- Introduction
- Duration
- Location
- Volunteer activities
- Price per person
- Dates 2012 & Booking
- Orientation plan
Download the program information (PDF)
Introduction:
The Indian network for development exchange (IDEX) has been working since year 2002 for promotion of quality volunteer opportunities in India. As our initial venture we have successfully setup and run volunteer programs for young participants from many countries of the world. These programs are presently being run in the states of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Goa.
After setting up the youth programs successfully and receiving increasing number of applications from more “mature” people in the age group of 30 to 65 years, we decided to setup a separate program for this segment that would cater especially to this segment of people. With a successful running of the program since 2006, we intend to start offering the program for interested participants in Goa in addition to the states of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
With our commitment to continuous improvements in the program setup, information and delivery, the “30+ volunteer program” is guaranteed to offer many opportunities of meaningful voluntary work and an unforgettable cultural experience.
Duration:
Keeping in mind the high demand of longer duration stays in the Goa program, a standard of 4 and 8 week programs would be offered in Goa. 1,2,3 or 4 weeks can extend these durations.
The starting 7 days of the program would include relaxing, adventure activities (including trekking) and an Ashram visit, allowing a total of 3 effective weeks of volunteer work.
Location:
The state of Goa is India’s most well-known beach destination. This former Portuguese colony with its many fabulous beaches offers a distinct cultural experience with is on music, food and climate. The IDEX home base in Goa is situated on the Majorda beach in southern Goa. The beach is known for its palm trees and silvery sand and is one of the best yet less explored regions.
Unlike Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan the Grown up program will be offered in the same campus as the young participants.
Volunteer activities:
The activities in the Idex Goa program would be distributed as per the duration of stay of the volunteers. This is because of some types of work requiring a more sustained volunteer presence than the others.
Broadly speaking the work division would look as follows:
Activities possible for participants staying shorter than 8 weeks:
a. Day care centre work with children
b. Special education camps and bridge courses to children of immigrant and slum dwelling families
c. Computer education to the children for a variety of population segments which may include orphanages, groups of local women and adolescent girls.
Please note that exact segment of the population to be targeted at various times of the year would be communicated to you periodically as we finalise our plan for social involvement in the various project areas.
Activities for the participants working for 8 weeks or longer:
Note: 8 week participants can also take up all the activities that are mentioned above for the "4 weekers"
a. Teaching in schools
b. Working in the ASRO HIV home
c. Working in the school for mentally challenged
Note 1: Due to very low interest amongst volunteers in the past, we have discontinued the option of working in the old age home in Margao. The option is however available if a volunteer shows keen interest upon visiting the project. The option is subject to availability on the basis of post-arrival discussions between the volunteer and our program Manager.
Note: In case of inadequate number of 8 week participants, shorter duration participants can also be engaged in these work areas, as per their interest.
Description of certain project activities:
Teaching:
Volunteers’ teaching local students has been one of the most successful interventions of Idex and the most popular activity amongst volunteers. Volunteers participate in educational enhancement for students of local communities specifically in the areas of English, Math and enhancing creativity. In order to promote participation of more and more volunteers in this activity, we provide detailed workbooks and guidelines for teaching. This is done to ensure that those participants that have no formal education or practical experience in teaching can also carry out this activity comfortably with the help of aid provided by us.
The volunteer activities in the field include:
1. Regularly teaching children English and Mathematics in the schools.
2. Teaching children of migrant communities and child labours.
3. Conducting bridge courses for school drop-outs or slower learning children
4. Creating a playful environment and enhance the creativity of the children through painting, playing games, singing etc.
5. Working with local teachers in creating low cost teaching material and to train them in making education more fun for the children.
6. Ensuring regular health check ups of the children in each school through cooperating with the local doctors and hospital staff.
7. Creating basic hygiene awareness amongst children on a regular basis
Child Care related:
In addition to our attention to schools, early childhood care and education is an area of critical need in rural areas.
It is important to inform the participants that a childcare centre is a facility that established over a certain population for ensuring healthy growth and stimulation of children in rural areas. At such centre health monitoring, improvement of motor skills, nutritional supplements, vaccination etc. are provided for children from poor or uneducated families.
Drawing upon our experience we have also taken up the responsibility of maintenance and care of local childcare centres. Also called “Anganwari“, these centres carry out holistic childcare in the area. In line with the expected activities of such institutions, the volunteer activities include:
1. Ensuring maximum attendance by the children of the area to these centres through awareness building in the community.
2. Personal attention and care to the children coming to the centre everyday.
3. Assistance to the local worker for record maintenance for each child based on health, vaccination, growth and nutritional condition.
