Ronita Nath (from Canada)

How did you find out about SBT?
In order to pursue PhD, I wanted to gain understanding of the issues related to street children. So, I did some research online about NGOs and that is how I came to know about SBT.

How has been your experience with SBT?
The experience so far has been really amazing. Children at SBT are so friendly and welcoming that spending time with them really makes me happy. I am hopeful that in one year of my volunteering tenure I will have contributed positively to the work of the organization.

What do you like best about working with SBT? The Coordinators and staff at SBT are very supportive and they give me enough freedom to carry out my objectives.

Karine Thibaud (from France)

How did you find out about SBT?
I found out about SBT through DSF (Développement Sans Frontières), a French association which has partnerships with NGOs from all over the world. 

What do you hope to gain from your volunteer experience?
By volunteering here, I was just hoping to give these children some attention and knowledge, in order to positively impact (even a little) their lives. Now after almost 2 months, I can say that I have gained much more than what I expected. It has been a very rich experience!

What is your favorite Indian dish?
Hum, this is a difficult question! But if I had to choose one, I would say homemade veg biryani (with pomegranate, cashews and lots of coriander). Yummy!

Miha (from Slovenia)

How did you find out about SBT?
I came as a tourist to India and I wanted to make use of my time by volunteering at an NGO. I was quite impressed with the kind of work SBT does and hence decided to work with them.

How has been your experience with SBT?
The experience has been great. It is good to see that SBT is doing a lot for these kids. Also, SBT as an organization is quite well organized compared to others in the same field.

What do you like best about working with SBT?
The best part is that SBT provides lots and lots of opportunities for children to recognize their inherent talent and capabilities.

Jamsheena (from India)

How did you find out about SBT?
I am currently pursuing M.A in Social Work from Delhi University. So, I am working with SBT for 1 year concurrent field work as part of my curriculum.

How has been your experience with SBT?
The overall experience has been good. I have worked with Childline before to help in rescue missions and since I wanted to get more exposure I shifted to contact point. The main focus here is to observe kids and engage them as they are directly from the streets unlike shelter homes.

What do you like best about working with SBT?
The best part is that SBT provides rehabilitation of children which is very important. It is good to see that the staff at SBT has very good relationship with the children.

Mubbashir (from India)

How did you find out about SBT?
I am currently pursuing B.S.W from Amity University. So I am working with SBT for gaining community exposure as part of my curriculum.

How has been your experience with SBT?
The experience so far has been good because SBT is the organization which is really working very hard for street children as compared to others in the same field. Also, SBT quite well managed with proper documentation etc.

What do you like best about working with SBT?
I have worked on different areas like rescue missions, designing of group activities, counseling and so on. Hence, I am proud of being a part of SBT as it has helped me gain an understanding of various issues affecting street children.

Sakshi & Swati (from India)
(from right to left)

How did you find out about SBT?
We are currently pursuing PGDM-HR from International Management Institute (IMI). We worked as Interns with SBT for 1 month to gain community exposure as part of our curriculum.

How has been your experience with SBT?
The experience with SBT has been awesome! We gained deep insights into the life of street children. We were quite surprised to see that people from different countries are doing a lot of good work with so much dedication and sincerity. We also gained an overall understanding of SBT as an organization.

What do you like best about working with SBT?
We are proud to be associated with SBT as it not only provides children with basic needs but also makes them independent by providing them with job opportunities.

Shannon Lees (from Canada)

What are the biggest challenges of volunteering for SBT?
The biggest challenge would have to be the language barrier, I wish every day that I spoke Hindi and could communicate with the kids in their own language! But there are ways around that, by using lots of body language, hand gestures and generally we are able to get our messages across to each other.

What do you wish you had known before you started volunteering?
Well, other than Hindi, I wish I had known how much these kids love activities like word searches, worksheets and crossword puzzles and I would have brought a lot more of them with me from home! 

What is the biggest difference between your home country and India?
Definitely the biggest difference would be the temperature! It's pretty nice being here in a t-shirt while back home I would be wearing a down-filled jacket and mittens!