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DeutschFFLV is an expansive organization and there are many different services available to interested volunteers. In order to help volunteers get an idea of the different types of services that are available, we have compiled a list of some ways that volunteers can help out. Keep in mind that not all programs run all year long and that your suggestions about how you can use your unique skills to benefit our organization are very welcome.
Services for volunteers: Teaching:
Medical services: Nurses, doctors and health educators are most welcome to help in the school or with our village health programs. Photography:
Food Distribution: Every afternoon at 5pm we distribute free meals to hundreds of slum children. Volunteers are always welcome to come to help hand out leaf plates and to give some love to these neglected children. IT: Volunteers who are good with computers are always needed, and can even. Help is needed to fix computers from the children’s computer lab and produce promotional material and programs for office support. Computer room: Our school has a computer room. The children use the computers for learning English. When we have a volunteer to supervise the computer room, we can keep the room open after lunch so that enthusiastic students can use the computers in their break.
Letter Writing: Kindergarten: Crafts/sewing: Volunteers with art/craft skills are needed to take art classes and teach the children to make craft items. We would also like a volunteer to teach sewing class, in our after school program. Organizing Games: We need volunteers to play ball games with the children and organize sporting activities. Social workers: Social workers, especially those with development work experience, experience with micro crediting etc. are needed to advise and work with our social work team(Fluent hindi speaking required). Your suggestions: If you have any other skills that you feel would be valuable to us, please contact us to discuss. Remote volunteering: Fund raising: Volunteers can help by fund raising, applying for grants, raising money online, holding dinners and events to raise funds or any other innovative fund raising ideas you can think of. Office Support We have various overseas offices, look at the “contact us” section on our website and you can see whether we have an office near you. Translation: We want our website to be available to as many people as possible. It has been translated into Italian and we would like to have it translated into other languages. IT: We need IT professionals to help with web-design, computer maintenance and fund-raising pages for our overseas offices.
General Information Getting here: Vrindavan is around 3.5 hours from Delhi. You can get there by train, by bus, or by car. By Bus: From New Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan bus depot, take the Agra bus and get down at Chhatikara. From Chhatikara, auto rickshaws and tempos are available to Vrindavan. By Train: Trains to Mathura, the nearest major railway junction to Vrindavan, are available from both New Delhi Station and Nizamuddin Station. New Delhi Station is preferable, located in a safer, more centrally located neighbourhood. From Mathura, you can hire a private auto rickshaw, or squeeze into a Vrindavan-bound tempo. (The cheapest way to travel – tempos are large auto-rickshaws with passengers packed in a sardine-esque manner). Trains can be booked on the day of travel. Upstairs at New Delhi train station there is a foreigners ticket booking office so you can avoid the crowds at the general counter. By Taxi: FFLV can arrange a taxi for you. Please email secretary@fflvrindvavan.org to inquire about current prices and to arrange a taxi. Please let us know at least one week in advance it you require a taxi. Accommodations: FFLV has limited accommodation available by donation. Volunteers usually stay at the Neem Bhavan dormitory. Volunteers are advised that for those availing of FFLV accommodation facilities, a commitment to working 6 days per week is required. Meals are also provided at the school (light breakfast and hot lunch). A kitchen is available for cooking other meals. For those requiring more opulent accommodations, apartments are sometimes available. Please email secretary@fflvrindavan.org for current rates and availability. Guests are asked to only switch their hot water geysers on twenty minutes before showering to save electricity so that we can keep costs down and also to keep the use of air conditioning and heaters to a minimum. October-November and February-March are particularly busy times, so please book well in advance. PLEASE NOTE: Meat, fish, and eggs are not allowed in FFLV buildings, nor is drinking or smoking permitted. Surroundings: Vrindavan is a small-medium town. Most things can be purchased here. There are western toilets in the accommodation and FFLV endeavours to give volunteers their own room. SMS has about 1500 students spread over three schools that are located within walking distance of each other. School Hours: The school open 6 days per week and is closed on Sundays. Volunteers are expected to come to the school 6 days per week. For most volunteers, the day starts at 8 or 9am (according to season) at the Sandipani Muni Primary school where the children gather for assembly. School finishes at 3pm. Some volunteers also like to go to the primary school between 4.30 and 5.15 to help out with the distribution of food to the slum children. Code of Conduct: Volunteers are advised that Vrindavan is a place of pilgrimage and is considered a holy place by Hindus and ancient holy scriptures. As such, behaviour such as meat eating, drinking alcohol, using intoxicants, public affection for partners, unmarried couples sharing the same room and wearing revealing clothing are considered offensive. Volunteers are therefore asked to refrain from these behaviours while in Vrindavan. IMPORTANT TIPS When to come: The school is open all year round so it is possible to come at any time, however we recommend that you avoid the summer months (May-June) as most people find it very difficult to work in 50 (122) degree temperatures and everything slows down in the summer months. Weather: During the summer the temperature is between 22°C (71°F) and 50°C (122°F). The winter has a low of 4°C (40°F) and a high of 25°C (77°F). The rainy season is from the end of June to September, however it is not real monsoon like in other parts of India. During the summer months of May and June, Vrindavan can feel like one of the hottest places in the world. It can also be quite