Sankalp Volunteer Society

Voluntourism at its worst. None of the money paid is invested into the projects, as volunteers we had to buy our own supplies for the children and none of the volunteer work is sustainable. I volunteered in the government orphanage, conditions were dire and I witnessed serious abuse towards the children which was very distressing. There is no emotional support to prepare you for this. It’s not an appropriate environment for short-term volunteers and there is no opportunity to make any sustainavle positive change, I would argue having volunteers go in, build attachments and then leave after a few weeks or months is causing more long term emotional damage to the already vulnerable children than good. There were also no background checks for volunteers, many had no experience with children let alone vulnerable, traumatised and disabled children and no police checks are carried out to ensure volunteers are fit to work with children. There was no safeguarding in place for the children, no training for volunteers or understanding of issues such as attachment disorders which can arise from having a constant stream of volunteers come in, build bonds and then leave. Anita and Pranay meanwhile are driving around in a Mercedes and making money from volunteers whilst investing none of this into long term change. Even years later I feel incredible guilt that I was a part of this project and for the effects having a western person come in, build bonds and then disappear may have had on those children attachment, anger that Al it’s none of the money was invested into the project as well as suffering long term psychological effects from the abuse and horror that I witnessed inflicted on children at the orphanage. Canes routinely being used on 18-month old toddlers, disabled children being mishandled, having food and drink poured down their throats as they coughed and spluttered choking, disabled children with bedsores from being neglected and never having their position changed, children being hosed down in freezing cold water, the children all locked in bedrooms overnight, children being encouraged to bully each other by the staff. It was genuinely awful to witness and still haunts me. This is not a charity, it is a business which makes Pranay and Anita money whilst allowing western volunteers to feel good about themselves whilst making no long term or positive difference to the lives of the vulnerable children being exploited without thought. Projects like this which do not have a long term positive impact should be shut down.

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I've read about many volunteer programs featured in my university newsletters and they all sounded amazing. However, after spending quite a bit of time researching. I decided that Sankalp Volunteer suited me best in terms of my budget, program dates and location. I was a little bit nervous travelling to India on my own so the Summer Program sounded perfect! I did the street kids teaching program and I would highly recommend it if you're great with kids. If I had stayed for longer I think I would have asked to try the women's empowerment program, as we were told by previous volunteers that it was a very rewarding experience. it was a wonderful experience and we had a very informative briefing session upon our arrival. I would definitely recommend Sankalp Volunteer for the comforts, the location, the work itself and most importantly, the selfless people behind it all - Pranay and Amita, thank you for an incredible three weeks. I will never forget my first trip to India.

I was in Jaipur, India with Sankalp Volunteer Society for 3 weeks working in a local orphanage doing the summer program. The summer program consists of 2 weeks of volunteering and 1 week of travel. Most of the volunteer programs are in the morning, so you are able to explore the city in the afternoon with others. The volunteer house itself is in a very convenient place.. just down the street from a grocery store and within a residential area in Jaipur and is very nice! Volunteers had a lot of liberty and freedom to go where we want and explore the city, but with a curfew and being safe, which was awesome because we got to explore India and do things we wanted. Overall, the experience was spectacular, and I was able to see so much of India in a very short time, so this program is very worth it. Pranay and Amita will take care of whatever you need and you will have the most fabulous time! Other than being careful what you eat and drink, I have nothing bad to say because my experience in India was so fabulous because of Sankalp! I strongly recommend this program, youll have so much fun! :)