4. Making and feeding the children a specially prepared nutritious meal everyday with the help of a local worker.
5. Continuous survey of all pregnant women and newborn babies in the area for regular health check ups and vaccination.
6. Creating a colourful and enjoyable environment for the children with games, stories and other creative activities (all material support and training for such activities would be provided by IDEX)
7. Developing the motor skills of the little children by making them use their body parts in various games etc
ASRO-Shelter for HIV/AIDS affected patients
ASRO is a Community Care and Support Centre (CCSC), for People living with HIV/AIDS. As transitional Shelter for AIDS patients, ASRO acts as a bridge between health care institutions and patients’ families to create awareness in the community.
Volunteer intervention (limited placements, for longer term volunteers only) is required and very welcomed at the institution to help in care for the patients who have often been left out of the social circle due to their condition. The volunteer activities would include:
1. Everyday care for the patients and assisting nurses in the centre
2. Helping the resident children with homework and providing them general care.
3. Maintenance of the facilities for the patients.
4. To improve and look and feel of the centre through decorations etc.
5. To take up small-scale awareness building bout HIV/AIDS through community visits.
School for Mentally challenged children, Madgaon:
Since April 2006, a new activity has been added to the Goa project, which involves work of the volunteers in the special school for mentally challenged children. Volunteers’ intervention is required for general help, care and special attention to each of the approximately 40-odd students enrolled in the school.
IDEX plans to support the school with material support and full time engagement of volunteers during the Goa program in 2011. The volunteer activity in this institution would include:
- Teaching children based on instruction and advice of local teachers
- Helping the students in completing study assignments.
- Organising education and fun activities for the children
- Visiting students’ homes for sensitization of the family towards their children with special needs.
“Full” and “Basic” versions:
The Goa 30+ program is being offered in 2 different options. The first option (named as “Full” option) will start in Mumbai, with one week spent in Mumbai and Lonavla, and includes adventure/trekking and yoga/meditation in the beginning of the program. This option will also end in Mumbai. The 2nd option (named as “Basic” option) will start with arrival in Goa and will require participants to arrive at the Goa international airport (airport code: GOI) and depart from there at the end of the program.
For the sake of operational ease, the starting and ending dates of both the programs will be the same, even though the airport arrivals and departure is will be different.
Program Price:
"Full" service option:
EUR 1.651,- per person for the 4 week program.
EUR 2.530,- per person for 8 week program
(Please note that service tax of 4.94% is included in the above prices. Prices may slightly change due to the service tax component, which would be announced in March 2012.)
Price includes:
1. Pickup at the Bombay airport and one night on arrival and before departure.
2. All transfers by dedicated or public transport required by the program including:
- For orientation program
- All excursions/special activities included in the program.
- Local transport at project locations.
- Airport and train station transfers on arrival and departure.
3. Train or bus journeys at the start and the end of the program.
4. Orientation and special lectures at the Idex Goa camp for 2 days including a “Bollywood” film show and talks on various subjects of relevance to volunteers.
5. A 2-day course at an “Ashram” for learning yoga and meditation.
Note 1: It is also possible for participants to enrol in spiritual lectures and natural relaxation practices from the ancient Indian culture, if they so choose. This is subject to availability and is optional on the program. (This treatment is on chargeable basis).
Note 2: For these 2 days accommodation will be in hotel in the town of Lonavla. No accommodation facility is possible in the Ashram complex, due to needs of a majority of participants to either smoke, consume alcohol or prefer non-vegetarian food.
6. A 2-day adventure program including trekking through an unexplored area, climbing hills and rocks. This adventure program would also include one or more night’s stay in an Indian village.
Note 1: The adventure program will not be a continuous trek but would include a mix of hiking, visiting villages en route and practicing of adventure techniques like rappelling, valley crossing etc.
Note 2: It is advisable for participants to bring their own sleeping bags for the Goa program, as has been expressed as a necessity by some of our volunteers, expressing their suspicion about hygiene. Idex would however, provide clean sleeping bags to participants as a part of the adventure trek.
7. Accommodation at the IDEX accommodation facility in Goa with maximum 2 participants per room.
8. Transport between the accommodation and projects during the working days.
9. All meals during the working days, orientation days (Please refer to the sample schedule for an exact meal plan)
10. Dedicated on-site assistance of an English-speaking translator and helper for the first four weeks of the program (including the days of orientation program).
