LIFE IN NEPAL
If being surrounded among the world's highest mountain peaks isn't enough to bring you to Nepal, perhaps understanding the beauty of the Nepalese culture, people, and landscapes will. Nepal possesses the greatest altitude variation on the Earth. With terraced hillsides as far as the eye can see, and crystal clear lakes surrounded by endless majestic mountain peaks. Nepal has more than enough to offer, from the lowlands near sea level to Mount Everest at 8,850 meters (29,035 feet). Everest, named after British surveyor Sir George Everest, is known as Chomolungma by the local Sherpas, meaning "Goddess Mother of the World" - related to this is the Chinese name Qomolangma. The Nepali word for Everest, Sagarmatha, is often translated as "Forehead of the Sky." Sherpas benefit from the mountaineering boom and tourism in the Everest region, owning much of the lodging and transportation. They teach visitors about Sherpa culture and Buddhism's love of the land.
MAKE YOUR NEXT VOLUNTEER TRIP COUNT BY BECOMING PART OF A WORTHWHILE CAUSE AND JOINING OUR TEAM IN nepal TODAY!
ISSUES FACING NEPAL
With that being said, there is also a widespread problem of poverty in Nepal and the reality is, it is one of the poorest countries in Southern Asia. Like most countries stricken with poverty, the people of this country are in desperate need of all the help they can get. We offer plenty of opportunities for you to become involved. As a volunteer, you can provide one of the greatest gifts to the people in this country, which is Education. It is believed that education alone cannot eliminate poverty but is one of the greatest contributors to it. As a volunteer, you will be given an opportunity to make a difference to the lives of others and in doing so, the people you will work with will also make a difference in yours.
how you can help
The programs we offer are designed to provide an ethical volunteering experience whereby volunteers will not only share their skills but will also learn about the local communities getting to know the people and their culture. We are actively looking for enthusiastic and empathetic volunteers who want to experience community life while getting involved to make a difference with local projects, which are designed to help the most vulnerable children in Nepal. If you venture to this foreign land the rewards will pay off instantly and your experience in the country will leave you wanting more. We recommend spending an extra week or two, either before or after your placement, to walk along some of the world class hiking trails that cover the sacred mountains of the Himalayans.
ESSENTIAL COUNTRY INFORMATION:
CAPITAL CITY: Kathmandu
POPULATION: 25.37 million
LIFE EXPECTANCY: 59
CURRENCY: Nepalese Rupee (NPR)
TIME ZONE: UTC +05:45
LITERACY PERCENT: 45
RELIGION: Muslim, Buddhism, Hindu
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE(S): Nepali, English, various other languages and dialects
WEATHER AND CLIMATE: The climate in Nepal has four distinct seasons. Spring is during the months of March to May; the weather is warm with mild rainfall and temperatures average 22 °C. Summer is during the months of June to August. It is the monsoon season when the hills turn lush and green. Temperatures can reach up to 30 °C or more during heat waves. Autumn is during the months of September to November. It is cool with clear skies and is the most popular season for trekking. Temperatures are mild and average 25°C. During the season, evenings are cool and temperatures can drop down to 10 °C. Winter is during the months of December to February. Most of the mountains are covered with snow including some high hills. During this season, temperatures can reach up to 20 °C. during the day but overnight, it can be very cold and the temperature can drop below 0 °C.
“IT’S SOMETHING I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO AND WAS SO WORTH IT”
My name is Tiffany, I'm 22 years old and from Australia. I volunteered abroad in Pokhara, Nepal. Once I arrived, I met the children at the home and there were 9 of them altogether. We took them on a picnic to the park next to the lake and had an amazing time. Just to see them smiling and having fun at the most simplest things was gorgeous. I could see myself growing to love the place and not wanting to leave. The Director and his wife were very welcoming and made me feel very comfortable. There were also two other volunteers staying at the orphanage with the children. Pokhara is a beautiful Lake-side city with everything you need just a 20 minute walk from the orphanage. The mountains surround the lake. There are a lot of things to do here, like trekking, paragliding, sightseeing, rafting and just relaxing. I'm very glad I decided to volunteer in Pokhara, I hope you decide to come here too! It's different and challenging; but it's something I always wanted to do and was so worth it!
Tiffany Bond
22 YEARS OLD
NATIONALITY: AUSTRALIAN
DESTINATION: NEPAL
PROGRAM DURATION: 2 WEEKS
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Location: Kathmandu, Pokhara or surrounding villages
This program provides you with the opportunity to teach English at almost any level. The options include: nursery, kindergarten, village primary schools, high schools, or private/government colleges. As a teacher, it will give you the opportunity to teach students who are eager to learn and improve their abilities in English. The students will also benefit from cultural exchange and different teaching techniques from international volunteers. You will be placed in either a public (government) or private school, depending on the area you wish to work. The Nepalese children are very keen to improve their conversational English to brighten their future and also to be able to have conversations in the English language. For this program, there is NO requirement to be a native English speaker but you do need to have basic understanding and knowledge of the language.
