Volunteer Postings in India for 2018

jeridstevenot

HANDI-CARE INTL.
168 Bonis Ave. Unit 711, Scarborough, Ontario Canada M1T 3V6.
Tel: (416) 293-3994 Charity Reg. # BN889046397RROOO1
Website: www.handicareintl.org E-mail: handicare@rogers.com
Dedicated to serving the poor disabled and destitute

Volunteer Postings in India for 2018
An exciting opportunity to travel to India and make a genuine, sustainable difference in the
lives of people with disability in rural India.

Site: Amar Seva Sangam (www.amarseva.org), located in the rural town of Ayikudy, Tamil Nadu, is
an organization for people with disabilities run by people with disabilities.
Located on a 30-acre campus, services provided include:
(1) Post-Acute Care Spinal Cord and Stroke Rehabilitation
(2) Integrated School and Centre for Special Education
(3) Early Intervention for Children
(4) Outpatient Therapy for Children and Adults with Neuromuscular Conditions
(5) Village / Home Based Rehabilitation program.
All services are provided free of cost and are made accessible to those who would otherwise not be
able to access such treatment.

Placement at Amar Seva Sangam (ASSA) facilitated by registered Canadian charity –
Handi-Care intl. (www.handicareintl.org)

Job Description:
 ASSA regularly hosts OT and PT students from North American universities (UBC, McGill, Western, Queens, Manitoba, McMaster, Sherbrooke, Dalhousie, Colarado) for clinical fieldwork placements
(www.handicareintl.org/Clinical/). Speech Language Pathology students may also be added.
 Interested OT / PT applicants will be accompanied by and supervise 2-4 OT / PT students from North America.
 Provide bedside mentorship and teaching to the 12 PTs, 2 OTs and 2 speech therapists working at ASSA with the goal of exchanging knowledge. Conduct seminars / workshops for the PTs, OTs and speech therapists.
 Direct client care will occur alongside mentorship and teaching.
 Area of focus can be tailored towards applicant’s experience / interest.
• ASSA now welcomes applications from speech therapists / SLPs volunteers.

In 2015 - 2017, 22 OTs from Canada, Australia, USA and UK will have worked at ASSA through this program and their presence has been extremely valuable in client care and program development.

Requirements:
 Degree in Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy / Speech Therapy. 1-year professional experience.
 Interest or experience in working with children and/or adults with neuromuscular disabilities.
 Experience or interest working in a resource poor setting.
 Willingness to adapt and take initiative.
 Minimum of 4-week commitment required. 8 weeks ideal. Timing will be designed to overlap
with student placements as much as possible. Longer placements welcomed.

Timing: Between January and October 2018

Details: Free accommodations and meals will be provided on the Amar Seva Sangam Campus. You
will be housed in campus Guest House with Wi-Fi access and en-suite bathroom. Your room will be
separate from students but may be shared with another therapists of the same gender if any are present at
that time. Cell phone will be provided. A charitable tax receipt can be issued for travel expenses to
India.

Other: If you are unable to travel to India, but would like to assist the project in others ways or by providing remote expertise to students in India, please contact us.

Interested applicants can send an email with their resume and a letter of interest to Dr. Dinesh
Krishna: dkrish6@gmail.com.

Katy BC

I was a mentor to Canadian OT students (and one USA OT student) last summer. Go to India if you can. The OT (and PT) students work with the national team of OTs, PTs, SLP and therapy assistants. It's a low resource setting and you learn how to do much with little. It was a great experience and I felt I learned a lot and yes I will go back, just not every year.

OTCanada

I was also a volunteer at ASSA and had a wonderful experience. It was well organized, supportive, and offered lots of opportunity for learning. Feel free to contact me for more information.