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Geoff is a Math and Economics student at Linfield College in Portland, Oregon. In the whole Linfield group of 10 students, Geoff was the only male volunteer. This is his account of his Atma volunteership. Thanks for coming, Geoff!

I was initially attracted towards Atma because of the wide range of NGOs that Atma serves and the enormous list of opportunities to get involved. All of my prior volunteer work had been within my local community: I’d typically worked with younger students on basic skills such reading and writing. I also have experience volunteering in city parks, working on improving the grounds. I was drawn to the Atma volunteership because I prefer volunteering with sustainable projects that can impact a number of people.

My goal with Atma was to help in whatever would be the most beneficial to the specific NGOs, whether it was creating a rooftop garden or painting a kindergarten classroom. I also was hoping to gain insight about the lifestyle and culture in Mumbai, and the current organizations in place working to serve the community.

It’s hard to describe a typical day but our group was usually out the door by 9am every morning to work on a project. We’d have lunch break around noon and then work again until 5ish. While on site, we had ample opportunity to meet people involved with the specific NGO as well as the students we were serving. Anand, the SPROUTS Founder, was very knowledgeable. His enthusiasm and passion for his work made volunteering with the project much more fun and exciting.

One of the most meaningful events for me was during part of our time working with SPROUTS at St. Catherine’s Home. The girls living at the orphanage are so kind and curious, and wanted to spend as much time as they could with us. By the end of our work at the orphanage, we were playing games and communicating with each other despite the language barrier. That was very special for me personally.

I think the most challenging part of the entire experience was having to leave so quickly after forming so many relationships with amazing people.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from the experience. However, everything we participated in exceeded all ideas I had. Each NGO cared so much about their mission that it felt like a privilege to be able to work with such dedicated people. Although many of the projects we assisted with were similar to what I have participated in at home, the experience seemed much more meaningful and affected me in a much more powerful way. To see the hard work and devotion of so many people made the experience exponentially better.

I had so many favourite moments throughout our volunteership, but one of my favourites was seeing the students’ faces light up when they saw the mural we had painted in their classroom. It was a very emotional moment that cannot be articulated in writing.

The entire Atma staff is doing amazing work and if were not for them, our experience would not have been nearly as rewarding. Much of our amazing trip can be attributed to the employees and interns at Atma, and I would like to thank each and every person working there for their enthusiasm and assistance during our time in India.

Would I do this again? In an instant. It has been one of the most life-changing experiences of my life. Even in our short time in Mumbai, I already feel a sense of connection to the people and culture and would seek the opportunity to go back. Working with SPROUTS and CHIP was extremely rewarding. I believe that I took away just as much from the experience as I was able to provide.

Haritha is a 2^nd year Biochemistry student at Linfield College in Portland, Oregon. She recently travelled to Mumbai with eight other classmates and two professors to volunteer with Atma and learn about local social projects. Atma was thrilled to receive the Linfield students, as they were a passionate and enthusiastic group. Haritha’s volunteer report is the first in a series from the Linfield students.

I learned about the Atma Volunteer trip to Mumbai through my college January term class. I’d previously volunteered at the American Red Cross, a hospital and a soup kitchen, but nothing like what we would do in India. I came into the experience knowing that what my classmates and I contributed would be something valuable for local NGOs in the future.

A typical day in Mumbai meant leaving our room at 9AM to head to either SPROUTS, an environmentally-focused organisation, or CHIP, an Atma Graduated Partner and educational NGO. As a team, we’d work on projects throughout the day, usually finishing after 5PM. These projects ranged from helping prepare rough ground to plant a community garden in an orphanage, to painting murals in kindergarten classes. Our experience was facilitated and guided by Atma and leaders from local organisations. In the evening, we were able to taste a little more of Mumbai by heading out to eat or do some shopping.

I really enjoyed working with Atma: I was thankful of how much they helped us get us introduced and integrated into Mumbai and the social sector.

Atma gave us the opportunity to meet incredible leaders. Anand Pendharkar, SPROUTS Founder, was one of the most inspirational person I met, because he is so passionate about his work towards the environment. Listening to Anand talk about the butterfly effect where small changes lead to big changes in the future was a specific conversation that was meaningful to me.

One of my favourite moments of the entire trip took place while working with SPROUTS at St. Catherine’s Home: an orphanage for HIV positive girls. We were so thrilled when the girls came out and started helping us on the vegetable farm. They even introduced us to some of the games they knew, and by the end of our work at SPROUTS, they were calling all the girls “Didi” and all the guys “Uncle.”

