Equal Health – 2026 India Camp: full opportunity description

• Equal Health is an Australian, volunteer-run, secular charity established in 1999 and dedicated to health equity through ethical, multidisciplinary outreach. Our mission is to partner with communities and local service providers so Australian volunteers can deliver free, high-quality health care and education wherever the need is greatest, with professionalism, integrity, cultural sensitivity and honesty.

Our core values are integrity, professionalism, cultural sensitivity, ethical practice and honesty.

Our approach

• Long-term partnerships that prioritise continuity, reciprocity and capacity-building, never fly-in, fly-out visits.
• Integration of clinical care with training, health promotion and system strengthening so benefits last well beyond the camp.
• Entirely volunteer governance with no paid staff or administrative overheads, which means every dollar of the volunteer contribution is reinvested directly into flights, accommodation, meals, ground transport, insurance, training and essential logistics – not salaries or office costs.

Our impact so far

• Over twenty years we have delivered twenty-six outreach camps in six countries, mobilised more than 500 skilled volunteers and provided more than 51,600 life-changing consultations.

2026 India Camp

• Camp dates: 14 to 28 February 2026.

Locations and community partners

West Bengal – volunteers will serve in Kolkata and the rural district of Katwa with:

• Anandaniketan, Society for Mental Health Care, supporting more than two hundred residents with disability and mental illness;
• Childlife Preserve Shishur Sevay, an inclusive family-style home for orphaned girls with complex needs;
• Sankara Nethralaya and the Elite School of Optometry, a leading eye hospital and optometry training centre running over one hundred community eye camps each year.

Tamil Nadu – the team will work around Tiruchirappalli with:

• Society for Education, Village Action and Improvement (SEVAI), a regional development organisation delivering inclusive education, disability services and public-health initiatives;
• Spastics Society of Tiruchirappalli (TSSA), a multidisciplinary centre supporting children with cerebral palsy, autism and developmental disabilities.

These sites were selected during 2024–25 reconnaissance visits after community leaders prioritised vision care, mental health, disability support and health education, ensuring the camp is wholly community-led and sustainable.

What volunteers will do

• Deliver direct clinical or educational services alongside Indian colleagues, serving several hundred clients each day.
• Mentor local staff during daily interdisciplinary debriefs and contribute to data collection for continuous quality improvement.
• Support sustainable solutions such as low-vision rehabilitation, school-based therapy, inclusive classroom support, health-promotion workshops and community art projects for visual storytelling.

Disciplines sought

• Expressions of interest are welcome from qualified professionals or final-year students in: optometry, nursing, pharmacy, podiatry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology, dietetics, psychology, teaching (early childhood to secondary) and the arts for mural creation and storytelling.

Typical day and living arrangements

• A usual schedule involves morning travel of one to two hours, clinical or educational service until lunch provided by local hosts, afternoon continuation of services, and an evening return for debrief, dinner and rest. Volunteers stay in basic but comfortable guest-houses with safe water and freshly prepared local meals, vegetarian options always available.

Contribution, costs and support

• Volunteer fee: approximately AUD 4 000 (subject to adjustment). Includes return group flights, comprehensive travel insurance, shared accommodation, nearly all meals, ground transport, three Equal Health shirts and a cap, orientation and continuous on-camp leadership.
• Equal Health arranges group flights, vetted transport, interpreters and travel insurance, and monitors Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advice to maintain volunteer safety.

Volunteer benefits

• Volunteering with Equal Health offers deeper purpose, new perspective on global health, professional growth in clinical and leadership skills, greater cultural awareness and lifelong friendships.

How to express interest

• Email recruitment@equalhealth.org.au letting us know that you are interested, or apply through SEEKVolunteer. We will send through a Volunteer Information Kit and an Expression of Interest Form. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.

By joining Equal Health’s 2026 camp you will place your skills exactly where communities have asked for support, strengthen local capacity and help create lasting change across West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.