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Fantastic 4.54rating (29)
  • Reduced Inequalities

Women's Skills Training & Girls' Education

location
1 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 17 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Support free stitching and beautician classes that have already helped women in this community start their own businesses and earn an independent income.
  • Run life-skills, personality-development and career-orientation sessions with adolescent girls, who understand some English and are keen for exactly this.
  • Teach without a shared language. The women here do not speak English, so sessions run on demonstration, visual arts and non-verbal communication.

Highlights

  • Support free stitching and beautician classes that have already helped women in this community start their own businesses and earn an independent income.
  • Run life-skills, personality-development and career-orientation sessions with adolescent girls, who understand some English and are keen for exactly this.
  • Teach without a shared language. The women here do not speak English, so sessions run on demonstration, visual arts and non-verbal communication.
  • Bring new ideas. The centre openly asks volunteers to propose ways to strengthen the empowerment programmes rather than simply staffing existing ones.
  • Work somewhere the need is measurable: Rajasthan recorded the worst female literacy of any Indian state in the last full census.
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 17+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Support stitching and beautician classes that let women in a Jaipur slum start their own businesses, and run life-skills sessions with adolescent girls.

    Why Rajasthan specifically

    India's literacy gap between men and women is wide, and Rajasthan's is worse than the national picture. At the last full census the state recorded female illiteracy at close to 48% – against roughly 35% for women nationally and 18% for men. Behind that number is a ...

    About the program

    Why Rajasthan specifically

    India's literacy gap between men and women is wide, and Rajasthan's is worse than the national picture. At the last full census the state recorded female illiteracy at close to 48% – against roughly 35% for women nationally and 18% for men. Behind that number is a straightforward social fact: girls' education is often not encouraged by their own families, and a daughter who cannot read has very little room to negotiate her own life.

    This project works in a slum centre in Jaipur with two groups: adult women, and adolescent girls.

    The skills classes – and why they matter

    The centre currently runs free stitching classes and beautician classes. This is not craft as therapy. Both are trades with an immediate local market, and women who complete them have gone on to start their own small businesses and secure a stable independent income. For a woman with no literacy and no earnings of her own, that is the difference between dependence and options.

    Volunteers support these classes, help run them, and are actively asked to bring new ideas for strengthening the empowerment programmes rather than simply keeping the existing ones staffed.

    The single most important thing to understand

    The women do not speak English. That is not an obstacle to be worked around later – it shapes the entire method. Teaching here runs on interactive sessions, visual arts, demonstration and non-verbal communication. If you are imagining a classroom where you explain something and people understand you, adjust that picture now.

    The adolescent girls are different. They understand some English and are genuinely interested in personality development, career orientation and life skills – the conversations there can go further and matter enormously to them.

    What is asked of you

    This is a culturally sensitive and demanding placement. Volunteers need to be adjustable and flexible, willing to communicate without words, and comfortable letting the women set the pace. Come with patience and something practical to teach, and you will be useful. Come expecting to lecture, and you will not.

    Practicalities

    Five days a week, weekends free. Minimum age 17.

    Typical day

    Morning

    Breakfast at the volunteer house or with your host family, then to the slum centre with your coordinator.

    With the women

    Sessions run around the stitching and beautician classes and whatever workshops are scheduled. Your job is partly practical support and partly finding ways to communicate: ...

    Typical day

    Morning

    Breakfast at the volunteer house or with your host family, then to the slum centre with your coordinator.

    With the women

    Sessions run around the stitching and beautician classes and whatever workshops are scheduled. Your job is partly practical support and partly finding ways to communicate: showing rather than telling, drawing, using pictures, demonstrating a technique and letting it be copied.

    Expect the first few days to feel slow. Volunteers who accept that and keep turning up find the women warm up quickly; volunteers who try to force progress usually do not get it.

    With the adolescent girls

    A different register entirely. These sessions are about confidence, what comes after school, what work might be possible, and how to speak up. Some English is understood, so discussion works. Many volunteers say this is the part of the placement they remember.

    Afternoon and evening

    Back to the accommodation. Jaipur's old city, the bazaars and rooftop restaurants are easy evenings out.

    Weekends

    Free. The Taj Mahal at Agra, Pushkar, Delhi and the rest of Rajasthan are all within reach.

    Free-time activities

    You work five days a week, so every weekend is free - and Jaipur is one of the best-placed bases in India for using them.

    Jaipur itself

    The Pink City is a UNESCO World Heritage site and you are living in it. The Amber Fort above the city is the essential half-day. The City Palace, Hawa Mahal (the ...

    Free-time activities

    You work five days a week, so every weekend is free - and Jaipur is one of the best-placed bases in India for using them.

    Jaipur itself

    The Pink City is a UNESCO World Heritage site and you are living in it. The Amber Fort above the city is the essential half-day. The City Palace, Hawa Mahal (the honeycomb "palace of winds") and the Jantar Mantar observatory are all in the old city within walking distance of each other. Nahargarh Fort at sunset, looking back over the whole city, is the one most volunteers remember.

    Given the placement, the textile bazaars are worth more than usual attention - Bapu Bazaar for fabric, block prints and slippers, Johari for jewellery. Jaipur is a centre for block printing and blue pottery, and there are workshops in Sanganer and Bagru where you can watch and try it. Several volunteers end up bringing techniques back to the centre.