Would I do this again?  Yes, because of the amazing relationships you can build with passionate NGO leaders who are doing their part to build a better future for India. Thank you Atma, for the experience!

Before getting into the details of my experience with Atma Graduated Partner CHIP, I feel obliged to tell you a little bit about how I caught the bug for philanthropy and volunteer work. It all started in the 12th grade when I went on a school-organized trip with my classmates. There were two components to the trip: a service/school rebuilding component and an adventure/safari component. The latter was the main selling point for me prior to the trip. However, something about spending time with the children at the school ignited a spark in me. This spark was enough for me to convince my friends to head out on a similar, but highly service oriented trip to Cambodia. AfterCambodia, the spark developed into a flame.

Going into college, service became a big part of my life on campus and I was heavily involved in a lot of social justice groups. But this wasn’t enough. I had to step it up a notch, so I decided to major in Social Entrepreneurship to look at possible career paths. It was with this goal in mind that I came to India and accepted an Atma Volunteership.

The first day I walked into the Atma office, I saw three words on a small whiteboard; ‘Sustainability’, ‘Impact,’ and ‘Scale.’ It is then that I knew that I was in the right place. Through Atma Graduated Partner CHIP, I was given the freedom to run and perfect the model of a face-to-face fundraising campaign at Hypercity, one of India’s largest hypermarkets, and was able to attend meetings with some of CHIP’s highest and most important donors. In addition to this, I was entrusted with designing a Diwali Camp program for the children at CHIP schools, developed grant proposals, designed fundraising and marketing media, and assisted in any other school-related activities. This diverse array of responsibilities gave me a holistic view of what it is like to work for and run an educational NGO, which is crucial for an aspiring Social Entrepreneur like myself. My favorite moments were whenever we counted the money raised from the CHIP fundraisers. It all comes back to one of those words on that board: ‘Sustainability.’ Money doesn’t just make the world go round, it makes the NGO sector go round. Sure, you learn about it in textbooks but to experience it first hand is something else. I never expected to be in such an intellectually and professionally stimulating environment, but Atma and CHIP definitely delivered.

The Atma Volunteer experience wasn’t just part-time volunteering: it was a valuable work experience, fostered by an intelligent, experienced, and supportive team of people who have made service their career. To be able to share an office with them and learn from them was all I asked prior to this experience. The way I see it, I got a pretty sweet deal. So would I consider doing this again? Read this article right from the top and you will realize that this question answers itself.

I’d like to thank all of the wonderful people at Atma and the CHIP office. Thanks for accepting me as part of the team. Thanks to Novela Corda, CHIP Executive Director, for giving me the freedom to be myself and do my own thing. Thanks to Summer Starr and Atma, who recruited me and facilitated my volunteership. My experience in Mumbai would be incomplete without all of you.

The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is Asia’s largest marathon, and one of India’s single platforms for fundraising. [1]

In the past, the Mumbai Marathon has served as an incredible event for awareness and fundraising for NGOs across India, as well as to help showcase the social issues they address. In 2010, 107 NGOs chose to participate in the Mumbai Marathon. In 2011, 179 NGOs were registered in the Marathon, collectively raising Rs 12.16 crore. Based on the growth witnessed over the past few years, NGO involvement is expected to continue to grow exponentially.

The key to a successful Marathon campaign for any NGO is having an extensive planning process and clear goals. Preparing for the Mumbai Marathon encompasses much more than showing up on Race Day: planning requires a large investment of time and energy in marketing your cause, finding participants and corporate teams, and completing the registration processes. However, approaching the Marathon preparations in a strategic way guarantees an incredible outcome for an NGO.

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Photograph by Annemarijn Boersma

Atma Graduated Partner CHIP works in BMC schools in Mumbai to improve the whole experience of each student, focusing on classroom infrastructure and educational offerings. CHIP is currently expanding its team: they are looking for dynamic, motivated professionals to work in the areas of accounting, office administration and resource management. Write to CHIP at chip.mumbai@gmail.com for full job descriptions.

CHIP became an Atma Graduated Partner this April, after completing 3 years of educational collaboration and learning with Atma. The Atma-CHIP relationship will evolve as CHIP joins the Atma Graduated Partners Program and Atma continues to play an advisory role in CHIP’s continuous growth and development.

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