Weekend volunteering is the new cultural shift that India is experiencing across all corners. With some of the most impactful shelters, homes, and NGOs promoting change across the country, they need our help. All we have to do is be there with them and offer time, money or a small skill to dramatically change their lives, and it takes less than a few hours over the weekend.
CUPA for Animals (Bengaluru)
If you’re an animal lover, CUPA is a great organization for stray, abandoned animals including dogs, horses, turtles, and cats. You can pet them, play with them, help their shelters out, and even offer expertise in fund-raising, HR, and training.
Register: http://cupabangalore.org/be-a-volunteer/
Join their Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/93909829131
MAD – Make a difference (Delhi)
With more than 4,000 volunteers across India, MAD’s making changes in the current system of child care and education in our country. You can do 2-10 hours a week of volunteering by teaching, spending time and even just visiting them to play with kids over the weekend. The program was even lauded by former First Lady Michelle Obama. “Make a Difference is an amazing program designed and run by young adults who recruit other young people, outstanding college students like themselves, to mentor and teach children who haven’t had the same chances in life as many of the mentors have had”, she said.
Register: http://makeadiff.in/madapp/index.php/common/register
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makeadiff
Magic Bus –Childhood to Livelihood (Mumbai)
Magic Bus regularly works with children and women in below poverty line areas to provide education, clothes, food and basic sanitation services. Their philosophy is simple – We need to add value to the life of the child and not just in one area. They work with over 8000 volunteers across cities to help them out with camps, drives, teaching assignments, weekend volunteering and to assist the board with tech, management and assistance.
Find out more – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HTnz2EjEEE
Register: https://www.magicbus.org/get_involved
On Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/magicbusindia
Akshaya Patra Foundation– Hunger and Malnutrition (Hyderabad)
Through their ‘Thali for All’ philosophy, Akshaya feeds 2 Million children across India everyday. They run massive kitchens that feed kids through their program and they’re looking for volunteers to help them grow, fundraise and help out over the weekend. You can even sit back and kickstart a fund-raising campaign from your local community to help put an end to malnutrition.
Register: https://akshayapatra.org/
The Ugly Indian (Bengaluru)
Their Facebook page is the main hub of all activities and future clean-up drives, where TUI takes charge when local governments aren’t able to. They take the ‘ugly’ side of Indian cities and clean them up, and give them a makeover. It’s a great way to make a measurable impact and their community is filled with fun, energetic and helpful people. They’ve created so much change in the last few years that the impact of “The Ugly Indian” movement is the perfect example of what we can accomplish if we come together even for a few hours a week.
