Yuva for Sewa

SEWA

HOUSTON: Sewa International has launched its annual Yuva for Sewa (YFS), 8 to 10-week volunteer summer internship opportunity for college students to travel to India to contribute their time to serve humanity. Since its inception in 2006, 52 YFS youth interns have volunteered their time for health care, education, environment, women’s empowerment, rural development, and microfinance. Interns work with community NGOs to serve and engage in an empowering self-transformative experience to make an impact in their chosen field.

Bhavana Vissapragada, a student at University of Massachusetts, Amherst travelled to Bengaluru, India in 2014 as a YFS intern. She shares her experiences to inspire others to participate in the program.

“In June, I visited an orphanage for girls to interview the NGO administrators as a part of my internship. Later, the girls pulled me into the room next door. At first, I walked in with the expectation of talking to them to get more information on the NGO, but slowly the interview structure degraded, and even with the language barrier, the girls and I were talking about everything. They discovered that I knew Bharatanatyam (a classical dance from South India), and before I knew it, I was performing for them.

As I was leaving, they made me promise that I would come back and visit again. Before I knew it, the day had come when I had to leave Bengaluru back to the US. I remembered the promise I made to those girls. So I got a ride, and visited them. I walked in, and soon the girls were all yelling “Bharathanatyam Akka (elder sister)! Bharathanatyam Akka!” This exemplifies my experience interning with YFS. I would go places with the intention of just conducting an interview, but I would come back from the experience with a connection, realizing that each interaction was meaningful. The friendships I made stand out with the experience I got out of my internship.”

To know more about the Yuva for Sewa program, log on to http://www.sewausa.org/yuva-sewa-appeal. Interested candidates apply online at http://www.sewausa.org/yuva-sewa-2015. Admissions are on a rolling basis. The final deadline is April 15th 2015. Locations of Internships will be in Bengaluru, India.

Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a Hindu-faith based, worldwide nonprofit that promotes selfless service to communities around the world regardless of race, color, nationality, religion, or gender. To volunteer, contact info@sewausa.org.

Kriti DograEmail: info@sewausa.org .Web:http://www.sewausa.org