Our volunteer work in the street children project in India

Tuesday was our first day of work with the street children. Shankar, our supervisor, showed us the way there. From Wednesday we had to go to work in Old Delhi, which is about an hour away from our apartment, alone, which we managed surprisingly well. We look after around 20 children aged 3 to 17 there. The children call us "Didi" - which means something like "big sister" :). There is also a mute child and a deaf-mute child in our group. It is very interesting to interact with them as you learn a lot yourself.

After the work was done, we visited a gravesite where we met Rahil. He and his friend then kindly drove us to the Qutab Minar attraction on their moped, which was very adventurous for us considering the traffic in Delhi. Afterwards we were taken back to the apartment by Vijay, the singing tuk-tuk man. We are impressed by the kindness and respect shown to us here by people who supposedly have very little.

On Friday we were able to teach some children a few English words by writing and drawing, which wasn't that easy because some only speak/understand Hindi - so we sometimes communicate with our hands and feet. A girl then taught us how to spell our names in Hindi (see photo) :). After work we made our way to Old Delhi. Curious, we strolled through the streets of Old Delhi, where various "shops" are lined up - a mix of tons of books, copy paper, fabrics, smells, colors and much more. We were very surprised at how comfortable we felt (since Old Delhi was described as even poorer).

Saturday was our first weekend trip. Accompanied by a guide, after a train ride lasting several hours, we went to the world wonder Taj Mahal, the monument to a great love. The centerpiece of the Taj Mahal are two tombs, Shah Jahan, ruler of the Indian Empire, and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died shortly after giving birth to their 14th child. Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built as his wife's last wish. We also marveled at the floral pattern made of different stones like carnelian, lapis lazuli, jasper etc. that we could see on the walls of the Taj Mahal. Around 20.000 people from different cultures worked on the wonder of the world for 22 years. After a little refreshment, we briefly went to the Agra Fort (fortress and palace complex).

Sunday is always arrival day. So we were able to get to know our new roommate Stella from Florence and a few other new volunteers :).

We have now settled in well here in Delhi. Opposite our apartment there is a large park, which is ideal for recharging your batteries. This working week was themed “Independence Day”, which is celebrated on August 15th. Various dances were rehearsed and a lot of crafts were done. We can now also do a few steps of the “Maine Payal Hai Chhankai” dance :). The project room was also slightly redesigned so that we were able to let off steam creatively.

On Monday after work we visited the Sikh temple "Gurudwara Bangla Sahib". Since a turban is worn in Sikhism, we had to dress accordingly. There is a large prayer room in the temple where people sang and played various instruments. The special feature of this temple is the large water basin outside in which people sometimes bathed.

On Tuesday we visited the Hindu temple "Akshardham", a very magical place for us. In the evening there was a water show about the four elements. Since cell phones are not permitted anywhere in the facility, there is only a symbolic photo.

On Thursday our exploration of the Hindu temples continued. First we went to the "Iskcon" temple, where there was a lot of dancing, playing and singing. We found the ceremony where flowers, peacock feathers, etc. were given away particularly interesting. Afterwards we moved on to the “Shiva” temple. Shiva is a god of the Hindu faith and co-founder of the Kundalini philosophy. On the way there, a Hindu woman painted a “Bindi” on us, which symbolizes the third eye. It's great fun to completely immerse yourself in the culture of India and we are grateful for the openness of the people who make this possible for us :).

On Friday we began our second weekend trip, together with three other volunteers, to Jaipur (capital of Rajasthan) - also called the "Pink City" because of the uniform color of the city. After an informative tour across Jaipur, we looked at the City Palace. Afterwards we drove to the Monkey Temple, where we were allowed to feed the monkeys. As you can see from the photos, we had a lot of fun :D.

On the second day in Jaipur we explored Amber Fort - a fortress high on a mountain with very beautiful views. On the occasion of the upcoming Independence Day - India's most important holiday - there was a lot of dancing, laughing and singing together in the Daycare Center on Monday. Together they created a poster with hands in the colors of the Indian flag. In the afternoon, Jasmin was at a Shiva and Shakti temple (founder of the Kundalini philosophy) in Chattapur, where a public prayer with a guru took place.

On Tuesday, Indian flags, balloons, etc. in the colors orange, white and green were everywhere in the spirit of the 77th Independence Day. That's why we had the day off and allowed ourselves a little more sleep than usual. In the afternoon we visited Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. On the way there we were asked for a photo more often than ever before. The climax then happened in the Jama Masjid. It even got to the point where security had to help us. A strange experience for us!

