English teacher in a Buddhist Monastery and more Adventures
When Elpidio from USA first learned about Iko Poran during a stay in South America, he signed up to volunteer as English teacher in a Buddhist Monastery in Kathmandu. But the uplifting experience with the young monks was just the beginning of more exciting travel adventures and volunteer experiences!
I was in South America December 2017 when I learned about Iko Poran. At first, I wanted to volunteer near where I was, considering that Iko Poran was Brazil-based. However, circumstances needed me to be in the Philippines in February. Fortunately, Iko Poran also had volunteering opportunities in Asia and after considering my options, I decided to volunteer as English teacher in a Buddhist monastery in Kathmandu. I registered for two weeks but ended up extending it to three weeks – March 17 to April 9, 2018. The experience was uplifting. It was my first time to work with children and it gave me optimism that the world continues to be more interconnected. While teaching, I met co-volunteers who opened my eyes to many more adventures which led me to visit Auroville, India and Bangkok, Thailand before resuming my original plan to immerse myself in Spanish-speaking countries. Now I am in Sevilla, Spain and I am looking forward to a next volunteering opportunity. I am confident working with Iko Poran will yield another outstanding outcome. – Elpidio (63), United States
Iko Poran Women’s Empowerment Project India – AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
I highly recommend Iko Poran’s Women’s Empowerment project in India! Every level of it was perfectly organized from the first email with owner Felipe to my conclusion! India can be a crazy, chaotic place, but I always felt completely safe. The on-site NGO program directors are in constant communications with you ensuring you have everything you need and they allow you to bring your best skills to empowering the women in Deep Public School. I started teaching English but I ordered a couple of sewing machines from Amazon India, which they’d never seen, they LOVED it — so we switched to sewing every day so they can sell their products.
I lived with an amazing host family, they completely adopted me making me part of the family! Stay with host family if you can, you will be completely assimilated into India much quicker. I’m a married 58 year old woman and this experience completely transformed my LIFE! The women of India need YOU, don’t wait another minute—sign up NOW!! – Claire Herbert, USA
How can this program be improved?
None!
Would you recommend this program?
Yes, I would
Want to be a volunteer in India?
Find here all of our highly affordable volunteer programs in India, and how to proceed with your application.
Interview with Claire: Women Empowerment in Jaipur
Claire came with Iko Poran to Jaipur, to work with a women empowerment project. She felt, she could offer something special for women who are illiterate and who have almost no opportunity to do something outside home. When Claire left the USA, she had something special in mind. She had already sent a few sewing machines to Jaipur, and would see, if the women would like to learn sewing. During the project, Claire showed them how to make sanitary pads. But there is so much more to such a project. When Claire realized, her host family treated here like their own daughter, she felt so happy. As she, says, they called her their “Queen”. Listen to Claire’s interview and get some inspiration for your own projects!
Interview with Claire Herbert, about here experience in Jaipur:
Claire, can you tell me, why did you come to India?
Claire: I came to India, because I thought it was a country that had the most of what I could offer. It was so much equity to India, I never traveled this far and I have never been to India before. But when I looked in to the program, and I read the description, and I was send the powerpoint, I got a full view of what I was seeing here. And I realized, this was exactly, what I wanted to do. If I had done an orphanate job, or something else, it would have been anywhere as meaningful.
What project did you choose, and what have you done during your project?
My project was the Women Empowerment project at the public school in Jaipur. That women empowerment project is designed to help women who have nothing, illiterate, and have no opportunity going outside of their home. So bring them here, teach them what it is, they want to learn. We started with just English, but as we got a couple of sewing machines here, that I had sent here, we changed our plan, and I was started, doing an hour of… or two hours of English each day, but we switched it to one hours of English and one hours of sewing. Once they learned sewing, they wanted to do sewing all the time. (laughs) But I still kept English for just a few of them, that really could use the English as well.
How has been your experience with them?
Boy, my experience with the group is probably beyond what I could have been expected. I think, it’s not just coming to the project every day to work, but staying with the host family was key for me. Uhm, I had the ability to stay with a host family tha basically adopted me, and made me a member of the family. The accommodated every request, they also said, I was the queen of the family.
My last question, Claire, please can you tell me three ways to describe, the India, that you’ve seeing here?
The India that is here, or…
…that you have seen…
That I have seen? Just chaos, is one. But I would say, quite beauty, another, that’s just two words, but that’s too bad. Because there is beauty in every heart and in every corner, but there is just só much to discover. I think, also, embracing the culture, and expected it to be chaotic, there is so much beauty around.
A week of Cultural Activities in India for our Volunteers in Jaipur
During the first week of your stay as a volunteer in India, we have included cultural activities and incredible trips in Jaipur for you. Since we want to introduce you to the Indian culture, we offer Hindi classes, Yoga classes, a dance workshop and more. You will even learn to bake chapati.