    Weekend trips

    The Taj Mahal at Agra is four to five hours away and entirely doable as an overnight. Pushkar, a lakeside pilgrimage town three hours away, is the calmer option. Delhi is a comfortable train ride.

    Deeper into Rajasthan: Udaipur and its lake palaces, Jodhpur the blue city, and Jaisalmer for the desert and camel treks in the Thar. Ranthambore National Park, one of the better places in India to see wild tiger, is around four hours away.

    Day to day

    Chai on every corner, and if you are here in October or November, Diwali in Jaipur is genuinely extraordinary - the whole old city is lit.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 17 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 17 years old on the program start date.

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Criminal background check

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    No qualification is required, but a practical skill you can demonstrate is worth far more here than one you can explain - sewing, tailoring, hairdressing, beauty, crafts, cooking, basic bookkeeping or anything that leads to earning. Say what yours is on your application. The women do not speak English, so willingness to teach by demonstration matters more than teaching experience.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    Included

    • Transfers from the airport or the railway station in Jaipur – so arriving overland from Delhi or Agra by train is covered too
    • Accommodation in a volunteer house or with a host family
    • Three meals a day
    • Orientation on arrival and your placement at the centre
    • 24-hour assistance and support from the in-country team
    • Comprehensive pre-departure information
    • Certificate of participation, on request

    Not included

    • Airfare
    • Visa fees – India requires a visa arranged in advance, there is no visa on arrival
    • Travel and medical insurance – mandatory, and available through us at extra cost
    • Vaccinations
    • Local transport, a local SIM card, and personal spending

    The price shown already includes your application fee – there is nothing further to pay us on arrival. Programme fees can be paid in interest-free instalments, with the balance due 45 days before departure.

    Airport Pickup at Jaipur Airport

    Transfers from Jaipur airport are included – and unusually, so are transfers from the railway station. A lot of volunteers fly into Delhi and take the train to Jaipur, which is comfortable, cheap and scenic, and you will still be met.

    Fly into Jaipur International Airport (JAI) if you can, or into Delhi (DEL) and travel on by train – roughly five hours. Send your arrival details in advance so the team knows which to meet.

    Before you fly: India requires a visa arranged in advance for almost all nationalities. The e-Visa is applied for online and is straightforward, but there is no visa on arrival, so do not leave it late. Visa fees are not included.

    Accommodation

    You stay either in the volunteer house or with an Indian host family in Jaipur – the local team assigns based on availability and what suits you. Both are shared, simple and clean, with the basic amenities you need.

    The volunteer house puts you with other volunteers from around the world, which most people find is half the experience – you arrive alone and end up with a group to see Rajasthan with. A host family gives you a closer view of Indian daily life and much faster progress with Hindi, which on this placement is directly useful.

    A local coordinator is based in Jaipur and available throughout your stay.

    Jaipur is a large, busy city and the accommodation is within reach of the centre, with the old city and bazaars easy to get to in the evenings.

    Food & Beverages

    Three meals a day are included. Expect North Indian home cooking – dal, sabzi, rice, roti or chapati fresh off the tawa, and Rajasthani specialities like dal baati churma if you are lucky.

    Food is generally mild by Indian standards for volunteers, but say so if you cannot manage chilli, and equally say so if you want it properly spiced. Vegetarians are extremely well catered for; Rajasthan is one of the most vegetarian regions in India and the food is better for it.

    Note any dietary requirements on your application form. Drink bottled or filtered water rather than tap water, and be sensible about street food in your first week while your stomach adjusts.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site
    You don't have to pay anything yet

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Jaipur Airport (JAI) in Jaipur. We assist you to find cheap flights to India. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for India provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in India you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for India. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    Start dates: weekly, year-round.

    Airport: Jaipur International Airport (JAI). Transfers from the airport or the railway station in Jaipur are included, so if you fly into Delhi and take the train – a comfortable five hours – you will still be met.

    Visa: India requires a visa arranged in advance for almost all nationalities. The e-Visa is applied for online and is straightforward, but there is no visa on arrival. Visa fees are not included.

    Dress: this matters more on this placement than most. Modest dress – shoulders, chest and knees covered, loose rather than fitted – is expected at the centre and will make the women considerably more comfortable with you. Kurtas are cheap and widely available in Jaipur if you would rather buy locally.

    What to bring: anything visual you can teach from – craft materials, fabric, patterns, picture-based resources. If you have a practical skill of your own, bring what you need to demonstrate it.

    Climate: very hot April to June, monsoon July to September. October to March is the comfortable window if your dates are flexible.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program Fees

    $393 per week 1 - 12 weeks Age 17 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    1 - 12 weeks

    Deposit

    Reserve your spot with just a few clicks and a small, secure deposit. You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or other convenient methods.

    Final Payment

    You’ll agree on the final payment method with your local organization during the application process. This final payment is only due closer to the start of your trip.

    You don't have to pay anything yet
    4.5
    Top Pick
    One of the top picks on Volunteer World, according to travelers

    Location

    Asia > Southern Asia > India > Jaipur

    Meet your project coordinator

    Sahil
    29
    reviews
    4.54
    Fantastic
    2007
    Founded

    Verified

      Below average response rate
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    Volunteer Abroad  >  Community  >  Women Empowerment in India
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    Travel dates

    1. - 1. Jan 1

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