On Wednesday, our supervisor Shankar accompanied us to the Daycare Center, where we had our last day for the time being. After a round of memory, the children began life skills training with external consultants.

On Thursday we changed our project to the children in the slum. There is only a very small room with little material and around 20 children between the ages of 1 and 14. When we got there, a self-defense course was being held with the children, where we were able to learn a lot ourselves. Afterwards we gave the children a short English lesson. We were amazed at the level of English the children were already at. On Friday we were greeted with a shower of flowers from the children. We are impressed with how lovingly the children treat you and the people we meet in the slum are also very friendly towards us.

On Friday after work we visited the Lodi Garden. How we find it: an oasis of peace in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city ;).

On Saturday we went to Amritsar with three other volunteers. After a six-hour train ride, we finally arrived at the hotel. A roof terrace including a pool with a view over Amritsar awaited us there. Curious, we immediately made our way to the “Golden Temple”, one of the most famous Sikh temples in India. As is usual in a Sikh temple, there is a large water basin on which the "Golden Temple" sits. The special feature for us was the free food distribution, which is only financed by voluntary donations.

On Sunday we visited a museum about the history of India. There we were able to learn something about the background of “Independence Day” and the connections between India and Pakistan. Afterwards we enjoyed a swim in the pool before the monsoon rain scared us away :D.

Monday started with the kids in the slum. After a game of Memory, we played a few more rounds of “Silent Post,” which worked surprisingly well. Afterwards we learned English words together again.

Tuesday was farewell day for the slum kids. Sitting in a circle, we ate the fresh apples we had brought with us and then we each got a cookie. After a game of "my favorite fruit is..." we read the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (Raupe Nimmersatt), in keeping with the topic. After we read it playfully, a girl read it again in a very touching way. After a loving farewell to the kids, we walked to an impressive stepwell called "Ugrasen ki Baoli" from the 14th/15th century. Century.

On Wednesdays we worked again at the Daycare Center. To get us in the mood for our upcoming visit to the zoo, we drew zoo animals together with the children. After work we got water and bananas for each child for the zoo.

On Thursday the trip began with a wild bus ride to the zoo. When we got there, we each gave us a water bottle and a banana. In total we were 22 children and five adults. It was a very nice trip for everyone and it was wonderful for us to see how much fun the children had in nature and discovering animals. After an even wilder ride home on the bus, we finally went out to eat together. The visit to the zoo and the meal were financed by donations. It makes us even happier that we were able to use this money to enable the children to have a nice trip. THANKS :)

Friday was our last day with the children at the Daycare Center. A boy taught us a little about playing a hand drum. Afterwards, the children, the employees from the daycare center and the slum gathered for a farewell round. First the children were allowed to give their feedback and a few of the children even made thank you cards for us. The feedback from the employees was also very touching for us. One of the employees said: "You have given a hug to everyone here". We were very happy to hear that, as it was particularly important to us to always include all children and not to separate or leave any child behind. The employees gave us an embroidered bag as a souvenir. We were then allowed to say a few words to the children and staff and we are very grateful to have been part of the project. Finally, Rajiv, who had originally chosen the job for us, joined us. Rajiv emphasized that he had chosen this job in Old Delhi for us because we have such a positive mindset and therefore fit in well there. We were very happy when the employees invited us to an event. The event was a cultural afternoon where various dances, plays, etc. were performed by different groups. It was nice for us to spend one last time with the children and staff :)

In the evening, we volunteers were taken by Rajiv and Shankar to a very elegant restaurant near the Ikscon Temple, which we visited together after dinner. On Saturday we visited the “Lotus Temple” with Digamber, an employee of the organization. A breathtakingly beautiful place where great emphasis is placed on the silence within the temple. We were even lucky enough to attend a mass where the “Our Father” was sung in English. After a refreshment at the street food stand, we continued to the Lodi Garden and Chattapur. We really enjoyed our last day in Delhi :).

On Sunday we spent the last few hours in the park near our apartment before it was finally time to say goodbye to Deepak and Shankar, the apartment carers. Looking back, Shankar's experience in Delhi in particular made it quite easy for us to gain a foothold there, for which we are very grateful. On the plane we both had tears as we have so many wonderful memories with Delhi/India. In the end, all we have left is to say THANK YOU for every enriching encounter and to all the people who made it possible for us to feel like a part of the whole :).

Experience report from Jasmin and Maiken, volunteers in the street children project in India, July & August 2023