Following is another testimonial written by long-term volunteers (LTV) Diana and Lisa who are volunteering at St. Albans, a day care center for special children, located in Parangipettai, Tamil Nadu. They have been volunteering there since August 2013 and will continue to do so until June 2014. “Today is the 1st January, so we both wish you a Happy New Year. “We both” means Diana and Lisa. We are volunteers from Germany and work in a…
Simona Skandro, a long-term volunteer (LTV) from Germany has been volunteering at Aruloli Home for Girls, an orphanage in the Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu. She has been volunteering since September 2013, and will be completing her term in July 2014. Following is an account of her time spent so far. “After finishing my school in Germany I decided to go abroad, far away. India sounded interesting to me whenever I heard of it. And I…
From the 3rd of March to the 8th of March, our office in Kundapura hosted an orientation for a new batch of long-term volunteers (LTV). Hailing from Italy and France were four volunteers whose orientation was facilitated by seven FSL-India staff members. Prior to beginning work at the projects, volunteers attend a week long orientation upon arriving in India in order to understand their projects, roles and responsibilities as a volunteer, the Indian ways…
Another batch of long-term volunteers (LTV) came together in Bangalore for their monthly get-together (GTG). GTGs are a chance for volunteers and their coordinators to meet, exchange their experiences, have fun and relax. Attending the GTG were six FSL-India staff members and 11 international volunteers. The GTG took place on the 13th and 14th of February, and volunteers took part in several different activities such as team-work and personal development activities. They…
From the 3rd of February to the 7th of February, our main office in Bangalore hosted its monthly orientation week for newly arrived long-term volunteers (LTV). In total, 11 of our staff members and six international volunteers from Sweden, France, Russia, the Netherlands and Germany, took part of this orientation. The week long orientation takes place to help integrate volunteers into India and their projects. They are given important information on various different topics such as…
February month’s long-term volunteers get-together (GTG) took place at Kodachadri Hills, in the Shimoga district of Karnataka. Facilitating the GTG were five staff members of our Kundapura office. Attending were 11 international volunteers, hailing from five different countries. Included in the various activities planned was hiking to Kodachadri peak, watching the sunset, discussions and energizers. During GTGs, volunteers also get a chance to have one-on-one discussions with their coordinators which is…
Antonia Hauser, one of our long-term volunteers from Germany, volunteered for four months at the Paramedical Educational Trust in Tamil Nadu. The organisation believes in “Health for the Rural Mass in India.” Antonia conducted awareness programmes for community members on the topics of health and hygiene and taught school children English and environmental studies. Following is her reflection of her stay in India. “When I planned my trip to India, I was talking to…
Every year, the long-term volunteering team at FSL-India hosts its annual Host Family and Contact Person Workshops across South India. This year, the workshops took place seven zones; Hunsur, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Chennai, Kundapur, Mulky and Sirsi during the month of January. Joining the FSL-India team were two external trainers who facilitated the following objectives of the workshops by means of experiential learning. A total of 177 participants benefited from these workshops. The objectives of…
January month’s long-term volunteer’s get-together (GTG) took place on the 16th and 17th at the beautiful Kawari Palm Grove Resort in Murudeshwar, North Canara District. Five members of our Kundapur staff team facilitated the GTG activities for 15 long-term international volunteers. The activities included introductions, energisers, experience sharing, a Q & A period and team-building games. In sharing experiences, volunteers spoke about their challenges living in host families, culture shock and learning…
During the month of January 2014, two of our work camp team leaders; Sandesh and Vinoth, led an organic farming and environment themed work camp in Pondicherry. Attending this work camp were five volunteers from three different countries; the Netherlands, South Korea and India. The work camp participants collaborated with the Center for Environment and Agricultural Development (CEAD) in a vermicompost activity during which the volunteers learned about vermiflitration, vermiwash…