Frequently Asked Questions
◊ What
does Sankalp mean?
◊
Am I eligible to be a Sankalp volunteer in India?
◊
Do I have to be from a certain country to volunteer?
◊
How safe is it to volunteer in India?
◊
When can I start volunteering in India?
◊
What is recommended day for program start?
◊
What is the program duration?
◊
Should I pay for volunteering in India?
◊
Do I need to speak English to become a volunteer?
◊
What are the accommodation arrangements when volunteering?
◊
What kind of transportation is provided?
◊
What do volunteers normally do on off hours?
◊
Should I be single if I am thinking about volunteering
through Sankalp?
◊ Who
organizes my flights?
◊
Do I need travel insurance?
◊
How do I make the reservation for the post of volunteer with
Sankalp?
◊ What about
Hygiene?
◊ What
about medication?
◊
What vaccinations should I consider having prior to arrival?
◊
Can I schedule my own volunteer service for the dates that
interest me?
◊
Will I have access to communication mediums such as e-mail,
telephones etc?
◊
Can I come with a friend or can I be placed near other
volunteers?
◊
What types of clothes are allowed to wear? Should I wear
specific types of clothes?
◊
Where can I obtain a VISA?
◊ Visa
◊ Traveling
◊
Will there be anyone at the airport to receive me?
◊
How we can support Sankalp in other way?
What does Sankalp mean?
The literary meaning of the Hindi word SANKALP in
English is Take a Pledge. A pledge to make with people from
all parts of the world by Sankalp and in turn a promise with
Sankalp by the people to create a unique and different world
by way of turning the entire population harmonious and
helpful to each other through taking parts in the programs
concluded by Sankalp.
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Am I eligible to be a Sankalp volunteer in India?
If you are enthusiastic, and motivated to learn and help
the needy people, especially children and women, you are
perfect and exactly what we are looking for. You do not need
specific skills and past experience. We organize sufficient
in-house orientation programs for all selected volunteers to
enable them to work effectively with target groups.
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Do I have to be from a certain country to volunteer?
We welcome volunteers from all places from the world;
you can come and volunteer with us from any country.
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How safe is
it to volunteer in India?
Overall India is a very peaceful country and people are
very friendly and supportive. We ensure all possible
measures regarding safety and security of the volunteers
while working with us.
When can I
start volunteering in India?
Volunteers can start as per your own suitable time and
date but they should get themselves applied at least 10 days
before they arrive in India.
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What
is recommended day for program start?
The recommended day for program start is Saturday for
Jaipur &
Dharamshala location and given start dates for other
location, please read this section at
Fees and Start Dates
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What is the program
duration?
We provide short terms programs starting from 01 to 16
weeks and long term programs starting from 04 to 12 months;
program could be extending in multiple weeks/months.
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Which is
most popular project destination?
Jaipur and Dharamshala
Should I
pay for volunteering in India?
We try to keep costs as low as possible, a difficult
task in itself. Our volunteering programs are absolutely the
most affordable in India. Volunteers have to pay for their
food and accommodation and all of which is included in the
overall fee. We charge our volunteers a nominal amount for
raising the funds needed to carry out all of our many
projects. The program cost depending heavily upon the
program and the length of stay. Certain programs like summer
program, gap year India expedition and work & travel program
follow a stricter schedule and include a good deal of
traveling, trekking, safaris and other activities. These
programs are thus slightly more expensive, in order for
Sankalp to provide for all travel arrangements and
accommodations. The starting range of programs is 2 weeks,
depending upon the availability of the volunteers. For more
detail please see why volunteers to pay? section.
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Do I need to speak English to become a volunteer?
Yes, it will be helpful if you speak English, but it is
perfectly acceptable if you speak English as your second
language. When you arrive in India you will be placed into
an orientation program that includes an intensive language
course on basic India phrases that you may need while
volunteering.
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What are the accommodation & food arrangements when
volunteering?
We offer comfortable accommodation with easy approach to
project sites for the volunteers in every running project
locations.
Jaipur location - you are provided accommodation in
volunteers home established by the organization with
perfect setup. The volunteer's home is fully residential
with some modern and traditional arrangements. The home is
furnished with TV, DVD, Refrigerator, Music System and other
entertaining gadgets with sufficient vacant space for
celebration and spent leisure time. There is a facility of
3-4 sharing rooms with western toilets. During summer season
the rooms are cooled with AC system. The team serves quality
India food prepared by expert cooks to the volunteers in the
home itself.
Rural Camp; Jaipur - the Rural Camp is the
volunteer's home. It is characterized by its unique
appearance. The camp area is fully residential and
volunteers' dwellings are fully equipped with modern and
traditional arrangements. The clay finished earthen huts,
roof duly thatched with straw and reeds gives a picturesque
view and are very comfortable to live in. The beds are
having a look of the traditional style. These huts stay cool
in summer and remain warm in winters.
Dharamshala, Delhi & Bangalore Location - on
placement, you ought to live with a local Indian family like
a family member. A separate living room on dual or triple
sharing basis with volunteers will be provided. The host
family will serve 3 local area meals (Breakfast, Lunch and
Dinner). The food they prepare and serve to you would be
delicious one with daily changed varieties. You may help the
host in preparing the meal so that you may learn cooking of
various India dishes, which would be liked by your inmates
when you go back and serve them with. You may also cook food
of your own choice. Living with the Indian family will prove
for you the best track of learning the India tradition,
culture and behavior without much cost and efforts.