Note: In case of availability of a local English-speaking person at the project site (like teacher or doctor), the same may be engaged instead of an in-house translator from IDEX.
11. All material required for various activities during the volunteer work like colour pens, paper, sports equipment etc.
12. Assistance in setting up local support for the volunteers’ activities in coordination with the local NGOs
13. Extensive pre-departure information, port-arrival printed material, regular training and support by IDEX for preparing the volunteers for their experience.
Program Extension for "Full" Program:
Enhancing flexibility in the program offer participants can extend the Goa program for 1,2,3 or 4 weeks. During the extension they continue to work at their work locations and would have the possibility to enjoy proximity to the beautiful beaches of Goa and take up independent travel excursions during the weekend.
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(Please note that a recently added service tax of 4.9% is included in the above prices. Prices may slightly change due to the service tax component, which would be announced in March of the next year.)
(Please note that there may not be an accompanying Idex representative for people choosing any extension length, except for those choosing 4 weeks, on the journey back to Mumbai. It would, however, be ensured that the participants are booked in safe and comfortable air-conditioned class train and arrangements for all transfers and accommodation in Mumbai would be made)
The extension price includes:
1. Bus or train journeys at the end of the extension from Goa to Mumbai. (The participant is likely to do this overnight journey alone, unless accompanied by another participant returning on the same day)
2. Specially arranged transfer upon completion of program to train station and assistance at the train.
3. Airport transfers on departure, if required by participant.
4. Continued accommodation at the IDEX accommodation facility in Goa with maximum 2 participants per room for the duration of the extension.
5. Assistance and transfer from Mumbai train station to hotel for last night’s stay.
6. Dedicated transport during the working days for local use during the extension.
7. All meals during the volunteers’ presence at the Idex camp.
8. On-site assistance by English speaking translator on need basis.
Additional Booking Option:
"Full" service option with accommodation in single room :
Please note, that all other conditions of the program remain unchanged. For accommodation in a single room below additional costs apply:
Additional EUR 458,- per person for the 4 week program.
Additional EUR 768,- per person for the 8 week program.
Additional cost for extension:
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Program Price:
“Basic” service option:
EUR 781,- per person for the 2 week program
EUR 1.216,- per person for the 4 week program
EUR 2.098,- per person for 8 week program
(Please note that service tax of 4.94% is included in the above prices. Prices may slightly change due to the service tax component, which would be announced in March 2012.)
Price includes:
1. Pickup at the Goa airport at the beginning of the program.
2. All transfers by dedicated or public transport required by the program including
- For orientation program.
- Local transport at project locations.
- Airport and train station transfers on arrival and departure.
3. Orientation at the Idex Goa camp for 2 days including talks on various subjects of relevance to volunteers.
4. Accommodation at the IDEX accommodation facility in Goa with maximum 2 participants per room.
5. Transport during the working days for local use throughout the program.
6. All meals during the working days, orientation days (Please refer to the sample schedule for an exact meal plan)
7. Dedicated on-site assistance of an English speaking translator and helper for the first four weeks of the program (including the days of orientation program).
Note: In case of availability of a local English-speaking person at the project site (like teacher or doctor), the same may be engaged instead of an in-house translator from IDEX.
8. All material required for various activities during the volunteer work like color pens, paper, sports equipment etc.
9. Assistance in setting up local support for the volunteers’ activities in coordination with the local NGOs
10. Extensive pre-departure information, port-arrival printed material, regular training and support by IDEX for preparing the volunteers for their experience.
Program Extension for “Basic” Program:
Enhancing flexibility in the program offer participants can extend the Goa program for 1,2,3 or 4 weeks. During the extension they continue to work at their work locations and would have the possibility to enjoy proximity to the beautiful beaches of Goa and take up independent travel excursions during the weekend.
| 1 week | 2 weeks | 3 weeks | 4 weeks |
| EUR 220,- | EUR 440,- | EUR 660,- | EUR 880,- |
(Please note that a recently added service tax of 4.9% is included in the above prices. Prices may slightly change due to the service tax component, which would be announced in March 2012.)
