Home for orphans and street children in Jaipur

Udayan Centre for orphans and street children has been founded in 2002 in Achrol, a village in the outskirts of Jaipur. Udayan means "Rising and moving ahead". Around 60 children and youth aged 0 to 18 years stay at the centre. Since its inception, around 200 children could benefit from Udayan.

Most of the children are being found on the street. Many have a hostile and negative attitude towards society and see themselves as victims of an adult world that only wants to abuse them, and in which there is no future for them.

The centre tries to make use of yoga, art therapy, animal-assisted psychotherapy, sports, exposure to literature and science, development of skills, massage therapy and counseling to change the children's attitude towards life for the better.

The focus of yoga is to fix the mind on the Supreme and to absorb the self to overcome self-restrained life-regulating observances. Art therapy tries to develop skills and appreciation for music, dance, story-telling and creativity. For animal-assisted psychotherapy, horses, dogs, cows and rabbits have been used. Massage therapy is a combination of reiki and acupressure. An important principle for counseling at Udayan centre is to listen to the children rather than to argue with them or to preach to them. Skills development has the aim to discover the children's talents and to foster them.

There are four dormitories where the children are accommodated according to age and sex. The large natural plot further hosts staff quarters, a kitchen and dining hall, a school, a library, a computer room, a meditation centre, and sports grounds for volleyball, football, badminton, cricket and the Indian sports of Kabaddi and Kho-Kho.

Children aged 0-6 years usually have the highest chance to overcome their trauma of living on the street. They attend kindergarten, followed by public primary schools nearby Udayan, living in a positive and stimulating environment.

Children aged 7-8 years attend a bridge course at Udayan to prepare them for attending the normal public school system.

Children aged 9-14 years are more firm in their attitudes which makes it difficult to influence their behaviours. If they have lived on the street without integration into society for 5-10 years, this is a major challenge. The minimum goal is to give them literacy and to prepare them with basic skills to cope with society and their lives.

Youth aged 15-16 years are typically attending vocational training, both at Udayan centre as externally. This includes for instance baking, handcrafts, tailoring, vehicle mechanics, computer application, carpentry, plumbing, housekeeping, security personnel etc. The children of this age also participate in taking care of and supervising the younger children, and to assist with gardening and maintenance work at the centre to develop their sense of accountability, ownership and sincerity. Cultural programs carried out include drama, music and arts.

Youth aged 17-18 years are generally doing internships at companies in the city such as hotels, factories, workshops, car garages, bakeries, shops etc. Additionally, they are doing public drama performances and arrange exhibitions of their arts and handcrafts which they sell at a small bazaar. The aim of this stage is to have the youth interact with self-confidence in society.

With 19 years of age, the young adults leave the centre to continue with the job at the company where they have done internship during the two previous years. Udayan Centre is still there for them if they need any help.

Volunteers/interns will stay at the centre. There is a dormitory for volunteers with shared bathroom. Vegetarian dishes are being served three times per day at the dining hall. The contribution from foreign volunteers/interns is 15 USD per day.

It is not allowed to smoke on the premises of Udayan and volunteers are never allowed to smoke in front of the children and youth.

Volunteers will work 7 days per week, however they can take days off as agreed with the directors.

The children's and youths' daily schedule is as follows: Normally the older children go jogging and do excercises from 6-6:30. Breakfast is being taken from 7:30 to 8. School from 8:15-13:30; lunch from 14-14:30. Homework 14:30-17:00; Sports from 17-18:15; Hindu prayers 18:30-19; dinner from 19-19:30. After this, the younger children go to bed and the older ones at 22:00.

The school is closed on Wednesdays and instead, gardening work, reading at the library and computer application are being done. On Sundays, the whole day is for dance, drama, music and handcrafts, as well as for staff sports. On certain days of the month, there are film presentations, night sports etc.

Volunteers can communicate their interest and skills and discuss their activities with Udayan.

Please see this list of possibilities to give you some ideas:

* Volunteers/interns assist with teaching. They are doing illustrations and paint maps. Often they give a seminar about their home country, presenting its life and culture, also using stories, songs and games. They further assist with and correct the children's homework, teach computers and foreign languages.

* They assist with gardening work, paint jobs and help at the kitchen

* They support the centre with administration and PR, for example designing brochures, flyers, websites etc, or contacting hotels, tour operators etc. to raise funds and find supporters.

* Volunteers/interns instruct sports, dance, music, handcrafts etc.

Info box:

Location: Jaipur, India

Duration: min. 1 month

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