The Omprakash Ambassador Travel Grant supports travel and living expenses for qualified, energetic, and entrepreneurial individuals who want to volunteer abroad within our international network of grassroots health, education, and environmental “Partner” organizations. Omprakash levies no fees upon volunteers, but the majority of volunteers are still required to cover their own travel and living expenses. Our grant program enables us to harness the potential of inspired individuals who are poised to contribute to our mission but would struggle to afford these basic costs. Omprakash Ambassadors are also awarded automatic enrollment in Omprakash EdGE (Education Through Global Engagement), our rich online curriculum that explores the ethics, economics, and complex power dynamics that underlie cross-cultural volunteering and ‘aid’ in the world we share.
The program has three basic aims:
- To provide talented people with educational and empowering experiences of global citizenship.
- To provide our Partners with needed support.
- To expand the scope and depth of our impact by recruiting volunteers who exhibit the intention and capacity to make a long-term contribution to our international network.
This contribution might involve reaching out to new volunteers or Partners, sharing creative Resources such as lesson plans or educational documentaries, helping students and teachers learn and serve with our Partners, or fundraising-but ultimately, it is up to each applicant to determine his or her most valuable offering to our network.