Nepal Community Volunteers itinerary

Your Typical Itinerary

The programme runs over four, six or eight weeks. The following information is an outline of what you will be doing on the programme you have chosen.

Day 1 - Arrive

Days 2 to 5 – Orientation
These four days will be your orientation to Nepal, your project, the language and the local area.

Weeks 2 to 4/6/8 - depending on your chosen duration

Volunteer Placement
You will be working 3-5 hours per day on your chosen volunteer project in their locations from the options below:

Volunteer Options:
1.Teaching in Local School: - Chitwan, Kathmandu, Pokhara
2.Teaching at Orphanage – Kathmandu
3.Teaching in Monastery and learning Buddhism - Kathmandu, Lumbini and Pokhara
4.Working at the health post or Hospital - Chitwan and Kathmandu
5.Cultural Exchange programme - Kathmandu + Chitwan + Pokhara

(See below for further information on each placement)

Depending on the location of your volunteer placement you may walk or take public transport each day. If your placement is far away you will take tourist buses or local buses. Our co-ordinators in Nepal will explain the easiest way for you to get to your volunteer placement each day and they will recommend the safest and easiest method of transport.

Your placement will be dependant on your skills and the needs of the projects at the time you are there.

1. Teaching in a local school
You will have the opportunity to help the local community by teaching children English and Maths in a local school.

You are not required to have any previous experience but you need to be creative to make learning English fun for the children. Past volunteers have used some of the following methods:

Playing word association games
Drawing pictures of animals/people
Singing head, shoulders, knees and toes
Learning colours, days of the week, months of the year etc

There are so many ways to teach the list is endless! We recommend that you purchase a teaching guide to help you come up with fun, creative teaching techniques.

This programme provides a syllabus to take students from speaking no English at all, to being able to fulfil basic communication needs including giving personal information, describing their daily routines and describing the world around them.

You will receive information, tips and suggestions from us and when you arrive you will receive tips on what and how to teach. As well as teaching English you can help with other classes and activities such as Maths, sports and games.

You can use games to make learning fun, past volunteers have played things like twister, which helps students learn their left and right & also colours.

Being creative about learning makes school activities fun and interesting, and gives the children a more animated lesson.

Location
We have five placement schools in Kathmandu, seven in Chitwan and four in Pokhara. You will receive full details of your school placement upon arrival.

This volunteer programme provides an excellent opportunity to work with children and contribute to the local communities in a positive way. The children are really keen to learn English as this enhances their future employment opportunities.

2. Orphanages Project
By volunteering at a Nepali orphanage you will be involved in teaching activities and provide much needed motivation and enrichment to the lives of the children.

This project offers you the opportunity to not only help teach children but to motivate and enrich the lives of young people.

You will find this a worthwhile project if you are patient, caring and compassionate.

The rewards from this volunteer project are endless; you can spread happiness and also receive it from the laughter of young people you are helping.

As a volunteer you will be:

Teaching English on a non formal basis
Creating activities for the students including workshops for cultural exchange
Sports after classes

The orphanage provides housing, food and teaching materials for all poor students. Some of the programme fee goes towards providing materials like pens, pencils & books.

Location
Orphanage 1 is situated in the countryside, 30 minutes bus ride from the main city of Kathmandu. There are approximately 34 children ranging from six to twelve years old. E-mail and Internet facilities are within ten minutes walk. You can live at the orphanage home together with the orphans or with a home stay family near by.

Orphanage 2 is also a 30-minute bus/taxi ride outside of Kathmandu. It houses about 29 children aged from six to 14 years old. You will have a single room with the bathroom and toilet located outside. E-mail, Internet and telephone access is five minutes walk from the orphanage. There is also a Restaurant nearby which sells a variety of food for when you feel you have eaten enough Dal Bat!

Orphanage 3 is a 15-minute drive out of Kathmandu situated in the countryside of the Kathmandu Valley. This orphanage has 13 children. E-mail and Internet facilities are within 10 minutes walk and you can live at the orphanage or close by with a home stay family.

3. Teaching in a Monastery and Learning Buddhism
Nepal is the birthplace of Buddha and Buddhism. Though predominantly a Hindu country, Nepal has a significant Buddhist influence and the beautiful monasteries all over Nepal show how popular Buddhism is in Nepal. In Kathmandu, Tibetan people who are in exile in Nepal also practice Buddhism. