Women Empowerment Projects In India

Project At A Glance

Location: Delhi / Alwar (close to Jaipur) Start point: Delhi End Point: Delhi Duration: 2-12 weeks Hours: 30-40 hours per week Food: Local food (3 times a day) Room: Host family or hostel Date: First and Third Monday of each month

Project Summary

Poverty, social division and superstitious beliefs victimize thousands of women and young girls in India. Most of these women are from poor families. There are also some divorced women, mostly uneducated and a few young girls who have been cast aside. These women and young girls have been rehabilitated by various social organizations in areas surrounding Delhi and Alwar (close to Jaipur) – yet currently live like orphans in these organizations' homes. The homes offer protection and the programs provide guidance and hope as these women are re-introduced into life’s mainstream. IFRE’s Women Empowerment project helps with both formal and informal education (“street smarts”) as well as skills to earn a living by manufacturing crafts, producing various works of art and arranging for their sale.

Skills/Qualifications Needed

There are no specific educational experiences, skills or qualifications needed to join IFRE’s women's support project in India. However, volunteers are expected to be flexible and patient. Volunteers should have a passion and love to share with these poor and exploited women and young girls. Creativity is highly valued in our volunteers so that you can provide inspiration and guidance to these women and girls!

Volunteer Responsibilities

The women's empowerment projects in India aim to help destitute women's groups (comprised of both young girls and adult women). Our project helps them rebuild their self esteem in hopes of leading a productive life with their heads held high and happiness in their heart. Volunteers contribute to a variety of activities, ranging from teaching English to skill development training for young girls and adult women. For the young girls, a volunteer will teach English organize creative extra-curricular activities (singing, dancing, art and playing). For the adult women, a volunteer will teach English and help in skill-development (such as stitching and tailoring – skills that will later help these women in their quest to be self-sustainable). Volunteers' help is also expected in creating various publications, writing proposals for funding and report writing.

Note: Unlike schools or orphanages, the women's project in India does not have any fixed schedule or set program. Project activities/schedules change very frequently, so volunteers are required to be highly flexible and patient.

Room/Food/Supervision

IFRE manages living accommodations, provides meals and supervision for volunteers for the entirety of their stay in India. During the volunteer period, most volunteers stay in our safe and secure home base, project hostel or host families. Our office and home base is located in Gurgaon, a beautiful city 40 miles a way of Delhi international airport. This location is very safe and manned with onsite security. It is a clean, sparsely furnished apartment but will meet all your needs as an IFRE volunteers. It is close to the local bus station. Info on amenities close by and transportation to nearby city, etc. internet café, restaurant and supermarket, local police station. This is the ideal arrangement for sharing your daily experiences with fellow volunteers and local staff. Home base bedrooms have multiple beds, so volunteers will usually share a room (same gender). Our in-country coordinator also lives at our home base to assist our volunteers 24/7.

Dependent on the season and flow of volunteers, you may be placed with a local host family or project hostel (mostly in orphanage). Our host families are socially respected and are experienced with hosting international volunteers. They have strong interest in our volunteers’ safety and well being and demonstrate this with caution and care. In most host family situations, volunteers will share a room with another volunteer of the same gender. Another viable option is an at-orphanage stay. Many orphanages in India have set aside special rooms to house international volunteers.

IFRE arranges room, food and supervision for volunteers throughout the program. All of IFRE’s cooks prepare a variety of delicious Indian food (naan, dahl and chapatti breads, curries, rice and pickles/chutneys). Details covering the arrangements for room/food are outlined in the prepared placement details. Volunteers will also have 24/7 access to IFRE's office as well as the mobile numbers of in-country coordinators. In addition, the director of the orphanage will serve as a local contact person for volunteers. IFRE's staff also visits each volunteer every 1-2 weeks as part of our program.