iSPiiCE (Integrated Social Program in Indian Child Education) is a voluntary social organisation that builds partnerships between International volunteers and rural Indian communities. With 80% of India’s population living in rural areas an iSPiiCE volunteer program takes you to the very heart of India, giving you the opportunity to put your hands and heart to use and help those less fortunate through your role as an educator, care giver, activities leader or health worker.

iSPiiCE Volunteer Programmes offers genuine development assistance to the local community and have formed partnerships with already established institutions who are the real experts when it comes to defining the local community’s needs and by offering their assistance, shared goals are met with greater success. iSPiiCE partner institutions include schools, childcare centers (known as Aanganwari), women’s learning centre’s and other community organizations.

iSPiiCE also boast new initiatives to develop communities further and deliver services which would otherwise be inaccessible; these include IT skills training and computer access, community health visits and the set up of health camps.

Indian Immersion:
India is a country of fantastic beauty and diversity, with rich culture and complex traditions not to mention its many spectacular archeological and structural feats. A volunteer placement with iSPiiCE gives you the chance for total immersion where you experience firsthand the traditions, cultures, smells, sights and tastes of this incredible country all while carrying out life changing work, where the rewards are great and benefits strongly felt by both sides.

iSPiiCE program location is in north India, and more specifically the Dharamsala region, which is arguably one of the most spectacular regions in India and not surprisingly the Dali Lama holds residency in the area. iSPiiCE base camp (where volunteers live during their stay) is set in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, offering magnificent views of the snow capped peaks and lush green forests.
With breathtaking scenery, clear air, and friendly, welcoming local people, Dharamsala is the perfect destination for your volunteer work in India.

Travel with iSPiiCE:
iSPiiCE Volunteer Programmes provide you with the chance to combine your volunteering activities with travel in India. They offer excursions to world famous sites, including a Himalayan trek, the Taj Mahal Experience and a trip to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, all of which are included in the programme fee.

Volunteer Activities:
The activities done by volunteers in their programmes primarily relate to education, social work, care and women’s empowerment, carried out in various partner institutions identified as appropriate for iSPiiCE intervention.

Education Volunteer:
Education volunteers play an important role in raising awareness about the need for regular schooling and offer much needed support to local teachers. iSPiiCE work in partnership with local primary and secondary schools and volunteers can work alongside the local teacher or deliver their own lessons daily. The most commonly requested subject of teaching is English and we encourage volunteers to create their own lesson plans with teaching materials available for this purpose. You may also bring your own teaching materials such as reading and picture books and teaching flash cards. For teaching English it is not necessary for volunteers to have past experience and in-depth knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and for the children to have the chance working with fluent English speakers is invaluable on its own. For those with a professional interest in teaching this is a fantastic opportunity to broaden your skills in a new and very different environment. Working with the children daily you will bring about a sense of professionalism and dedication and this is extremely valuable for children’s confidence and also for your learning of the local culture.

Childcare Volunteer:
iSPiiCE work alongside the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Service) scheme which is a government initiative addressing both early childhood development, health and malnutrition in India. The services provided by the scheme are made available through local child care centres (anganwari) and they offer nutritional food and health education to mother and child as well as non formal preschool education. Although these centres do provide a valuable service in the community they suffer from a lack of funding and poor management affecting their ability to meet specified objectives, especially in the area of preschool education. This is where volunteer assistance can make such a difference and along with local staff you will be responsible for providing a safe, hygienic environment for the children to play and learn, play games and develop arts activities designed to enhance their motor skills and encourage creativity, also you will introduce the children to their ABC’s and nursery rhymes creating a colourful and enjoyable learning environment.

Women's Empowerment Volunteer:
With the introduction of the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women in 2001 the Indian Government has said ‘Our vision in the new century of a nation where women are equal partners with men’ but in reality Indian women struggle to gain empowerment through society. Education is the most influential tool to raise the status of women and at iSPiiCE they run a variety of educational and confidence building activities to benefit women and adolescent girls in the local community. English teaching and computer classes impart much needed skills to the ladies, increase their self worth and offer a platform for social interaction, ultimately increasing their social status and employability prospects. One good technique for building rapport and empowering the local women is to ask them to teach you basic Hindi at the same time as you are teaching them. You’ll come back with fond memories of an unforgettable experience.

Street Children Volunteer:
India is home to the world’s largest population of street children, estimated at around 11 million, according to conservative estimates by UNICEF. Relying on fragile survival strategies and with no opportunities for play or school, these are a particularly vulnerable group open to exploitation and extreme poverty.

iSPiiCE volunteers emphasize education and care initiatives to help integrate street children and child laborers into mainstream society understanding that the key to their development and academic achievement is improved health and a secure environment. Street children volunteers work at various shelter homes and contact points providing care, affection, meals, basic literacy, and a safe environment for the children to learn and recreate. Volunteers can improve the physical and emotional well being of children and bring a smile back to their faces by showing they care.

Extra Curricular Activities:
iSPiiCE run after school groups which are a great way to interact with the children in a less formal setting and a wider range of subjects are taught improving their holistic educational development. Example lessons and activities are reading groups, arts and crafts, dance, drama and sports.

Whatever extra-curricular activity you may do with such as story telling, singing or giving knowledge about your own culture, it involves talking in English and provides practice for the students. Most of the children are at a basic level and require to learn more about things in their daily life , such as parts of the body or describing the weather or for more advanced students they require extra practice to improve their English language conversational skills.