L'Inde, que d'aventures!

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

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

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

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

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

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

   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