Heena Tattoo Workshop
Odette Crisp from Australia took part in the cooking workshop, learned Indian dances and even made chapati for an elephant.
You will learn about religion as well, experience Holi and Diwali celebrations, and even draw Mandalas! With this short introduction to India and the “Pink City”, as Jaipur referred to, we believe, you are ready to go ahead with your volunteer project.
Have a look at some of the recent volunteer experiences in India
Iko Poran Women’s Empowerment Project India – AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
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Interview with Claire: Women Empowerment in Jaipur
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Claire starts her Women Empowerment Project in India
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Find out more about volunteering in India
Visit our page with the volunteer projects in India, read about experiences of our volunteers and choose your project.
Claire starts her Women Empowerment Project in India
Claire Herbert is starting her Women Empowerment project in Jaipur. She has already made her observation visit to the school where the women empowerment project runs. Find here some of the pictures from her arrival, traditional welcome and project.
Claire's first day
Claire is Donating Sewing Machines for the Project
She donated sewing machines to the project and will be teaching English and stitching to the women. Within stitching she will be passing her skills of making sanitary pads-a very common hygiene issue here in India as poor women can’t afford them.
Odette’s Experience with the Women Empowerment Project
Odette Crisp, from Australia, traveled to India, and worked as a volunteer on women empowerment in Jaipur with IKPVA. In this interview she tells us, how she had the idea to do something different, apart from tourist travel as usual. Before departure, she shaved her hair to raise funds for the women and the children who were her beneficiaries. When she arrived in India and met the women, she found out pretty soon, that what they wonted most, was to learn English. She ended up falling in love with India and had an amazing experience with the women in Jaipur.
Feel inspired to volunteer in India?
Visit our page with the full program information about volunteer work in India, and proceed with your application.
Women Empowerment in Jaipur – Interview with Odette Crisp
Odette Crisp, from Australia, traveled to India, and worked as a volunteer on women empowerment in Jaipur with IKPVA. In this interview she tells us, how she had the idea to do something different, apart from tourist travel as usual. Before departure, she shaved her hair to raise funds for the women and the children who were her beneficiaries. When she arrived in India and met the women, she found out pretty soon, that what they wonted most, was to learn English. She ended up falling in love with India and had an amazing experience with the women in Jaipur.
Interview with Odette Crisp
Why did you choose to come here to Jaipur India?
Odi: Originally I wanted to come to India to do a Yoga course, and I decided if I was gonna come to somewhat which is só different, from Australia to travel like a typical Westener and get involved with something that I’ve never really done before, like doing something meaningful with my life. And like helping people, and being envolved in community … and experiencing something you never had is really important. Spirit….
Odi, you have been here for two weeks already. How would you describe your experience here in India?
Odi: It is here, at first it was like such a (laughing) a culture shock and I wasn’t very well adjusted about things, like a baby. But it has been like the most amazing life changing experience.
Which project did you choos from Iko Porann?
I chose the women empowerment project.
How was it?
Amazing. Like, the women and girls have been supportive, and attentive, loving and nice…
Here are some of the women… What were you teaching to them?
At first, it was Art, but then, all they wanted to know was English. Yeah.
So, can you please share, what level of English you taught and, overall, what you found out about the background of the women?
Odi: So, I think, the most important thing is to engage and find, what different levels of skills, before you kind of start teaching across – there are some women, who are illiterate – tasks and things and challenges, like to fit to everyone’s level.
Tell me three words that would describe India that you’r experiencing here?
Chaotic, amazing and beautiful.
Feel inspired to volunteer on Women Empowerment in Jaipur?
Visit our page with the full information about volunteering in Jaipur, India and proceed with your application.
Read also about Claire’s beautiful experience with women empowerment in India:
Iko Poran Women’s Empowerment Project India – AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
Read More
Interview with Claire: Women Empowerment in Jaipur
Read More
A week of Cultural Activities in India for our Volunteers in Jaipur
Read More
Odette Crisp volunteering on Women Empowerment in India
Odette Crisp, volunteer from Australia, working hard in two projects in India: Women Empowerment and Teaching Kids.
Way to go Odette!!
Women Empowerment in Jaipur
As a volunteer on women empowerment, you will work in one of the local NGOs operating in the urban, semi-urban & rural areas of Jaipur. There, you will be working as a volunteer in the fields of awareness, counseling and empowerment of women.
