India

VSO India volunteers work in the areas of disability, HIV and AIDS, and Participation and governance. Since 2004, VSO has been recruiting professionals from India to volunteer in other developing countries through its partner iVolunteer.

Disability

Most of India's 70 million disabled people suffer unequal access to education, employment and justice, and are often excluded from the political processes. For example, although the average national enrolment rate is 56 per cent, only eight per cent of India’s disabled children are in full-time education, and unemployment for disabled people is over 99 per cent, compared to the national average of 8 per cent.

VSO volunteers are working with groups run by and for disabled people to raise awareness of their rights and the issues affecting them, and advocating for necessary changes in access to public services.

HIV and AIDS

In comparison to Africa, rates of HIV and AIDS infection in India are still low, below one per cent. However, the actual numbers of women and men living with HIV and AIDS is estimated to be in the region of five million, a figure that ranks India the highest in the world. Discrimination is a significant issue in India and there are many reports of children being refused entrance to school, adults being dismissed from jobs, and people being disowned by their family and communities or refused proper medical care. Fear of discrimination is one of biggest barriers to controlling the spread of HIV, because it deters women and men from finding out or declaring their status or seeking suitable care and treatment. Volunteers are working with agencies that raise awareness, campaign for the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS and offer appropriate care and treatment.

Participation and governance

Caste remains an important issue in India, greatly influencing people’s access to education and employment. The children of dalits (the lowest caste) and adivasis (tribal people) are much less likely to go to school than others and often comprise the majority of those in child labour. The low status of women in India is reflected in a literacy rate of 46 per cent for females compared to 69 per cent for males.

Volunteers involved in participation and governance are working with Panchayati Raj Institutions (Panchayati Raj is the traditional form of self governance for villages and gained constitutional status in 1993) and civil society agencies to support them in representing, and being accessible to, the people from all sections of the communities that they represent.

National volunteering

VSO India has recently launched a National Volunteering Strategy. Its aims are to promote community-based volunteering, encourage professional and corporate volunteering, and build on VSO India’s current work in youth volunteering through a number of existing partners. This is intended to complement the current international volunteering programme in the country.