Volunteering at an NGO: Jaipur, India

Let me take you one year ago: Sitting in front of my computer, working my 9-5, in a beautiful location… I think I was in Guatemala, near the lake, in Panajachel… I was energetic, I was living the dream, but something was missing.

I know- it sounds spoiled. There were a thousand reasons to be grateful and be fulfilled. BUT… I wandered off. I thought about what I could be doing if I wasn’t working at someone’s company. What I’d love to be doing rather than sitting in front of a monitor.

So the idea came. I googled “Volunteering”. Many organizations and causes, all needed time, and working a full-time job didn’t give me that luxury. Plus, some of them asked that I pay for my full stay and I couldn’t afford that if I weren’t also working.

Many things happened since I first googled that option and long story short, one year later, I found myself with time and the idea still thriving somewhere in my mind.

I’d heard about Workaway and Worldpackers, both platforms to do volunteering, and, sitting in a hostel bed in Istanbul, I started to look- really look- as they would become my way of living for the next… undefined period of time.

I volunteered in Göreme, Turkey, and my first “role” was a bartender- which was actually a waitress- in an awful hotel run by three very questionable characters (the story gets better, I promise). I moved quickly and by chance found a homey, friendly cave hostel where I lived and worked as a receptionist (I so want to tell you this story later) and one month later I volunteered at a Loft in Dahab, Egypt. There I was a housekeeper. It was also awful. Terrible living conditions. Stunning town.

I don’t want to linger too long on those details. I’ll add for context that “volunteering” can mean lots of things- in those roles, it was more like an unpaid worker. I ended up there because of the locations. Nobody forced me, still, I can’t believe I put myself in those situations.

I promised myself the next one would be meaningful. And so I filtered “social causes”, “NGOs” and “Social impact”. At the same time, I was booking my flight to New Delhi, I planned my route around the volunteering options that fit my values.

That’s how I found Aashray Care Home, an orphanage for girls in Jaipur, India. I looked at the map- this unknown, colorful country I only knew by other people’s stories- and put a pin on the address, somehow getting there at the end of October 2023.

One week after arriving in India, I took a 12-hour night bus from Rishikesh to Jaipur and went straight to the girl’s home. I sat in their eating hall with my blue backpack and trolley and waited. They approached me with curiosity, asked my name, touched my hair, smiled shyly, smiled confidently, just smiled. I watched in fascination, I listened and made up dialogues as we didn’t speak the same language and… immersed myself in their lives.

Aashray Care Home, Jaipur, India. Photo courtesy of Jhenny Sevilla.

I met Jenny, an ex-executive from Spain, who welcomed me with a bright smile and a knowledgeable mind. Not only about the work as a volunteer but about the culture and traditions, about interaction with people, about handling kids… she’s amazing at what she does.

Jhenny and I in Navaratri festival- On my first day as a Volunteer | 📍Jaipur, India

I moved into the girl’s home and with broken English and Hindi, I slowly became familiar with their names, their stories, their dreams, their hopes… I read their “online profile” and the pieces of paper that made their time before arriving in Aashray and when I sat with them to study, play, or eat, I only saw the souls that had so much to give and offer the world, a world that hasn’t been fair to them, and yet… they still welcome me and all of us, the people that come in and out day after day with a smile and a hug.

"I moved into the girl’s home and with broken English and Hindi, I slowly became familiar with their names, their stories, their dreams, their hopes…” Photo courtesy of Jhenny Sevilla

I’ve seen so many people with good intentions visit Aashray, and I’ve been working with equally good and kind people: Mari, Ainhoa, Isaac-we’ve gotten into really cool adventures during our time here- and I think once you hit this “jackpot” of kind-hearted people it’s only a matter of time until you are more and more immersed in that world.

As it usually goes, the people make it memorable. 📍Udaipur, India

I know that there are always two sides to the story, always “good” and “bad”. I set out to see the world two years ago, not knowing what I’d find, however in practical terms I first saw the beauty and then the wretched parts that almost broke me.

In Aashray, it’s been like stepping out of my reality and my head and really living in someone else’s reality. Not so much “I” or “me” but “us”- them, the children, and the cause that matters- the shared happiness, the complicity, the games we’ve played.

“Volunteering at an NGO has meant working together for an ideal we believe in, personally giving part of me and of us to make a change, however big or small.” Photo courtesy of Jhenny Sevilla

Volunteering at an NGO has meant working together for an ideal we believe in, personally giving part of me and of us to make a change, however big or small. I’ve sat in the office doing administrative work, met with interesting people at social/networking events, worked alongside Sushila who runs Aashray, and have seen how boldly and confidently she takes on opportunities and speaks on behalf of the children.

I’ve visited the boys’ orphanage as well, and, in broken Hindi, I introduced myself, Mariona and I even organized a game of musical chairs. Spoiler alert: learning the word “Chalo” which means “Let’s go” has been our best friend.

I think that the most fulfilling part is that there’s also a lot of good in the world. We sometimes worry and overwhelm ourselves with situations out of or within our control, but if we step out of our heads, there are all the other millions and billions of souls living their own dreams and battles. How unaware we can be sometimes of each other.

Anyway, I’ll wrap up this story by showing you my day-to-day: the girls wake up at 5:30 so it’s an early start to the day. I get up and get dressed and meet my adventurous, fun, beautiful friend Mariona for our morning walk/ jog. I shower, have breakfast, and come to the office at 10ish. Administrative work for a while or social events, then the girls come home, we eat, we play, we study, we talk; the afternoon and evening are always busy, lively, energetic and never short of hugs or cries. Sometimes people come to celebrate their birthdays, Universities come to do social work, and the casual neighbor comes to share a meal they’ve cooked. I love how closely knit the community and the culture is here. Always sharing.

The day comes to an end… it’s been time well spent. It’s nearly 8 pm now, so I’ll go inside and surely I’ll have someone call me or shout “Didi” which means “Sister” I’ll say good night to the girls and close the day if I can by reading a bit. Tomorrow will bring more cries and hugs and birthdays and while I can’t know what the day will bring, I know it will be full of warmth, goodwill, and bright-colored markers.

Kids love the most. ♡

JAIPUR, INDIA

WED, NOV 8TH, 2023.

*If you’d like to donate or become a volunteer, visit https://aashraycare.org for more info ✨

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