cold in the winter, from the end of November to mid-February. During the winter you need warm woollen clothing in the morning, but during the day-shirt weather. The weather is perfect from early October to mid-November, and at this time there is a big festival for Kartik. Also the month of March and the first half of April are perfect for those who like warm (but not too hot) weather. Giving Charity: Many volunteers are shocked by the level of poverty and want to do something to help, but sometimes having a big heart can lead to bad experiences. Often, impoverished people feel that there is no other way to survive other than by cheating, consequently they become expert at it. If someone asks you to buy them a sweater because they are cold, don’t be surprised if you never see them wearing it. Often they will sell it and ask you for a new sweater the next day. It’s not that they are not cold, it just means that they feel they need the money more than the sweater. If you hand out anything, you will start a stampede, which can be dangerous for you and the people coming to get the handouts. If you want to do something to help these people, talk to us about what is the best way to go about it. Please note: Many of our students are fresh off the street, and picking pockets or stealing can be a temptation for them. Please don’t leave your bags unattended. Don’t show off expensive equipment, cash, etc, or better yet, don’t bring them to school at all. Clothing: Women especially should observe a modest standard of dress that is appropriate to Indian culture and which will help you avoid attracting unwanted attention. We suggest wearing long skirts or pants with a long shirt that is not tightly fitted and which reaches the thighs. The good news is that the clothes in India are cheap, beautifully designed and brightly coloured, so you can pick up some nice items such as scarves, which ladies wear even in summer in India for both elegance and modesty. Indian people are always pleased when someone shows acceptance of their culture by wearing Indian clothes, so you will have lots of fun shopping and trying out your new wardrobe. Medical issues: To avoid malaria one must avoid mosquito bites: we suggest to search in your health store for insect repellent (vitamins and cream or oil) while for typhoid the best prevention is to drink bottled water and eat in places that look at least somewhat decent. Shopping: Vrindavan is better known for its temples than shopping! There is a local market called Loi Bazaar where a good variety of clothes and food can be bought. Monkeys: Monkeys really steal things like glasses, then they wait till you feed them to give the things back. Hold on to your glasses when you are outdoors especially in monkey infested areas. Covering your head with a scarf can also be a good strategy. Also never carry fruit in plastic bags as monkeys will see it, run up behind you, break the bag and take it. Water: Don’t drink the tap water, it is not good for health and even if the locals can drink it, it is likely to make you sick when you first start drinking it. Filtered water is available in the ashram kitchen. Gender Relations: Please be aware of the cultural differences; for example, whistling and winking at the opposite sex is considered flirtatious in India, as are smiling, touching of any kind, direct eye contact and non work-related conversation. (You get the point Women should be careful when out in the community. Chitchatting with and even smiling at vendors, rickshaw drivers, etc. will give the impression you are interested in them and they may come on to you or pass some colourful comments. Other Notes: Vrindavan Vrindavan is a holy pilgrimage site that has attracted millions of visitors over thousands of years. “Development” has caused many changes over the last couple of decades. Pollution is replacing natural beauty and cement is replacing trees; still, much of the incredible beauty of the traditional, ancient Vrindavan still exists and is available to those who seek it.Many temples, hundreds of years old, still stand in splendorous contrast to the open sewers flowing with sewage and patrolled by hairy hogs. As with many things in life, it depends on where you choose to focus your attention. If you haven’t visited India before, you may find yourself overwhelmed by awe and disgust, attraction and repulsion by turns. For someone from the EU or the USA, India can taste a bit like 15th century and a parallel-universe version of 2011 thrown together in a blender and poured hot and steaming in your cup. Contacts: If you would like to speak with some past volunteers or about volunteering with us please email us at secretary@fflvrindavan.org and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have and let you know about their experiences in volunteering at FFLV. Alternatively you can contact Nikunja at nik@fflvrindavan.org who will be happy to answer your inquiries about volunteering at FFLV.
Many volunteers enjoy being guest teachers in either the primary or secondary school or kindergarten. English teachers are very much in demand by the school to raise the children’s standard of English so that they can compete with children from wealthier schools. Bilingual (Hindi and English) persons are especially needed for this service but those speaking only English can also help. Music and singing teachers are also required.
Volunteers who can take photos of special events, or teach the children photography are appreciated.
The school is supported largely through donations. Many of the children have individual sponsors who pay for all their education needs. The children keep in contact with their sponsors and volunteers can help them in writing letters and drawing pictures for their sponsors.
Those who prefer to work with small children, can find lots to do in our school nursery.
) Volunteers should not casually chat and joke with or touch children of the opposite sex over 10 years of age.
Each and every one of our children is a special child with some kind of special need or situation. Some of them live in tents, too many of them are being abused by their parents, and almost all of them are in danger of being pulled out of school because their parents do not understand the value of education. Please do not expect to come to India and see a school like the one you grew up in at home. Age-appropriate learning is even a challenge, as the vast majority of our children do not know their date of birth. Volunteering at SMS will expose you to the challenges we face every day and let you share in a portion of the excellent rewards of our hard work.