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Location: Pokhara
There are more than 130,000 Tibetans living in exile in India, Nepal and Bhutan; 20% of those residing in Nepal. By choosing to live in Nepal, Tibetans continue to face many problems while in exile, education being one of them. A number of Tibetan communities in Nepal have established educational schools called 'Tibetan Children's Villages'. These schools support religious Tibetan practices and provide education in Buddhist philosophies alongside other activities such as English and computer skills. As a volunteer, you will be teaching English to young Buddhist Monks and enable them to enhance their education. During this placement, you will also get the fantastic opportunity to witness and participate in traditional Buddhist rituals and get a unique chance to deep dive into the Buddhist culture and immerse yourself among the people living a very traditional Buddhist lifestyle.
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Location: Kathmandu or Pokhara
Every year hundreds of children become needy in Nepal's crowded cities after leaving their villages in search of work or from a loss or change in family situations. These children are deprived of education and a number of them end up working as child labourers in factories, restaurants or hotels. Others are given no other option but to turn to drugs as they struggle on the streets to survive. It is thanks to a number of orphanages that some of these children have been given a chance to receive the love, attention, care and education they so truly deserve and need. Volunteering in an orphanage will provide you with a life-changing experience that you will never forget and one that will open your eyes to just some of the problems facing Nepal and you will start seeing the world with a fresh new perspective.
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Location: Pokhara, Kathmandu or Chitwan
This program is for Doctors, Nurses, Nursing or Medical Students. Volunteers will work at hospitals and community health clinics. Volunteers will be helping doctors or health assistants at the clinic performing tasks like dressing wounds, administering shots, drawing blood, holding babies while they are being treated, conducting home visits, organizing patients, helping with screening, developing and delivering information on health issues such as birth control and personal hygiene, providing office support, and providing knowledge to the health post doctors on the latest first aid techniques. On this program, you can also assist local staff with picking up medicines, supplies, and generally helping out in whatever capacity you may be needed. Our health post program provides a wide variety of different projects depending on the time of year. As a volunteer, you will be provided with an opportunity to make a difference to a community as you will be contributing to support the work of local doctors and nurses in a country where health care is a major issue, and the number of people trained in rural areas is very low.
ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS & CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Location: Pokhara
The Himalayas in Nepal represent the highest terrestrial ecosystem on planet earth. It claims over 2.2% of the global wealth of flowering plants, 4.2% of mammals, 8.5% of birds, 1.4 % of reptiles and amphibians, and 2.2% of fresh water fish species, which is proof of the richness in biodiversity. In the past decade, Nepal's natural habitats are under threat. Deforestation, soil erosion and recent earthquake activity has destroyed thousands of hectares and levelled small cities and towns. The objective for this program is to promote environment awareness and conservation among local children and adults in cities, towns, and villages. As a volunteer, you will get an opportunity to study and gain new insights into sustainable agriculture, environment protection and resource management in Nepal. This program has been established and is dedicated to bring the right attitude and cause behavioural changes to help educate locals to ensure we can find ways to preserve, protect and promote community development activities to do what we can to save what's left of the precious existing environment here in this country.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS WE OFFER:
Community Involvement Program Fee
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$120.00 CAD TO $460.00 CAD
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$230.00 CAD TO $570.00 CAD
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$340.00 CAD TO $650.00 CAD
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$455.00 CAD TO $805.00 CAD
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$560.00 CAD TO $900.00 CAD
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$670.00 CAD TO $1,010.00 CAD
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$70.00 CAD TO $110.00 CAD
PLEASE NOTE: Volunteers are required to pay a Registration Fee of $225.00 CAD, which will be added to the program fee. This fee helps to cover the registration, enrolment, administration and processing costs. To find out what’s included in the program fees, scroll down for additional details.
To convert these prices to your currency click here. Fees may vary depending on the USD exchange rate.
OUR PROGRAM FEES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
Registration Fee - (refundable if you cancel your program), ongoing support from VWB staff, program marketing costs, digital information package, administration costs, travel costs to develop additional programs as well as ongoing costs to sustain programs.
Program Fee - airport pick-up (only from Tribhuvan International Airport), orientation, program supervision, accommodation (private or dormitory style) and meals during volunteer program period, in-country 24/7 volunteer support and in country administration costs.
Additional Costs to the Volunteer - visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), immunizations / vaccinations, in-country trips or tours, transfer to other areas and spending money.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Our enrolment and registration process begin by applying online. Once you have filled out and submitted the online application form, you will receive a confirmation email. To continue on in our enrolment process, all volunteers will be required to pay a Registration Fee of $225.00 CAD, which will be added to the Program Fee. This fee helps to cover the administration and processing costs. Once we receive both the registration and program fee payment, we will send you a confirmation email with the program details and encourage you to book your flight at that time. Our team will be readily available to correspond with you and answer any questions you might have from the time you apply until you reach the project. If you have any further questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact us at: info@vwbinternational.org.