NGO

Head to the hills to volunteer for a cause this vacation! We give you 11 volunteering options in the beautiful, serene hilly parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam and Jammu & Kashmir.

Teach children, counsel them, play music for senior citizens, teach dance as rehabilitation: here’s a list of 10 volunteering options in India for those with a thirst to make a difference in someone’s life.

Have a great idea that has the power to transform lives but unsure of how to see it to fruition? This list of social incubators is just the thing you need.

Jeevan Trust is an NGO founded by Anubhav Gupta that helps out albinos and transpeople. With a Facebook group that brings together albinos from around India, the NGO is helping them come out of their shells.

Increasing economic growth and urbanisation are leading to more products being discarded, wastage and mountains of landfills. This NGO is working to help us dispose of waste more responsibly, improve the working conditions and lives of waste pickers, encourage recycling, and contribute to a cleaner environment.

Through their foundation, Ganga Kumar, an IAS officer, and his wife Sneha Routray, an architect, are helping rural Indians fight cancer through better awareness and diagnosis.

The ‘I am Special’ calendar, , brought out by Swarga Foundation, Coimbatore, features people with neurological disorders, with the aim of spreading awareness about these disorders and sharing the stories of the special people who have overcome disabilities to live productive and fulfilling lives.

A toddler found tied to a post in a goat shed, a widow so traumatized she became mute, a teenager who was trafficked by her mother and stepfather – these are but a few who have escaped their dark pasts to find a home in Bal Sadan.

Most underprivileged children are unable to find solace in their childhood. The difficulties they face, financially and emotionally, are so persistent that they barely have time or mental space to enjoy basic recreational moments, such as reading or playing with toys. One NGO is fighting to give them back their rightful childhood.

A girl from the US packed her bags and came to India. When she met kids who were 13 years old and didn't know what soap was, she had the ingenious idea of recycling soaps, distributing them in slums for better health and hygiene, and empowering women. Here's more about Sundara soaps and it's founder Erin Zaikis.