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Volunteer Travel during summer 2008 - 2009 (1st July/ 1st August) and immerse in the cultural journey in the heart of cultural India in the capital of Delhi. The journey will start in Delhi with a week long cultural orientation week followed by volunteering work with street children for 2 weeks. You get to work with local people, helping them hand to hand for the upliftment of children of the downtrodden society. You would work 5 days a week teaching street children basic conversational English in the heart of Delhi.
Volunteering Solutions Summer 2009 Delhi - India program will provide you with a great cultural and volunteering experience of a lifetime. After learning language, culture and volunteering in Delhi with street children for 2 weeks you would head out for a 1 week tour around the Golden Triangle, exploring Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort in Agra and seeing the local cultures and forts of Rajasthan in Jaipur.
Detailed Program itinerary is given below:
Program Details & Itinerary
DAY 1: (Arrival in Delhi & welcome)
Arrival at Delhi airport/railway station/bus stand.
Pickup and transfer to volunteer’s home.
17:00 Pickup from volunteer’s home
17:30 Assemble in Office/House
17:30 – 18:30 Chai and welcome at partner office (group introduction, discussion of orientation and misc. matter)
18:30 Transfer to volunteer’s home
Orientation
Day 1 : Welcome to India, introduction to the program help in Delhi, safety issues, basic culture and history about India. Also learn about your weeks program and details about your volunteering program in India to follow after this week.
Day 2: History, culture and traditional insight about India followed with Hindi language class for 2 hours. Learn basic letters and words of welcoming, greeting, short expressions, as well as learn about important and handy words whici would help you while at work in your placement. You would get a chance to explore by yourself around Delhi in the evening. Your coordinator would guide you about the best places to go and visit.
Day 3: Hindi language class continues for 3 hours, more extensive words, sentences and expressions. Explore the local markets in the evening time .
Day 4: Discover Delhi - Go on a guided tour to Delhi's most visited tourist spots. This would be a full day tour of New Delhi included with a lunch at a restaurant. The places you would visit are:
 India Gate - At the centre of New Delhi stands the 42 m high India Gate, an "Arc-de-Triomphe" like archway in the middle of a crossroad. Almost similar to its French counterpart, it commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during the World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919.
 Lotus Temple - South East of Delhi, this temple is built in the shape of a lotus flower and is the last of seven Major Bahai's temples built around the world. Completed in1986 it is set among the lust landscaped gardens. The structure is made up of pure white marble The architect Furiburz Sabha chose the lotus as the symbol common to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. Adherents of any faith are free to visit the temple and pray or meditate.
 Humayun's Tomb - Located near the crossing of Mahura road and Lodhi road, this magnificent garden tomb is the first substantial example of Mughal architecture in India. It was buit in 1565 A.D.nine years after the death of Humayun, by his senior widow Bega Begam. Inside the walled enclosure the most notable feature are the garden squares (chaharbagh) with pathways water channels, centrally located well proportional mausoleum topped by double dome.
 Qutab Minar - is a soaring, 73 m-high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom. The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India. An inscription over its eastern gate provocatively informs that it was built with material obtained from demolishing '27 Hindu temples'. A 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque. It is said that if you can encircle it with your hands while standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled.
Day 5: Hindi language class 3 hours, covering more words and vocabulary to help you in daily use. In the evening explore along with your coordinator to the local markets and then go for a Hindi movie in the evening to see and understand it in a visual way. Indian cinema makes more movies in a year than Hollywood!
Day 6: Discover Old Delhi - go on a guided historic trail to visit old Delhi and see beautiful historic sights, with lunch in a tradition Indian restaurant.
 Red Fort - The red sandstone walls of the massive Red Fort (Lal Qila) rise 33-m above the clamour of Old Delhi as a reminder of the magnificent power and pomp of the Mughal emperors. The walls, built in 1638, were designed to keep out invaders, now they mainly keep out the noise and confusion of the city.
 Chandni Chowk - When the famous Mughal Emperor Shahjahan shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi and established the city of Shahjahanabad, he had the majestic Red Fort or Lal Qila, on the banks of River Yamuna. Chandni Chowk was built in 1650 AD as an accompaniment to the fort. It was designed by Jahanara, the Emperor's favorite daughter. A large chowk ("square") with a central pool was built at some distance from the fort.
Day 7: Get ready for your volunteering program the next day.
Day 8 - 21: Volunteer work with street children in the heart of Delhi.
Day 22 - 27: Golden Triangle tour for 6 days
 Volunteers travel by road in a a/c vehicle, accompanied by a Guide to the famous Golden Triangle (Jaipur, Agra, Delhi). You will stay in a 2/3 star hotel while on the tour. You will visit some of the most exotic palaces in Jaipur including: The Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Jantar Mantar. You will also be exploring Jaipur’s famous Johary Bazar which is a shoppers paradise for hand crafted materials. After staying in Jaipur your next destination would be Fatehpur Sikri on the way to Agra, famous for it’s Taj Mahal and Agra fort. You will see Taj Mahal which is located on the banks of river Yamuna and is a symbol of love in Indian history. You will also see the Agra Fort.
Day 28: Back to Delhi and pack up for leaving back home after an exciting journey in India!
Accommodation & Food
The volunteers will stay in a flat or a volunteers house together. The meals will also be served here. Different facilities would be available for the volunteers in the volunteer’s home are as follows:
Food would be provided 3 times during orientation week.
Food would be provided 2 times during 2 weeks of volunteering
Food would be provided 3 times on set menu during hotel stay's while travelling the Golden Triangle.
**No Alcohol, soft drinks, mineral water, juices etc would be provided during the trip.
Medical Facilities: Availability of first aid kit and close proximity to a good hospital.
Program Cost
For the program of 4 weeks $1200 per person
(After 4 weeks of program duration for extra per week for volunteering only $125 per week)
Cost Includes
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Following services are included:
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Meeting and pickup at the Delhi airport/railway station/bus stand.
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All transfers with private or public transport for:
a) Introductory week in Delhi
b) Local sightseeing programs
c) Local transport to project premises only for the first day of the volunteering program
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Delhi sightseeing during the introductory week.
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Accommodation provided by Volunteering Solutions on twin/triple sharing basis during the program.
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All meals - during the introductory week and Golden Triangle Tour, 2 meals during the Volunteering period
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Filtered water - during the introductory week and working.
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Excursion to the Golden Triangle during last week.
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Information for independent excursions during the weekends.
Cost Excludes
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Flight costs
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Visa Fees
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Immunizations
- Entry fees / Monument fees
- Also volunteer will need a weekly budget of up to US $50.00 to cater for all other expenses like bottled water, personal items, beverages and other.
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