iVolunteer Blog - everything about volunteering

The meaning of the word ‘Anganwadi’ in the English language is “courtyard shelter”. The word Anganwadi is derived from the Hindi word “Aangan”, it refers to the courtyard of a house. Aangan is a rural Indian term for “a place where people get together to discuss, greet, and socialize their matters”. The Aangan is also used occasionally […]

By Anusha Murali Every day, Indian households generate massive amounts of waste, from leftover food and vegetable peels to plastic wrappers and broken items. Sadly, much of this ends up in overflowing landfills, rivers, and roadsides, causing trouble to the waste handlers and the municipalities. But the solution begins at home, with just two bins […]

How a night trek to Garbett Plateau became a metaphor for life, friendship, and resilience. It wasn’t a classroom, a community, or a conference room that offered me one of the most transformative experiences of my fellowship — it was a dark hillside under a sky full of stars. We were in the middle of […]

First da̧̧y first visit to Panchayat in Project village When voices echo, the community listens!A surge in attendance, a spotlight on water governance—Panchayat social audit turned into a masterclass, featuring yours truly! FGD or undercover strategy squad?A friendly chat suddenly flipped into a planning session that could rival a cabinet meeting. Community wisdom strikes again! […]

My own concern while getting a project location was to have access to tiffin boxes. I wasn’t ready to try my hand on cooking back then. Although I eventually learned to cook, staying near Mumbai taught me a lot about the city. I wish to explore about Lifeline of Mumbai – local trains in this […]

Despite the seemingly accusatory title, the underlying sentiment is one of curiosity, a key driver in effective problem-solving. The fact that problems exist is not exactly a groundbreaking discovery. What many people miss is that randomly asking questions to find the answer takes us nowhere. A problem solver’s search must begin with the quest for […]

A term commonly heard in the innovation domain is ‘design thinking’. A non-linear, iterative process, design thinking is used to create innovative solutions that are prototyped and tested. It is considered a highly effective tool to tackle ill-defined and unknown problems. As a tool, design thinking enables innovation to adapt to rapidly changing environments, with […]

By Anusha Murali We’ve all been there, strolling through the spotless streets of a European city or watching them on western documentaries or travel vlogs, momentarily stunned by a futuristic trash bin that opens its lid as you approach, compresses the waste, then alerts the municipal authorities when it’s full. Ah, the joys of Western […]

As I reflect on my journey in this blog, I’m transported back to the moment that sparked my passion for menstrual health and hygiene. A pivotal field visit to a rural area during my master’s program exposed me to the harsh realities of cervical cancer and the crippling effects of poor menstrual hygiene. What struck […]

In brief- my fieldwork journey at Jawhar was full of learning experiences not only from the project basis but also from observing the surrounding environment and human to learn from them. The story begins with the morning jeep ride to village Devtali and Vadpada for visiting village Aanganwadi and Health and Wellness Center- Vadpada, gram […]