| How many volunteers will be with me in the same place? Would I be placed alone? |
| We usually place fellows in pairs. Only in rare cases are fellows placed alone. There could be a possibility that under the same NGO you may be assigned different roles that may require your placement in different locations of their operations. |
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| What if I want to change the
placement and how? |
| It is difficult to change the placement unless you have a very strong reason like illness due to which you cannot continue in the placement. |
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| What should I take along for the fellowship? |
| Such queries will be answered during your pre-departure orientation and a check list will also be provided to you at that time. |
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| What if the code of conduct of the Host
NGO doesn't match that of iVolunteer? |
| iVolunteer visits all the partner Host NGOs during the need assessment stage. This ensures that all partner Host NGOs are aware of the iVolunteer philosophy. |
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| Do I need to prepare for the interview? What's the screening process? |
| No, you need not prepare specially for the interview. Just be yourself. The first step of the screening process involves short-listing candidates on the basis of their application form. Following this, successful candidates will be called for a group activity and personal interview. |
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| Can you give me brief information about the location of the NGO and other information like internet connection, police station, hospital, tourist centers, etc.? |
| Such queries will be answered during your pre-departure orientation. You will be given a fact sheet about your Host NGO and the location of your placement. This fact sheet will contain information about internet connection, police station, nearest medical facilities, etc. |
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| I don't live in Delhi. Can I still join the programme? What is your application criteria? |
| As long you are from an urban area or Indian city, and a student in the age group of 16-23 years, you can apply for the India Fellow programme. |
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| How do I convince my parents about this kind of a rural fellowship? Will it be safe for me? |
| You would know how best to convince your parents. On our part, we take care in identifying suitable placements for you and identifying NGOs that can reasonably guarantee your safety and security. You can tell them about the benefits of the fellowship and how it will benefit you as an individual. Additionally, the India Fellow project coordinator would be available to answer any queries your parents might have regarding the fellowship. |
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| Do I have to get my form signed by my parent or local guardian? |
| Yes, it is compulsory to get the India Fellow application form signed by your parent or local guardian. |
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| After my Fellowship, I understand that all Fellows together have to organize a Social Development Fair. Do we get the fund support from iVolunteer? |
| As such, it is preferable to organise a fair or stall free of cost. Hence we encourage Fellows to publicise their work in the college, or local neighbourhood. iVolunteer will extend all logistical support. |
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| Is the travel allowance provided by iVolunteer transferable? |
| No. As travel allowance is provided against actuals for most economical mode of travel, in reality, you will not have any scope to transfer it. |
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| Can I take my pet with me? |
| No, you cannot take your pet along with you.
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| Is the stipend given enough
for me to sustain myself? |
| Yes, it is enough. The stipend is primarily to cover your food and general day-to-day expenses during your 6-week stay in the Host NGO. In most rural locations, you won't find the option of gourmet delicacies. The food available would be simple and suffice for basic meals. |
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| Can my friend or parent visit the Host NGO during my stay? |
| Yes, they can visit you provided they cover their own travel expenses and meet you after office hours or during holidays so that work doesn't get hampered. |
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| When will I get my second installment of the stipend? |
| You will get the second installment of your stipend on returning back after successful completion of the fellowship. |
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| What should I do if I'm sexually
harassed or physically abused during my fellowship? |
| Each partner Host NGO signs an agreement with iVolunteer agreeing to reasonably guarantee security of the Fellow/s and make every reasonable effort to ensure that the Fellow/s are not subjected to verbal, physical or sexual harassment. Despite this, if any such incident occurs, report it immediately to the Host NGO Head and to iVolunteer. |
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| Will I be placed anywhere in India? |
| Students applying from North India will be placed in the rural hinterlands of Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan. Students applying from West India will be placed in the rural hinterlands of Maharshtra, Gujarat or Madhya Pradesh. Students applying from South India will be placed in the rural hinterlands of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh. Students from Kolkata will be placed with rural NGOs in Orissa. |
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| How many fellows will you be placing? |
| Our aim for 2008 is to place 60 Fellows across India. |
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| Can I choose my fellow partner? |
| No. iVolunteer will decide the fellow partner for you keeping in mind the requirement of the NGO and certain behavioural aspects of Fellows. |
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| What if I don’t have any rural experience? |
| More reason for you to apply as India Fellow aims to involve urban youth providing them with an opportunity to experience, first hand, rural India. |
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| What if the work is technical and beyond my expertise? |
| Since iVolunteer assists the rural NGO in designing projects for Fellows, we ensure that projects identified are achievable and non-technical in nature. Also, once a candidate is selected for the fellowship, iVolunteer matches the profile of the candidate to the most suitable rural project ensuring no scope for such a mismatch. |
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| What type of accommodation can I expect? |
| The accommodation differs from place to place depending upon the Host NGO you are placed with and location. Either way, you can expect modest accommodation i.e. a 6 x 6 feet room to be shared with your fellow partner. |
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| What if I cannot attend the orientation programme? |
| Once selected for the fellowship, it is mandatory for you to attend and participate in the orientation programme. A concession will be made only if your examination clashes with the orientation. |
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| What if I need to return home once during the fellowship? |
| You need to have a valid reason if you wish to return back once (and not more) during the course of the fellowship. In this case, iVolunteer will not cover the cost of this intermittent travel from the Host NGO to your home and back. |
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| What assurance can you give me about my safety? |
| Before partnering with any rural NGO, an iVolunteer representative
undertakes a field visit to the Host NGO to assess amenities, accommodation, projects, etc. A rural NGO is assigned the status of “Host NGO” only after this personal need assessment visit is carried out and the outcome is positive. |
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| Is the fellowship duration fixed? Can I extend or curtail the time period? |
| Yes, the duration of the fellowship is fixed for 6 weeks. You can go back to the same NGO as a volunteer or visitor at a later date. |
