How volunteering in India will help you shape your life positively?

At least once in your lifetime, you should engage in a selfless activity where you work for the sake of helping others, especially the less privileged in society. This is what volunteering is all about. Although people argue that volunteering should not be motivated by personal gain, it should be stressed that the kind of gains being referred to here are purely monetary. Volunteering should lead to a better person, help in personal developing and inculcating values which perhaps no other activity can. It should lead to skill development, promotion of human values and sharpening social skills. All these are personal gains, geared towards making an individual a better person.

There are so many volunteering opportunities abroad, you can opt to work in children’s homes, help the aged, teach or offer other services in areas where your skills may be needed. When you volunteer abroad, you get a chance to travel and learn more about other countries and their people. This is a rare opportunity to travel abroad and see what lies beyond your borders. India is one of the countries where volunteers are welcomed. It is a peaceful country, with lovely and welcoming people. The country is vast, giving visitors an opportunity to choose a location in any part. To get started, you need to learn about the volunteer programs in India, choose one that fits your interests and qualifications, and then engage a volunteer organization in India.

Before you travel, you need to familiarize yourself with the country, its people and culture, this will help you avoid culture shock, something that may make living in a foreign country and culture a nightmare.

You will definitely experience a new culture, something different from what you have been used to. You will find people doing things differently from what is done in your country. The best way to overcome this is to expect it, with that you will not be surprised.

You also need to learn from the onset that people are different; they have different cultures and ways of doing things. If you respect that you will have a good time volunteering in India or any other part of the world. When you find people’s ways of life different from yours, respect it and appreciate it, you will not have a hard time fitting in. The locals understand that you are new to their ways of life so they will not force you into it, they will give you time to adapt. If you do this without an attitude or looking down upon other people’s culture, you will adapt quickly.

The fact that you have chosen to  volunteer in India, means that you are ready for a new experience. It is an experience that will enrich your skills, by the time you are  through with the volunteer  program, a totally new person will  have been born. You will not look at  things through the same lenses;  you will have learnt to embrace diversity, sharpened your social skills and also added an immense wealth of knowledge in your field of study or line of work. It will also be a chance to travel abroad, take a break from a long study season. It will be a period to relax but this time doing what you like, helping others in society. You will not only feel good but also become a better person, somebody who appreciates others, somebody who also appreciates what he or she has in life. It will be an eye-opening tour, one that will teach you about the rest of the world, the people in these countries and the challenges they meet in their day to day lives. It will be a period of personal development, where you learn to love better, appreciate others and above all respect all regardless of their situation in life. Volunteering may be a selfless activity, but it will help you gain a lot in life.