A cheap volunteer scheme in India
making friends with local students
volunteer helping with art in primary school
Volunteer abroad on a budget
The VRI "Experience Rural India" scheme is very cheap compared with most other schemes which place volunteers abroad.
This makes it accessible to recent graduates, back-packers and other budget travellers.
A fee of only £250 covers your orientation day in Britain, and food and accommodation for your initial 3-week stay in the rural development project in India.
After the first 3 weeks, the cost falls to £3 per day.
The only additional payment is £15 covering one year's membership of VRI (Volunteers for Rural India), and of course your travel costs to the project.
How do we spend your money?
VRI is a registered charity. Some of your placement fee remains in the UK to pay the administrative expenses of the charity (postage, phone calls, stationery, information booklets, orientation day). VRI has no paid staff.
The remainder is given directly to our partner project in India, who use it to provide your food and accommodation and pay the wages of a local volunteer coordinator.
Any revenue from the scheme is put back into the project in India, helping it to run its schools, degree college, health centre and other ventures to help the rural poor.
Why are our volunteer placement fees so cheap?
Our volunteer placement fees are cheap because the scheme is run by people who volunteer their time. The organisation and orientation in Britain are done by volunteers. In India, you will be welcomed by local staff; teachers and project workers will give their time to welcome you and include you in the life of the project.