My time as a VOLUNTEER with the Hospital

I have been practicing Yoga in Daily Life for about a year, and ever since felt the urge to go abroad and help the needy ones. Nevertheless, it took some time for me to decide what to do. During a meditation lesson in the Ashram in Villach, the idea about going to India came into my mind. After discussing my plans with Sadhvi Dayaji, who has been my yoga trainer in Villach, she advised me to send an application as a karma yogi to Jadan Ashram. So I did… I got my application accepted and at that time, I had the chance to visit a presentation of Sadhvi Shantiji in Austria. She was talking about the hospital in Jadan. I was really impressed and asked her in more detail about her work with the needy ones in the area of Pali, Rajasthan. We arranged that if possible, I would help her as a volunteer during my stay in Jadan.I arrived at the beginning of August and was immediately impressed about India. Although my travel was quite long, I could not wait to arrive in Jadan. The Ashram and within the hospital building – it looked so great – I was not disappointed. I soon met with Shantiji and she showed me the hospital, introduced me to part of the staff and explained what kind of work was lying ahead of us.

Since then, I helped as much as I could. Besides administration work, we prepared presentations, changed and added things on the homepage (e.g. volunteering), translated things into German, checked the material for the Ayurveda treatment etc. Currently I’m also working on the applications for NGO funds, to guarantee a long-term funding of the hospital. A lot of equipment needs to be bought and more free medical camps, operations, medications and treatments need to be offered. These free treatments and the equipment of the hospital are only possible through the donations of lots of well-wishers from all over the world, and should be expanded through the financing of NGO funds.

The villagers here are living in extremely harsh conditions, without proper medical treatment and healthcare. The mortality rate of children is really high; women and children are the most vulnerable groups to diseases. Even an eye operation, which costs only 30 Euros, is not affordable for the villagers. Volunteering with the hospital offers many possibilities. You can work in administration, help is always and everywhere needed, or if you are a health professional, you can help hands-on in the hospital and train the local medical staff also. You can help where help is really needed. Furthermore you gain personal and professional experience you will never ever want to miss again. And last but not least, you work with great people from all over the world in a very special environment.

So if you are interested or have any questions, please check our website www.helphospital.org (and the volunteering section also) or write an e-mail to info.ssmahospital@gmail.com
All the best from Jadan,
Sandra