Stephen Raja Chinnappan has been Global Volunteers' country manager and on-site team leader in India since 2001. He was born and raised in Bangalore, and now lives with his wife, Sheeba, near the suburb of Porur, where the service program is based.

Prior to leading teams for Global Volunteers, Stephen, who has a bachelors degree in commerce, served as our on-site consultant in India for almost a year, and is versatile in working with volunteers from all backgrounds.

Stephen owns a tour business in Chennai, which he runs when teams are not on-site. He has experienced most areas of India, and knows her people. You can read Stephens expanded profile here.

Our country managers have served on one or more volunteer teams, and each year are required to complete our intensive two-week training seminars in Minnesota. They're experienced in managing diverse groups of people, and are formally evaluated by each volunteer team. Country Managers must achieve an established level of performance in order to continue leading Global Volunteers teams.

"The work of Global Volunteers is so wonderful... working with people from across the globe with lots of love to share. They bring the people of India joy and happiness. Such a relationship is a 'must' for world peace and for better understanding of each other's cultures." ~ Stephan Raja

You'll receive a description of, and contact information for your India country manager approximately four weeks before your service program begins.