The extension price includes:
1. Continued accommodation at the IDEX accommodation facility in Goa with 4 participants per room.
2. Dedicated transport during the working days for local use during the extension.
3. All meals during the volunteers’ presence at the Idex camp.
4. Continued local support for the volunteers’ activities in coordination with the local NGOs.
Addtional Booking Option :
"Basic" service option with accommodation in single room :
Please note, that all other conditions of the program remain unchanged. For accommodation in a single room below additional costs apply:
Additional EUR 149,- per person for the 2 week program.
Additional EUR 299,- per person for the 4 week program.
Additional EUR 599,- per person for the 8 week program.
Additional cost for extension:
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Satellite accommodation possibility:
Partners should be duly informed that due to certain seasonal cycles, participants may be accommodated in “ satellite housing” in case of certain programmes. It is similar to the system of multiple housing units used in the Himalaya by Idex since 2005.
This essentially means that some of the participants may be accommodated in the “main camp” which would be the main base with the dining facility, the lounge area, Internet access etc and will be the main meeting point ad centre of activity for the program. However, some of the participants will be accommodated for their program in alternative accommodation facilities close to the “main camp”. Depending on the provisions of the program, transportation between the satellite accommodation and the main camp may or may not be provided. Please check with IDEX for exact details as per the program.
Kindly note that the satellite accommodation is only meant to be a sleeping place and the participants will be able to avail all the facilities of the camp similarly as any other volunteer. The allocation of housing is done on a non-preferential, first come first serve basis. The standard of housing offered will be the same at each unit.
Dates & Booking:
Arrival and Departure Policy:
Pickup policy and procedure on arrival:
1. The pickup is made available for a window of 24 hours from 10 AM on the starting date of the program ( counted as Day 1) until 10 AM on the next day ( day 2) .
2. The time of arrival of a participant is calculated by the scheduled arrival time of the flight on which the person is arriving. This is the policy that we implement and works well irrespective of how much time it takes a participant to come out of the airport to meet our representative. For the sake of clarity and consistency Idex will note the scheduled time of arrival of the flight ( not considering , early or delayed arrivals) for assessing if the participant can be picked up within the program services or not.
3. Participants arriving by flights that are outside the included period have to either get their own transport to the hotel, or will have to book additional transfers with Idex to be picked up on extra charges.
4. Please be advised that Idex will not be able to pick up participants that arrive outside the “included” hours and then wish to wait at the airport in order to be picked up. Airports in India can be pretty large and somewhat hard to find people in, once they have come out of the single exit of the airport. We have had a number of experiences, when participants waiting to be picked up after having arrived earlier are unable to find our pickup personnel, leading to frantic calling and eventually complaints.
5. Please ensure to advise all your participants, to look out for the sign board in the name of “ Idex” , instead of their personal names, unless specified.
Airport drop policy and procedure on departure:
a. Participants for all the programs, must book their flights from 8 PM on the last day of the program in all the programs. This is being advised on the general time of arrival of the trains in Delhi/ Mumbai and the very possible delays in train services.
b. Please remember that hotel accommodation for the last night of the program (for example night of day 28 for a 4 week program or night of day 35 on a 5 week program ) in Delhi/Mumbai is included in the price of the program.
c. Airport drop facility will be provided to participants until 10 AM on the day after the last night of the program. Participants requiring to reach the airport after this period will need to make own arrangement.
d. Exception to this rule are participants for the Rajasthan programs. The participants on this program should book their journey after spending the last night in Delhi. The reason for this the late arrival of Rajasthan program participants in Delhi ( around 2100 hrs or 9 PM on the last day).
Day to day plan for "Full" Program (4 week, indicative plan only, some details may change):
Day 1 (Monday) - Arrival in India at Mumbai airport.
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Day 2 (Tuesday) - Departure to Lonavla
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Day 3 (Wednesday) - Trek
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Day 4 (Thursday) - Lonavla
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Day 5 (Friday) - Lonavla
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Day 6 (Saturday) - Goa
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Day 7 (Sunday) - Goa
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Day 8 (Monday) - Goa
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Day 9 (Tuesday) - Goa
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Day 10 (Wednesday) to Day 26 (Friday) - Goa
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Day 27 (Saturday) - Day bus journey or overnight at train
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Day 28 (Sunday) - Mumbai / Camp
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Day to day plan for “Basic” Program (4 week, indicative plan only, some details may change.)
Day 1 (Monday) - Goa
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Day 2 (Tuesday) - Goa
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Day 3 (Wednesday) - Goa
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Day 4 (Thursday) to Day 27 (Saturday) - Goa
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Day 28 (Sunday) - Departure
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