Physically Handicapped and Mentally Challenged
Children’s Project
These children are rejected by normal society and so volunteers are really needed to help bring joy to the lives of these children and help the NGO to bring some structure to their daily lives and prepare them for adulthood. Work will include supporting the NGO working in the cause and motivation, to help and care in the daily tasks of the community, to maximize learning, to develop self-awareness, to socialize them in human relationships, to increase the knowledge of community resources and civic responsibilities.

Working with disabled people can be quite a challenging task for anyone. The spirit of these people can bring joy to anyone and a lot can be learnt.
The main work will be teaching and supporting the staff in their daily activities for the care of physically and/or mentally disabled children. In the home, being part of the group is essential; help has to be done wherever necessary and so you should be flexible and open to all kinds of work and activities.

Other work activities involve maintenance and gardening work, preparing meals, serve them, cleaning and giving company.

A creative approach to work is useful and you will have the opportunity to initiate new mini projects or activities. You will need to take a flexible approach to the work and you should be prepared to undertake a variety of tasks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rehabilitation Projects
There are many NGO’s working for social inclusion projects where minorities or less fortunate people have been left behind in the race of economic and social reform. FSL India tries to motivate/ support them by placing interested volunteers to help them in their office, field work or also to bring in creative ideas. The work varies from project to project. So, in the application the volunteers must write clearly why they want such a project and also how they can contribute to the project.

There are projects where working children are given vocational training, there are projects where young people are given training in various trades and then there are projects where micro finances are given to minority community and help them to become economically stable.

Then there are projects where computer education is given.
Volunteers can help in many ways; for example there were instances when volunteers have taken photographs of local projects and helped them build a web page. Then volunteers in a vocational training centre helped the project to make their catalogue of all their products.

Volunteers have helped projects by building them good systems of filing and survey data collection. Here creativity plays a major role. And prior experience can help the project as well as the volunteer.

FSL India too helps less fortunate youth from slums or low economic backgrounds by giving them training in camp leading or office work to give them an opportunity to help their own community in the future. For example, slum boys will be recruited and given training in camp leading. After which they will work as camp leaders for a year and then they will go back to their slum and organize work camps in the next year to bring in development to their community.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Old Age Home
FSL India helps many projects by sending volunteers to old age homes to where the elderly are neglected and forgotten by the mainstream society.

Working at an Old Aged home can be quite a challenge work.The work will include interacting with the old people and basic support towards the staff in their daily routine. The volunteers will take part helping in the daily activities, medical care, special programs for physical exercise, and simply giving company to the elderly.

This project is for those who are willing to work with old people and also for those who enjoy this kind of work.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Women Empowerment
Many NGOs and government organizations are increasingly putting women at the centre of their projects and are working out programs and strategies in which they support the socially and economically disadvantaged women of India. Empowering women and educating them on their constitutional rights, making socially abused women aware of the law, like the special women’s cell and a woman’s responsibility in a family and working towards the achievement of social and economical security are working aims in this field.
Since most of the women you are going to work with come from an underprivileged
background, they speak very little English. Be ready to find creative and alternative ways of communication. Please note the work mainly involves working in the office with the NGO and rarely on the field.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slum Development
Indian cities are challenged by urbanization and slums that are present are growing in many places. These areas of the cities are clusters of houses and shacks built illegally, where all basic infrastructures are absent. Water and electricity supply are scarce or nonexistent, hygiene is low and outbreaks of diseases are common. The rate of unemployment is very high.

The aim of the many NGOs working in the slums is to bring up the basic living conditions of the large number of people living in these slums. The volunteers will have the opportunity to join hands with the local NGO to support ongoing projects such as awareness campaigns, literacy programs, educational projects and empowerment of the minorities. A prior experience and/or a good knowledge of the situation are appreciated. Working and living conditions can be hard.