school for underprivileged children (I have attached a picture of Raquel, from Spain, who volunteered at this school last week). The function was very nice, and had several speakers and special guests who discussed the school for the children and a film that was created about the school (the post from April 26th has pictures of when the film was being made!). One of the volunteers, from the US, who went to the function was in the film too, and he mentioned how special it felt to be part of such an inspirational and altruistic cause. The film was screened at the function as well, and then the volunteers went back to their host family home. The volunteers described that they were very happy and content with the evening, as it was a special and memorable ceremony.

Volunteering Projects

2010-09-08T11:27:00.000+05:30

Today, two volunteers went to the charitable hospital in Delhi NCR. The volunteers will likely stay in the general ward to observe any surgeries (if there are any scheduled today), or they will also volunteer in the gynecological ward to learn more about other medical specialties as well (the photo was taken in this charitable hospital's surgical theater). After they finish the volunteering project in the afternoon, they will visit one of the largest markets in Delhi NCR, nearby the charitable hospital, to learn more about Indian culture and perhaps find some good bargains. One other volunteer went to the school for street children in Delhi NCR, where she will start teaching a computing course with the children, along with focusing on teaching proper English grammar and communication with the children. In the evening, the volunteers will go to a special screening of a short documentary about the school for street children in the main area in Delhi, as they have been invited by the program coordinator. We will hear more about their evening when they return!

Cake Night and Volunteering Programs

2010-09-07T09:47:00.005+05:30

This Sunday, two of our volunteers from Barcelona, Tania and Raquel, have gone back home to Spain. They stayed with us for five weeks, volunteering in Delhi NCR with the teaching programs with the children from slum areas mostly. They also spent about two weeks volunteering in the hospitals, assisting in surgeries, and learning about medical practices and the Indian health care system. Additionally, they volunteered in Shimla for a week, where they taught at a local school in the setting of the breathtaking Himalayas. Afterwards, they returned to Delhi NCR to finish their last week of the volunteering program. As they became a part of our family, we organized a mini-party for the volunteers with a wonderful fresh fruit cake! The two were very sad to go and were saying that they see themselves making another trip back to India!

On Monday, Jessica, from the US, and Marion, from Belgium, went to the orphanage for girls in Delhi NCR again, and spent a lot of time with the children at the orphanage. Meanwhile, two other volunteers went to a government hospital to assist with surgeries. The two observed and assisted with a Cesarian birth, which they described as a truly special experience! Otherwise, they observed an intestinal surgery, a still-birth procedure, and another small procedure. After they returned from the hospital, they came back to the host family home for lunch, and rested. Later, a volunteer from the US, went with a volunteer from Belgium to a local temple, which was very interesting for her, as she didn't know much about Hinduism and Hindu temples. In the evening, all of us had a fun evening of Parcheesi and cards, before having dinner!

Teaching at the Charitable School

2010-09-04T11:34:00.002+05:30

Today two new volunteers with Aim Abroad, Marion (from Belgium) and Jessica (from the US), are volunteering at an orphanage in Delhi NCR for orphaned girls. In the morning they ate traditional North Indian bread pakodas with the host family as they drank chai. The orphanage is close to a famous market in the neighborhood, and the girls and volunteers are likely to spend some time there as well, once they finish their volunteer work at the orphanage. Marion, who arrived two days ago, went to a charitable school in Delhi NCR, where she assisted a teacher with her classes, with special focus on English grammar and communication. In the photo is one of our previous volunteers, Sonia, who taught at the same charitable school just a few weeks ago. Aside from Marion and Jessica, the other volunteers are still traveling in Rajasthan and in the north (the group who went to Amritsar and then other cities). Next week there will be more volunteers together, so we are excited for them all to meet each other!

Recap

2010-09-01T17:06:00.003+05:30

Hello!

It has been quite some time since our last post, but we have been very busy here with the volunteering projects in India! I will give a brief summary of what we have been doing since the last post.

We have been continuing the volunteering at the street children's schools (see photos!). The children have been improving in their English, as well as enjoying their time in school with their friends and the volunteers from around the world.

