This is our Volunteers Information Centre. Our new name is Gwalior Childrens Charity to reflect for the work we do with focus on Snehalaya meaning "The Home with Love" in Hindi and the community in its surrounding villages, previous hospital having been closed since and all health care and education facilities brought and carried out from Snehalaya itself. If you are thinking of becoming a volunteer you'll find links below to answers to most of your questions here.

We need volunteers from all walks of life to help us in these works and every one can help us from their own place as well by working with us on floor in Gwalior. Though all details are available on www.helpchildrenofindia.org.uk and frequent updates here on this site in news, reports and other pages. Please go through FAQs and do not hesitate to ask for any questions or further details if required. If you let me have your address, I can send the information pack by post too, which may be helpful for your efforts towards fund raising and publicity to support this work. You are most welcome to join us to work with us as per your convenience. Please let us know when and how long for will you like to work with us at Gwalior in our hospital, school and orphanage programme as per your interest and experience. We welcome students and trainees as volunteers for work experience or electives in respective disciplines. We hope for your help and support in fund raising and creating awareness for this cause. Every volunteer is expected to raise at least £500 or more for this work and meet the expenses. If one is not able to raise such funds, they are requested to contribute £50 per week for expenses towards accommodation, food and local transportation for volunteering and £100 towards administrative costs. We hope they will continue with fund raising on their return to help us in this endeavour. If one is able to raise £2000 or more, all expenses will be paid by charity if desired. In such cases, if you have paid in advance, these will be refunded or reimbursed if desired. Please fill in the volunteer’s application and declaration form as available on this page below and send it with your contributions or you can pay on line and send us the email receipt with these forms duly filled in by email, earlier the better. We follow first cum first serve policy and places are limited. We can not confirm for your placement till we have received these forms with your contributions and or deposit. For any reasons, if we are not able to accommodate you as per your request, we shall refund any payments made as desired within four weeks. No refunds can be made after four weeks once programme has been confirmed with you. Thanks.

When you have decided to join us, items 3,4 and 5 will give you access to the paperwork you'll need.

Please note that you need a visa to visit India if you are not an Indian citizen. I will like to inform you that Snehalaya is a non alcoholic area now in addition to no smoking area. No alcoholic drinks or addictive drugs are permitted within premises. We have revised in house rules and the volunteering programme for working of all volunteers with respective responsibilities and interest in respective disciplines giving them exposure to all our facilities there. Please make yourself aware of these rules and other guidelines on arrival there. I am sure your volunteering support and available skills and experience will help us to make it better for the children there.

I will like to inform you for recent changes for the facilities and work as available with us, if it makes a difference for your decision for volunteering at Gwalior-

Since 1st Dec.07, we have added the help line and ICTC with video conference facilities available all 24 hours a day using skype programme, whereby experts can provide their services on line from their own place by prior appointment in their respective discipline. These services are to provide counselling, advise and consultations for treatment etc. related to any medical or health related problems or questions, however same facilities can be utilised for advice, training or any other uses for our staff and students too. Since 2004, following admission of Radha with HIV in our hospital and then beginning of the hospice on site, because of various myths and rumours, the number of patients attending this hospital came down to almost zero, which though improved gradually but never recovered to justify expenses incurred for maintaining the hospital services. Hence after trying for nearly three years, regretfully, the hospital facilities and operation theatre at GCGH have been closed since 31st Dec. 07. Out patient services including specialists clinics, eye centre, dental centre and facilities for basic investigations have been shifted to Dr. Meena Sharma Memorial Health Centre situated within the Snehalaya campus. Only helpline and ICTC continue from Akanksha, the residence of Dr. Sharma, our founder located at previous hospital site. Rural health clinics and mobile hospital clinics along with primary care rural hospital services with these added facilities continue now from the Snehalaya. The hospice for children with HIV has been merged into Snehalaya. There are about 25 children in Snehalaya, who need constant medical and nursing care and supervision like any Childrens ward in a hospital. In addition our work in the Urban slums, schools and Orphanages supported by GCC continues as before. We continue to provide all medical and health care services to the rural population and those living in the slums of Gwalior including integrated development in these areas as much needed within our limited capability and resources. All these facilities provide sufficient opportunities to work with us in all disciplines or for work experience/internship as desired, mostly in community medicine. Once or twice a week, we do organise work and visits to local Government and private hospitals to provide an exposure to hospital medicine as practiced in India if possible. We are keeping our options open whether to restart the old hospital after overdue renovation work or close it altogether for good. We shall keep updated as it comes.

1. Frequently Asked Questions about volunteering in the field.

2. Frequently Asked Questions about fund-raising.

3. Download a volunteer declaration form for your printer.

4. Download a volunteer application for your printer.

5.Download  the sponsorship/event form for fund raising and other donation options.

If your question is not already asked and answered, please contact me directly at: gwalior.hospital@care4free.net

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