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Host rating
80 %
Last replied
24 Apr 2025
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Description
Discover the beauty and tradition of South India and Pondicherry, while helping a community based organisation.
We are a family run NGO, created by Anthony Samy 33 years ago to help poor and vulnerable communities in and around Cuddalore. Our programmes focus on community development, children's care, water/sanitation, women's empowerment, health, microcredit, education, and disaster recovery.
Today we live on a small estate which includes the Home and learning facilities, the family home, the charity headquarters, rice paddies and a small number of animals. We currently provide shelter and support for around 30 children from the surrounding villages but not as an orphanage home.
We don't seek help in orphanage care for the children.
Here everybody shares local home-made meals, the execution of the NGO's projects and the children's day-by-day living, all in the typical Tamil Nadu way
Please read carefully the below mentioned requirements:
-at least 21
-good understanding of english language
-good health
-it is a must that all volunteers are open minded and have a true and honest desire to help.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The South Indian's, and Tamil Nadu's, culture is very unique. In this region existed one of the most ancient civilizations in the world, and these remote roots are still present today in the culture of the locals. There is no better way of understanding a place and its people than to live with the ones who help the unprotected. With the goal on empowerment, we're searching for ways to improve the quality of living and the future of all the people.
A volunteer will have direct access to the true South Indian culture, from the gastronomy to the ways of living, traditions and happiness! You will visit tribal villages to meet people who live in traditional ways, through simple means. They generate a small income through agriculture, fishing, tailoring, handicrafts and labour. They are the heart of rural India and we enjoy working in partnership with them.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Here we aim to make your work varied and enriching. We have also found that volunteers bring different skills and innovative ideas of their own, which can add to our current volunteer programm which focuses on:
- We are currently looking for civil engineer to build houses for the local communities
- Helping with our community projects relating to health/water/sanitation/women empowerment etc (subject to availability)
- Assisting with fundraising and grant applications, and bringing new ideas to improving fundraising processes to our NGO office. This is an important part of our progression so if you have a charity background this would be very welcome.
Following projects are available:
Building:
In our program to help the isolated families and scheduled tribes, we are going to build 60 houses for them. The purpose is to provide them shelter and better livelihood in this area prone to natural disasters (cyclones, floods etc). To achieve this goal, we need technical support and specifically a civil engineer.
Medical Camps:
Preparations for the Medical Camps. (Communication, arrangements, transports, food, assistance to referral cases)
Cycle Fish Vendors:
Documentation, Case studies, organize travel and business plan, organize meetings and trainings, micro credit support.
Women Empowerment:
Promoting as groups, capacity building, documentation, micro credit support, convergence of government shills.
Water,Sanitation and Hygiene Education
Baseline Data collection,preparation of the syllabus,construction of the family toilets,water plants and pipes,usage studies etc;
Evening school in villages:
Volunteers can come and support the teachers in the villages with teaching English and extra scholar activities (craft/art work).
Teaching at a local school:
Teach english, maths etc at a school in Cuddalore (9.00 am - 3.30 pm)
Help in the kitchen:
Help preparing our delicious meals with Ammu. You will also be helping with the laundry and cleaning tasks. Taking care of animals
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Tamil: Fluent
Accommodation
Every volunteer will have a private or shared room in our complex, and total support from the family. We have been doing this for many years and enjoy sharing our home with like-minded people from around the world.
You will have use of the laundry machine There will be no charge for any of this, it's all a reward for your motivation and good work!
What else ...
Getting to us from Chennai
We are 3 hours south of Chennai. If you arrive at Chennai airport you can get the metro to CMBT Bus stand (via Alandur). The metro runs from 6am - 9.50pm Mon - Sat and 8am - 9.50pm on Sun)
From CMBT bust stand there are many private and public buses directly to Pondicherry. We will collect you from Pondicherry bus stand.
Private bus (300-500 rupees):
Companies must be booked in advance here
Public bus (90-115 rupees)
Basic, non A/C buses running throughout the day - no pre-booking necessary or possible. After midnight the service reduces to every 30 minutes.
Taxi
If you prefer to travel by taxi then we will be happy to help you arrange this with a reliable and trustworthy driver who charges approx 35 euros from Chennai.
If you are coming from somewhere else then please let us know and we will do our best to assist and advise you towards a safe and comfortable journey.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (17)
I spent one month in this NGO with three of my friends.
During this period of time we had the… read more
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.6)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.4)
I spent one month in this NGO with three of my friends.
During this period of time we had the… read more
The food, the stay and the people , ALL TOP NOTCH. I still miss the toddlers in the childrens home specially Mavitran. <3
Made few friends in the NGO , went to the beach, pondicherry market, had tasety coffee near the NGO,… read more
Everyone here is kind, helpful, and a joy to work with. The Director Anthony openly discussed all the projects going on here and helped me figure out the project that best met my interests and skills. I decided to focus on the after-school… read more
As a host i would… read more
In the morning kids are at school, so we spent time helping in the kitchen or in… read more
The kids are amazing, kind and really lively; they work a lot and (in my opinion) volunteers… read more
We would certainly recommend them… read more
She took the children on some memorable trips and they really enjoyed the time she spent teaching and playing with them.
We hope to see Sarah… read more
We hope to see Kelsey again and highly recommend her as a volunteer.
I also enjoyed the time spent with Children in… read more