Some volunteers have been going to the school for disabled children, and they have been donating wonderful toys and games for activities to stimulate their minds.

Volunteers have also started teaching at a charitable school in Delhi NCR, where the school teaches around 800 students. The volunteers have really enjoyed interacting with these children, and the students have been quite happy to meet foreigners from around the world at their very own school!

Volunteers have been attending the medical projects, including two charitable hospitals, and two volunteers even observed a Cesarian-birth and a hernia operation!

Those volunteers who have been working in orphanages in Delhi NCR have been teaching plenty of English to the children, and even some Spanish, to enrich their cultural awareness!

Tomorrow, a group of four volunteers will be traveling to Ajmer and Pushkar, while four other volunteers will go to Amritsar and Dharamsala. The volunteers are getting ready for their trips, and we look forward to hearing about their trips when they arrive back at the host family homes this weekend and next week!

Teaching Underprivileged Children

2010-07-26T12:20:00.001+05:30

This weekend three volunteers, two from England and one from Spain, went to Delhi. In Delhi, they went to Connaught Place, the major shopping district, which the volunteers really enjoyed They stayed in Pahar Ganj, and visited Jamma Masjid and Red Fort as well. Four other volunteers, three from the US and one from France, went to Jaipur, the Pink City in Rajasthan: they particularly enjoyed the Amber Fort and the observatory area in Jaipur.

This past week, the volunteers mostly worked with the street children program and the disabled children's school. At the street children school, the teachers organized a special day at the local park: Buses took the children to the park, where they could go on rides and play in the open area. Seven volunteers accompanied the children and the teachers to the park, and they all had a marvelous time with the children. The next day, the volunteers and the children had an assembly, where the children would ask the volunteers all different questions about life in their home countries and about any customs they practice. Some of the children even asked questions like "What is your favorite color" or "What do you eat for breakfast," but most of the children also asked interesting questions too. The volunteers also had a chance to ask the children anything they wanted, which really helped them learn more about Indian culture. The teachers helped interpret for the children who were unable to understand what they said, but the children, volunteers, and children all agreed that the experience was truly special.

Language and Culture Programs!

2010-07-20T09:10:00.000+05:30

Today three volunteers with Aim Abroad, two from Spain and one from the US, went to Delhi to visit the Lotus Temple, Qutb Minar, Dilli Haat, Humayun's Tomb, India Gate, and Chhattarpur Temple before returning home to the host family in Delhi NCR. Some of the other volunteers will be going to the street children project, to sing, dance, and play with the children, and also to teach the children. The other volunteers will be facilitating a school for disabled children in the neighborhood as well. Last night, two of our volunteers from England arrived from a two-day trip to Jaipur, where they had a wonderful time. They described that they preferred Jaipur much more to Agra, as they felt as if they were in a metropolitan yet Indian city. Yesterday, the volunteers participated in the language and culture program, where the Hindi classes were taught and the volunteers also went to a large and beautiful temple a few blocks away from their host family home. I have attached two pictures taken two weeks ago from when other volunteers recently went to Delhi on the same trip as those three who are on the way to Delhi right now. The final picture was taken at the temple where the volunteers visited yesterday.

Maria's Birthday!

2010-07-18T12:46:00.001+05:30

Today several volunteers returned from a trip to Nainital, in the northern regions of India! One volunteer from France and two from the US went together to enjoy the cooler air up in the mountains as they explored a new city. The volunteers described that it was nice to get away from the warmer weather in Delhi NCR, but they wanted to return a bit earlier so that they could continue their volunteering programs with the under privileged children. Meanwhile, two volunteers from England went to Jaipur for one or two nights, and had seen a bollywood film, Milenge Milenge, last night. Two other volunteers with Aim Abroad, both from Spain, went to Hareedwar, and are going to travel further north from Haridwar into Rishikesh and eventually to Dharamsala and Ladakh. Otherwise, the volunteering programs have been going very well. Many volunteers have been going to the school for children who are under privileged, while others have been visiting the school for disabled children. Some volunteers have even been participating in our language and culture program, where we teach about Indian culture as we teach Hindi, while also touring the local area as well as sightseeing in the metropolitan area in Delhi. This wee we will be continuing these language and culture classes as well with some new volunteers from Spain!