Women Empowerment in India: Sustainable Development Perspectives
All the projects provide sustainable development opportunities to girls and women – mothers, grandmothers and daughters – through education and motivation. There are regular rallies and marches to help raise awareness among women about their rights & justice. Seminars are organized to raise voices against domestic violence, eve-teasing (cat-calling) & harassment. Counseling surveys can be done to serve the purpose of the programs. There are regular classes to educate these women to make them self-independent. In India most of the women bear violence and harassment because of dependence on their husbands and fear for their families. So becoming self-dependent is the first step to stop all violence and harassment.
Teaching English in India
Odette Teaching English
You will be teaching English at a CSR (Community school) in Jaipur, situated in the southern part of the city. Since the school is catering to children from an economically weak & marginalized area, quality English teaching with all other required amenities provided are a great advance for the young students. Our in country partners have supported the school with all the furniture, infrastructure & teaching materials like boards etc. There are around 54 students who are studying in 1st to 5th grades. As a volunteer you will teach the students the necessary things that will help them in developing their interpersonal skills. You will also help the local staff in daily operations of the school. The top-most requirement of the project is to develop the overall personality of the students by encouraging extracurricular activities, art & craft, group discussions, teaching & communication.
Volunteer Opportunities in India
Find out more about volunteer work in India.
Teaching Young Monks in Nepal – Fernando Castillo
Fernando del Castillo, from Spain, teaching young monks in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. Great work Fernando, thank you very much!!
Buddhist monastery
You will be teaching at Buddhist monastery, located at Aarubari, Jorpati, Kathmandu. The athmosphere is very welcoming, and the young monks are highly motivated to learn English. While staying at the monastery with the monks, you will learn also about the Buddhist philosophy of peace and compassion.
Lammert Lettinga about his teaching experience at the monastery:
Teaching English to the child/junior monks at the Monastery has been an interesting, inspiring and educational experience for me. I only hope my pupils experienced it the same way. The atmosphere in the monastery was very welcoming, peaceful and enjoyable and so were the people in it. – Lammert Lettinga
English speaking skills will improve the professional opportunities
While learning English with you, the young monks will improve their English skills. For them, fluency in English will help bringing forward a brighter professional future. academic and professional opportunities.
Teaching English at a local school in Jarshing Pauwa, Kathmandu!
You may also choose to teach English at a local school, also close to Kathmandu. Your presence will open hearts and minds to life outside of a small village where ideas of life beyond their small corner of the world are seldom generated. Teaching the students and inspiring the teachers with new methods will leave your legacy in place.
Antonia Bozzolo: Amazing Teaching Experience
Antonia Bozzolo
I spend a month teaching in a school in Kathmandu Nepal.
It is an amazing experience, especially if you want to put your teaching skills on the line.
I have learned not only that I love what I do, but also gained confidence and good experience.
You also get to understand a different culture and meet amazing people! – Antonia Bozzolo, Las Condes
Volunteer Work in Nepal
Find out more about volunteer work in Nepal and how to apply.
Teaching in Kathmandu – Amazing Experience!
I spend a month teaching in a school in Kathmandu Nepal.
It is an amazing experience, especially if you want to put your teaching skills on the line.
I have learned not only that I love what I do, but also gained confidence and good experience.
You also get to understand a different culture and meet amazing people! – Antonia Bozzolo, Las Condes
Volunteer teaching in Kathmandu, Nepal
This is a great opportunity for volunteers who want to gain teaching experience while improving learning environments in rural areas of Nepal.
Your presence will open hearts and minds to life outside of a small village where ideas of life beyond their small corner of the world are seldom generated. Teaching the students and inspiring the teachers with new methods will leave your legacy in place.
Teaching English in a monastery in Kathmandu: an experience to remember!
Teaching English to the child/junior monks at the Monastery has been an interesting, inspiring and educational experience for me. I only hope my pupils experienced it the same way. The atmosphere in the monastery was very welcoming, peaceful and enjoyable and so were the people in it. At times, it was challenging to keep the kids in line by using only positive feedback and enthusiasm (because they see and undergo enough violence in their lives) but I think me and other volunteers have found a nice balance to make lessons entertaining, engaging as well as educational. It has been very rewarding to see how much progress they’ve made in the three weeks I got to teach them.
Lammert with one of his English Students, a young monk at the monastery
How can this program be improved?
By insuring that when volunteers are finished with the program, it is well-documented what progress they made and at what level the kids are at in their English proficiency. It took me quite some time to figure out what kind of lessons would be at the right level for the kids. – Lammert Lettinga
Feel inspired to go for a volunteer trip to Nepal?
Find here all the opportunities for volunteer work in Nepal.
Read about more volunteer experiences in Nepal:
English teacher in a Buddhist Monastery and more Adventures
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Teaching Young Monks in Nepal – Fernando Castillo
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Teaching in Kathmandu – Amazing Experience!
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