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What kind
of transportation is provided?
Daily Transportation: You will be picked up from the
place of your residence and drop at work site and pick you
up from work site to place of residence at the set timings
at both ends. Thus you are saved to spend much more amount
and time in arranging transport at your own.
Pickup & Meeting at Airport: On arrival at Delhi
Airport you will meet our representative who will take you
to a hotel for an overnight stay if more than one person
arriving on the same date at different intervals. The
following day the representative will take you from Delhi to
project location by Train/Bus/Car. If no other participant
is arriving on the pickup day, you will directly depart to
project location on the same day. This pickup service is
excluded for the programs having duration upto 3 weeks. But
on request, we can arrange transport for the volunteers
having duration upto 3 week to pick them up Delhi airport on
payment of applicable amount ($100) of expenditure.
What
do volunteers normally do on off hours?
There will be plenty of time to relax in the evenings
and weekends. In general volunteers tend to visit the local
countryside, read, write their diaries, play sports and plan
excursions to local points of interest. Most Friday
evenings, volunteers arrange a get together to celebrate the
end of the working week.
If volunteer(s) desire we provide them weekend short
excursion tours to visit various historical and other
interesting destinations within and around the place of
dwelling at nominal and reasonable cost. They will also be
provided expert driver cum guide having perfect knowledge
about the location selected for excursion so that you get
complete and thorough knowledge of the place and dont get
boring. The way expenditure on refreshments etc for self
will be borne by the volunteer(s).
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Should I be single if I am thinking about volunteering
through Sankalp?
That is not necessary. We organize volunteer programs
for individuals, couples, groups, students and families.
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Who organizes my
flights?
Definitely that will be borne by you. You will need to
organize your trip to and from India.
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Do I need travel
insurance?
As with any overseas traveling, health insurance is
recommended. Please obtain necessary health and travel
insurance before come to India. Talk to your travel agent
about this or search on the internet to see what offers are
available, and make sure you look into the details of the
policy. Find out if it covers airfare in case of a medical
emergency. We also suggest that volunteers consult a
physician or an international travel clinic for
recommendations on immunizations, and you should carry with
you small first aid kit. India offers basic medical services
and there are some places for emergency medical treatment.
If you are taking any prescription medicine, we suggest that
you bring an ample supply from your home country.
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How do I make the reservation for the post of volunteer with
Sankalp?
Fill out and submit the online application form. The
form will ask you about your personal information, choice of
volunteering program, location, duration and others. Sankalp
team member will review your application and when your
application is approved, you will receive a request money
email to deposit your application fee US $200. Once your
application fee is done, your place on the program is
secured.
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What about Hygiene?
We always try our best to ensure that the food and water
during training and placement is safe and clean.
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What about medication?
All program location has several national and
international level hospitals, nursing homes and health
clinics available.
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What vaccinations should I consider having prior to arrival?
This depends on which country you are traveling from.
You should always consult your doctor before purchasing any
medication, as some may not be necessary. In addition,
depending on where you are from, you may have already had
some of the required vaccinations as a child. We suggest
that you consult a travel doctor at your country before you
leave. However, you should consider the following
vaccinations:
Hepatitis A & B
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Yellow fever
Rabies
Tuberculosis
Malaria
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Can I schedule my own volunteer service for the dates that
interest me?
Sankalp is very flexible on when volunteers can start
with the program, and its possible to start any day of the
year. It just depends on your availability.
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Will I have access to communication mediums such as e-mail,
telephones and the post office?
Yes, all placements will have access to a post office.
If your program location is in a city limits, there are many
places in which you can use a phone or have access to
e-mail.
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Can I come with a friend or can I be placed near other
volunteers?
Yes, we welcome individuals, couples, family, small and
large groups, students and experts, as well as senior and
young professionals to make a great contribution and bring
changes by getting involved in our volunteer program.
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What types of clothes are allowed to wear? Should I wear
specific types of clothes?
We advise all volunteers to wear decent cloth especially
female volunteers not to wear very short and tight cloths.
Indian dress modestly covers most of the body; it is the
Indian tradition.
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Where can I obtain a
VISA?
You can apply and obtain a visa for India from Indian
Embassy office at your home country.
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Visa:
It is highly recommended that you obtain a tourist visa
at the Indian embassy in your country. A non-tourist visa is
difficult to obtain and is twice as expensive as the tourist
visa. It is the responsibility of volunteers to manage their
own tickets and visa.
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Traveling:
India is a cheap place for shopping and traveling, but
if you are planning to travel in India before or after your
volunteer program, you will need extra money. You may change
your major currencies and travelers checks in Jaipur/Dharamshala/Delhi/Bangalore
and at the airports
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Will there be anyone at the airport to receive me?
Yes, on arrival at Delhi Airport you will meet our
representative who will take you to a hotel for an overnight
stay if more than one person arriving on the same date at
different intervals. The following day the representative
will take you from Delhi to project location by
Train/Bus/Car. If no other participant is arriving on the
pickup day, you will directly depart to project location on
the same day.
This pickup service is excluded for the programs having
duration upto 3 weeks. But on request, we can arrange
transport for the volunteers having duration upto 3 week to
pick them up Delhi airport on payment of applicable amount
($100) of expenditure.
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Where can I find more information about visiting India?
The best source of information that we have found is the
Lonely Planet guide book which can be purchased from any
good bookstore, or check lonely planet online for more
details.
How we
can support Sankalp in other way?
Please read this section at
http://www.volunteeringindia.org/donate.htm
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