Last week, four other volunteers from London were with us at Aim Abroad as well, and we have some pictures from when they were all together in Delhi NCR: It was one of the Spanish volunteer's birthday, and we got her a cake and sang Happy Birthday to her in English, Spanish, and Hindi too! At the end of the evening, two mehndi wallahs (artists who put mehndi, or henna, on people) came and gave everyone unique and different designs! Here are the photos from that evening last week!

Volunteering Projects

2010-07-06T20:20:00.000+05:30

Today many volunteers split into several groups for their volunteering projects! In the morning, two volunteers from the US went to the Ultrasound Clinic where they saw several cases of kidney stones and stomach infections, and several healthy pregnancies as well. Three volunteers from England visited a local Charity Hospital in Delhi NCR where they saw many different patients with varied diseases from colds to relatively extinct diseases such as diphtheria! Two more volunteers, one from England and the other from the US, went to the pediatric hospital where they helped take measurements with the doctors and assisted the babies in the nursery. Additionally, three volunteers, from the US, volunteered at the street children school where they continued teaching the children English grammar. Finally, one volunteer from Spain and another from England visited a local girl's orphanage for the day where they helped the orphanage staff and spent most of the day interacting with the orphans. Now, the volunteers are back with the host families, and are ready for another exciting day of volunteering tomorrow. Several of the volunteers are leaving tonight and tomorrow morning to go back home, and the children and projects are sad to see them leave, but know that the volunteers will be back in India soon after having such a wonderful time with Aim Abroad and at the volunteering projects.

Street Children School

2010-07-05T23:35:00.001+05:30

The volunteers with Aim Abroad went to the street children project today. At the first area of the school, there were about sixty children, instead of the regular 100-200 children that come in the winter. At the moment, it is sowing season in India, and many of the street children who have relatives in farms have probably gone to the farms to help with the work. Also, because of the heat (around 40˚C or 100˚F), many of the children stop coming to the project until the weather is more favorable. In any case, the volunteers practiced their new-learned Hindi with the students and teachers, and also taught important English grammar concepts to the children. Two of the volunteers, one from the US and one from Spain, also taught the children Red Light/Green Light, which the children loved. Although they described that there was a language barrier at first, they were able to communicate how to play the game to the children and they all played correctly! They did depict one funny image though! During the last game of Red Light/Green Light, two children touched the "street light" at the same time: To decide who would win, one volunteer figured they should play "Rock Paper Scissors" (or "Patthar, Paper, Kanchee"). Well, all of the children ended up learning a second game instead, and there was no time for the children to play Red Light/Green Light in the end! Other than the two volunteers who played games with the children and one volunteer who focused on teaching songs and English grammar to the children, another volunteer taught the children coloring and art, which the children really enjoyed as well. Look at some of their art!

Akshardham Temple

2010-07-04T16:11:00.001+05:30

Yesterday the volunteers with Aim Abroad went to the Akshardham Temple in Delhi! A group of seven volunteers, four from England, one from Spain, and two from the United States went together to see the temple. They had breakfast early in the morning with the host family, and then headed out for the temple. Once they reached the temple, they walked throughout the entire complex, which really amazed them. They described visiting the temple as if visiting a building like the Taj Mahal a few years after it was constructed. Though the temple was not complete in its construction, the volunteers were truly inspired by visiting such a wonderful and spiritual place, where they were around other tourists, Indian and foreign alike! The volunteer from Spain mentioned that someone who worked at the gift shop even practiced some Spanish with her, as she was used to seeing so many tourists from Spain. After the volunteers finished visiting the temple, they enjoyed a delicious lunch at the temple and had some ice cream to quell the heat. AFter they left the temple, they returned to the host family home to prepare for the street children projects. Some volunteers have been learning some Hindi to practice with the children as well!

