Opportunity for volunteering with us
SVYM is keen to share its learnings with people interested to work in or just keen to know more about the development sector. Every year, volunteers from all parts of the world come to stay with us, offer their help and expertise and take back with them a plethora of experience of having worked in a rural Indian system. These include students, professionals and also service-minded individuals. It's a mutual learning experience. We welcome help from:
- Medical specialists
- Trained medical personnel – like nurses and paramedics
- Development professionals
- IT professionals
- Teachers, esp. of Science & English
- People with experience in management
- People with experience in behavioral and clinical research
- Medical Students
- People with a finance background
General Information for volunteers
- Please plan your stay with us for more than a couple of weeks. It takes that long just to get acquainted with the routine. Six weeks would be the minimum time needed to make a meaningful contribution. Two to six months is ideal. If you are planning to teach at the Viveka Tribal Center for Learning (VTCL) in Hosahalli, please note that the academic school year starts on June 1st and finishes at the end of March.
- We are happy to provide basic accommodation for you during your stay – especially since there is no alternative place to stay. Rooms include very basic furnishings and some of them have western type toilets too. Only simple South Indian vegetarian meals are served three times a day. UV-purified drinking water is made available. It's a good idea to bring a water container to carry the filtered water and remain hydrated throughout the day.
- We ask that you contribute Rs.400 (approx. US $10.5 as per current exchange rates) per day per person toward your boarding and lodging. This may sound minimal, but it's actually more than enough to pay for the day-to-day living expenses here. The rest of the money goes to the maintenance budget.
- The nearest international airport to SVYM is in Bangalore . Upon arrival, you may travel by train or bus from Bangalore to Mysore (approximately 3 hours), and then we can arrange for a taxi to pick you up from Mysore and drop you at our place (Saragur). This could cost you a little more than $25.
- If your stay with us necessitates any additional costs to be incurred (medical consultation, medication, laundry service, additional travel, etc) we suggest that you bear them on an actual basis. You could pay us in Indian Rupees, US Dollars or by Travelers' Cheques.
- All key administrative personnel and absolutely at ease with English. But the local language is Kannada with a heavy rural accent. At this point of time, it may be difficult for us to arrange for the services of a translator for you in case you plan to do some field work.
- All students desirous of volunteering with us need to get letters of recommendation from atleast two renowned faculty members from their respective universities.
- You may wish to bring your own mosquito nets, though mosquito repellants are provided in the rooms. You'll be relieved to know that our project area is not endemic for malaria.
- For any specific medication or vaccination that you may need, kindly follow the advice of your local health authorities. A good reference is the CDC website: www.cdc.gov
- Please inform us beforehand if you are on any medication or carrying a chronic ailment.
- Once you have been assigned a project, you may be asked to work flexible hours which can include Saturday and Sunday. However, you are given quite a bit of freedom to work at your own pace and take short breaks. You'll surely find the work atmosphere to be casual and accommodating.
- The hottest months are March – May, when temperatures range from 22 C at night to as hot as 38 C in the daytime. The rains start in May and are heavy throughout June and July. In August, the rain tapers off, and winter officially begins in October and lasts through January. Temperatures in the winter range from 13 C to 25 C.
- We will ask for a copy of your passport upon arrival. This is merely a safety precaution that is taken so that we may contact the local authorities in any type of emergency.
- In case you need to make long distance calls, there are plenty of public telephones available outside our campus. You could make use of the 24-hr paid internet facility available at the Saragur hospital.
To apply for a volunteer opportunity, please write to drrbalu@gmail.com
What some volunteers had to say….
I came to India to learn about its culture and spirituality and I've seen spirituality being applied to everyday work in SVYM. I'm touched by the dedication and spirit of service of people here. After working in SVYM as a volunteer, my respect and admiration for India has increased manifold. I want to come back and offer more.
Coming to SVYM we were hoping to gain experience in tropical medicine in a rural setting. We had also heard about Ayurvedic medicine and were looking forward to seeing its application in India ....We have had a wonderful experience at SVYM and have felt really welcome throughout our time here. Apart from learning some important medical lessons, we also learned more about India and its people, and definitely plan to return.
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Medical Students from King's College, London |
Our time spent with Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement has been a wonderful learning experience, not only clinically, but also professionally and socially. We have been involved with a wide range of medical programs here – mobile health unit, eye outreach clinics, cataract surgery, outpatient department and a project in community medicine. This enormous diversity has provided such a varied and interesting experience for us. As student doctors from the UK, this experience has allowed us to work in an environment very different from that we are used to, but that ultimately shares the same aim: to provide quality healthcare to those people who need it.
Our time with SVYM has been fascinating, challenging and rewarding. We have felt very privileged to have been part of such a dedicated and enthusiastic team of people. We arrived with very little idea of what to expect, but we are leaving with many happy memories and many new friends. We would recommend this experience highly to other student doctors.
Lindsay Cutler, Caroline Maynes and Amy Swainston |
Medical Students from King's College, London |
On a more personal level, some of the most meaningful experiences for me have been those shared with many of the wonderful people here that I have met, staff, nurses, patients. Thank you for helping me purchase appropriate clothing, inviting me to weddings and birthday parties, showing me how to conduct deliveries, helping me navigate the buses and autos, humoring me and my perpetual picture taking, showing me how to wear a sari, answering my questions, etc….I truly appreciated being invited into your homes, into your operating theatres, and into your lives.
This experience has challenged me to reflect on some of my attitudes, beliefs and behaviors and even perhaps re-evaluate what is important to me. I will remember my time here for many years to come and what I have learned will benefit both my nursing practice and myself on a personal level.
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Nurse from Montreal, Canada |
My experience at SVYM was wonderful. In my interactions with the doctors and other people here, we discussed everything from our families, to Indian dress, to politics, to medical experiences. I appreciated how patient everyone was with my cultural ignorance and how willing they were to explain things to me that I did not understand. It would be a true honor to have the chance to return the hospitality and kindness that has been extended to me during my stay here.
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Student from Johns Hopkins University, USA |
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