Volunteering

Every year as summer approaches we start to receive and infinite amount of emails and calls from people wanting to go to India to volunteer with us.

While we are so grateful for the offers, we regret to inform you that, from the start of our organization, we have only accepted local volunteers in Mumbai.

Bombay Smiles gives first priority to the local people, due to the ease that it implicates (language, cultural knowledge, geographical knowledge, etc) and the desire to increase the amount of work opportunities in the neediest communities: that of the poor and untouchables. As you will understand, this is the type of development that Bombay Smiles looks for: benefiting as many people as possible through its projects. Today, Bombay Smiles, through its projects and counterparts employs more than 339 people in Bombay.

On the other hand, it is important to point out that, although the city is filled with misery (more than 60% of the population live in extreme poverty), Bombay is considered the “Indian New York:” it is filled with doctors, people skilled in every field, universities, pharmacies, hospitals… And as the funder of Bombay Smiles has often said “Bombay is a cosmopolitan city, but we work in its ‘bronx.’” It is true that more than half of its inhabitants, due to their fiscal state, cannot access Bombay’s comforts or schools, but they do exist within the city. Hence, Bombay Smiles is able to find qualified people within Bombay without having to turn to foreign help. And the organization works, day by day, so that these economically and socially disadvantaged citizens can one day share in the comforts of this city.However, if you want to come and see our projects, we would be delighted to invite you and allow you to see with your own eyes the small, daily, advancements that we have made in this peaceful fight against poverty. All you have to do is write an email to visitas@sonrisasdebombay.org and our partners will do everything that they can to help you with your visit.

Photos: Bombay Smile's Archive