Kelsang

Hear 3 of our Volunteers’ stories on why they decided to volunteer at Turn The Bus, the value it has brought to their lives and one key lesson they are keen on sharing with you! Maybe it will make you want to Turn The Bus too?

What inspired them to volunteer for an educational non-profit like Turn the Bus?

Kalpana said, “I was at an inflexion point in my career... The development sector… education in particular, have always been areas where I have looked to contribute and TTB fit right in”. Kalpana also emphasised that the people working at Turn The Bus, whom she personally trusted and believed in, also greatly influenced her decision to volunteer for our non- profit. “People who, I know, can make a difference!”

Vikram shared with us that he decided to volunteer at Turn The Bus because he is a strong believer in the power of education to transform lives. “Education is one of the only ways to get the rural poor out of their multi-generational poverty trap… I got inspired by the idea of using technology to deliver education.”

Kishore Kumar Ram shared his insight, “I believe education is a great leveller. Only education can eradicate poverty and bring prosperity for the country”- a belief he put into action by deciding to dedicate his human capability to volunteer with us, for our cause.

What are the value additions that the volunteering experience has brought to their life?

For Kalpana, the volunteering experience brought her back to ‘learning’ in its literal sense – from having her complete courses and acquiring new skills, to being involved in the design and delivery of learning content for our students. Moreover, she shared that she thoroughly enjoys the grassroots associations that she has at Turn The Bus – “from our students who are on the WhatsApp groups, to the inspiring topper-tutors, to the Jeevika didis and the very enterprising and sage program managers!”

Vikram says the volunteering experience gave him a chance to work with “amazingly motivated… people.” He said that another value addition in his life was having a chance to contribute his skill set to “something much more meaningful”, reflecting deep personal fulfilment that volunteering brought to him.

For Kishore, the key value additions to his life were that he got a chance to upskill himself with new skills in the technology, besides also getting the opportunity to interact with professionals across the world.

From their individual volunteering experience at TTB, what is one learning that they would like to share with the world?

Kalpana says that this experience has made her think differently on how to scale impact. She says that it is a testimony of how a non- profit program does not always need huge grants to scale up, but can leverage “the power of well-intentioned groups and networks” to sustain its model, like TTB has done.

Vikram shares that there may be many solutions to development problems, but the most important solution lies in operating with grit and dedication to actually bring about social impact.
Finally, Kishore leaves us with an enlightened thought, “You get back in multiple of what you give”- a learning he wishes to pass on to all the readers of our blog.

Are you volunteering for a non- profit organization? And if not yet, how have the reflections of our volunteers made you feel about the idea of starting to volunteer?