Saturday Events with Aim Abroad

2010-06-26T10:31:00.003+05:30

Many of the volunteers with Aim Abroad went to travel today! Four volunteers went to Agra, where they will tour around the city and observe the Taj Mahal. In the evening, two of the volunteers will return back to the host family, while the other two volunteers will travel around India, as their volunteering projects have finished. Another group of volunteers went to the tourist areas in Delhi: They will visit Delhi's Red Fort and then shop around Chandni Chowk, around the beautiful mosque called Jamma Masjid. In the evening, they made arrangements so that they could stay in a hotel in Connought Place in Delhi, so that they can wake up early and visit Delhi's famous shopping district. The remaining two volunteers with us , who are participating in the language and culture program, went to see a Bollywood Film, Rajneeti (the word for "politics" in Hindi), in the local movie theater. After they finish the movie, they will come back to the host family house for lunch, and then will go to the Aim Abroad language teacher's home to continue their Hindi classes. These volunteers love learning about Indian culture and Hindi, and are constantly practicing their new vocabulary with me and my family! They were very excited to learn some Hindi grammar, although for a one-week introduction to Hindi they describe that the grammar isn't too technical, it is the right amount to learn as a traveler in India. They are looking forward to volunteering and practicing their new-found Hindi up in the mountains in Himachal Pradesh soon. To prepare for their trip, they will go to the market near the language teacher's house after the classes finish. Finally, they will return back to the host family's home, and will spend ample time with the family and eat dinner together.

Volunteering in the Nursery

2010-06-21T19:37:00.002+05:30

The volunteers with Aim Abroad went to the pediatric hospital in Delhi NCR today. The volunteers were interested in helping the infants in the nursery: they describe that these infants were extremely weak and needed all of their assistance and time. When they arrived at the hospital, the volunteers went to the nursery where they met the team of doctors who were on rounds, as they begin their rounds with the infants. Once the doctors finished rounds in the nursery, the volunteers stayed with the women who work in the nursery and helped feed the babies and administer any required treatments for the babies. The volunteers were quite intrigued by how entire families would wait together outside of the nursery for the doctor or volunteers to give updates on the status of the babies. After the day ended, the volunteers came back to the host family house together, where they spent time relaxing and lounging around. In the evening, the volunteers went to the famous market in the neighborhood, and will be coming back to the host family homes soon.

Weekend with Aim Abroad

2010-06-20T22:10:00.001+05:30

This weekend the volunteers with Aim Abroad mostly stayed in the Delhi NCR area. Some volunteers went to Delhi for shopping visits, bringing back beautiful pearl necklaces and pashmina shawls. Other volunteers went to see some sights in Delhi rather than shopping visits, and had an equally entertaining experience. The photo was taken at the famous Iskcon Temple in Delhi: The women were preparing the flowers for a Hindu tradition. After a person prays to God, she or he should take some of the flowers, with which they prayed, and toss them in water to complete the prayer.

The rest of the volunteers stayed with the host families and visited a few projects which were having weekend programs, like the hospitals and clinics. As for the ones who just rested with the host families, some of them went to the local markets and spent a lot of time learning the tricks of bargaining with the locals: they wanted to test out bargaining skills with cheaper items, so that when they do make more expensive purchases, they will be "trained" in the skill! Another volunteer went to a local massage area for women. She brought back a booklet with all of the different services and massages the place offered: We couldn't believe just how many different massages one place offered! She also described that there were four women who worked at the place, and each worker focused on a different are on her body! One woman was massaging her head, one each on either foot, and one for her body and arms. Although she had never had a massage before in her life, she thought that it was a bit different from what she would expect! As the massage was affordable and incredibly soothing, we have a feeling that several of the volunteers will soon go together to the massage place again!

Ultrasound Clinic

2010-06-18T18:47:00.004+05:30

Medical volunteers with Aim Abroad went to the ultrasound clinic today for their volunteering project. At the clinic, the volunteers mostly observed how to diagnose kidney stones and gall bladder stones. The doctor explained that when the stone is very small, she prescribes an Ayurvedic medicine that breaks down and dissolves the stone so that it can pass. If the stone is too large for the Ayurvedic medicine though, then the doctor suggests surgery for extraction of the stone. The volunteers described that they could see very clearly on the ultrasound machine the kidney and gall bladder stones, and even saw two cases where the kidney stone has left the kidney and could see the damage the stone had made in the kidney. Also, in one patient, a bladder stone was starting to pass through the patient's system, and the damage to the body was very clear and visible to the volunteers. The volunteers learned a lot about the ultrasound technique, and they look forward to learning more useful medical techniques while they volunteer with Aim Abroad!

2010-06-17T20:00:00.001+05:30

Volunteers with Aim Abroad went to the street children project today. The day was filled with laughter, fun, and games between the volunteers and the kids, as the volunteers described on their way back from the project. When they arrived at the project, they distributed medicines to the children, and some volunteers even provided first aid for the children. Afterwards, the volunteers split into teams and went around the different classrooms as they taught different subjects: Some volunteers taught art classes, others practiced counting with emphasis on English pronunciation, and others still taught more advanced English reading (they read children's stories like "The Gingerbread Man" and reviewed the comprehension of the story). During lunch time, the volunteers played frisbee, volleyball, and tag with the children, who were smiling ear to ear with the volunteers! Afterwards, the volunteers returned to the host family homes, where they ate lunch and rested after the event-filled day.

Maternity Hospital

2010-06-16T20:12:00.001+05:30

The medical volunteers with Aim Abroad went to the maternity hospital today. They had the opportunity to observe a C-Section delivery in the operating room, which they described was quite an interesting experience. They arrived just as the patient was entering the operating room, and were able to learn from the entire procedure, from the beginning to the delivery. Once the baby was born, the doctors ran some tests on the baby to check for its health. After they left the operating room, the volunteers went on rounds with the doctors at the medical facility. They finished their volunteer work for the day with the gynecologist in the hospital, and they spoke to her for a few hours to learn about the Indian health care system and to observe a few patients who came into the office. The doctor who runs the ultrasound clinic also came to the gynecologist's office and worked with the volunteers and patients, as she takes the ultrasound of the patients at the hospital. The volunteers then came back to the host family home, where they spent time with the families.

Eye Ambulance

2010-06-14T20:12:00.001+05:30

Some of our volunteers went to work with the Eye Ambulance today! In the morning, the cook made some upma, a traditional South Indian breakfast or light snack, and the volunteers learned how to make the dish. After he made the upma, he made lunch for the volunteers, a few cooked and seasoned vegetables with some paranthas, traditional North Indian bread, all which the volunteers observed how to prepare as well. Once they finished eating breakfast and having chai, the volunteers went to the Eye Ambulance project. They describe that the Eye Ambulance, much like the other ambulance for the elderly, goes to rural areas to provide services for the poor who are otherwise unable to receive such medical services. The doctors and volunteers took eye exams from the volunteers, and the doctors prescribed the appropriate lenses for the patients. The workers in the ambulance described that they will come back with the glasses for the patients when their prescriptions are ready. The volunteers mostly helped out at the ambulance by measuring the blood pressure of the patients. One volunteer, from the US, learned how to measure blood pressure for the first time. Once the volunteers returned from the Eye Ambulance project, they ate the lunch they had prepared in the morning, and then went to the local markets in the neighborhood.

Agra and Host Families

2010-06-13T20:56:00.002+05:30

This weekend two volunteers with Aim Abroad went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, while the other volunteers stayed in the host family houses for the weekend. The pair who went to Agra came back to their host family a few hours ago, and they sent me two pictures which particularly interested them. The photo shows the inlaid marble design that is quite common in India. Many tourist sites, like Red Fort, Amber Fort, and the Taj Mahal use this design, but the volunteers were very impressed by he artwork. The Taj Mahal is filled with inlaid marble all around the building, but the volunteers took two pictures of just the flowery design around the structure's walls. They describe that they really enjoyed their time in Agra, and were able to have an extremely affordable trip, especially considering they went to see one of the wonders of the world! In the mean time, back in Delhi NCR, our volunteers spent a lot of time with the host families. My family spent time with the volunteers staying at our house by going to the mall together, walking around the markets, and some volunteers even went with my daughter to her dance classes! The volunteers learn a lot about Indian culture when they stay with our host families, and we are always eager to learn equally as much from our guests. Tomorrow, the volunteers decided they would like to visit the Eye Ambulance project, and so I will update tomorrow about the project after they return.

Aim Abroad and Volunteering in India

Happy Republic Day

Republic Day is a Day To remember,When A Thought Of freedom Was Born,Dont Just take It as A national holiday.Try Something New To Improve Our Country..Have a happy Republic Day.

Feed Back , Medical volunteering

Merry chrisrtmas and Happy new year 2012

Alice in wonderland Slumschool

Aim Abroad and Volunteering in India: Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day

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AIM Abroad: Volunteer Abroad Program - Verge Magazine: Volunteer abroad, work and travel, study abroad | Verge Magazine: Volunteer abroad, work and travel, study abroad

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L'Inde, que d'aventures!

information for medical volunteers

Agra, Jaipur, and Jaisalmer

useful information for volunteers

Sponsor A Child's Care

General Informations form a Volunteer

Alice in Wonderland Monthly Update

My Adventures In India: A couple of Day 11 picturesSome of the slum huts ...

New Project Ready To Open in a Few Days!

Medical Volunteering and Orphanage Children's Academic Reports!

Volunteers Visit the New School!

More about our Newest Project

Happy Holi!

School in the Slums Project Began Yesterday and Holi 2011!

Launching a New Orphanage Project and a New School Project

Donations from the Local Community!

New School with Aim Abroad!

Volunteers in Delhi and Weekend Plans

Volunteering at the Orphanage

New Child at our Orphanage!

Hindi Lesson 3

Happy New Year and Children's School Grades!

Hindi Lesson 2

Holiday Volunteers and Orphanage Children Visit Park!

Orphanage Renovations Complete and Varanasi Trip!

Hindi Lesson 1

Orphanage Film Part 2

Orphanage Film Part 1

Goodbyes and Orphanage Renovations

Indian Wedding in Haryana!

Traveling in India!

Manish's Birthday and Gay Pride in India!

Orphanage Benefactor and Inspiration!

Spanish Volunteers and New Orphanage Plans!

Vrindavan and Volunteers

Id Mubarak and Hindu Ceremony!

Volunteers Begin Indian Culture Classes

Sponsored Health Insurance

Snake Charmer and Helpful Volunteers

Manish Needs our Help!

Hospital Volunteering

Current Volunteering Projects

Happy Diwali!

Children Play in Park and Diwali Approaches

Volunteers Motivate the Children!

Teaching English in Delhi NCR and Diwali Preparations

Orphanage Project

Delhi Sightseeing

Cows in Haryana and Volunteers Plans

Karva Chauth Holiday and Traveling in Rural Haryana

Donations to the Orphanage in Delhi NCR!

About our Orphanage

Haryana Games in Delhi NCR!

About our Fiesta and the Volunteering Projects

Snake's Closeup and Spanish Volunteers Currently with us!

More of Shimla and the Commonwealth Games Results!

Volunteer work in Delhi and Festival Season in India!

Festival Season in India with Volunteers!

Volunteering and Travels to Shimla

Fir Milenge, or "See you later" in Hindi!

Navratra kee Shubhkamnaayein!

Current Volunteers with Aim Abroad

Commonwealth Games and Dengue Fever

Current Volunteer Work in Delhi NCR

Summary of our Volunteer Work in India

Volunteer work in India

School for Disabled Children

Volunteers traveling to Rishikesh!

Republic Day is a Day To remember,
When A Thought Of freedom Was Born,
Dont Just take It as A national holiday.
Try Something New To Improve Our Country..
Have a happy Republic Day.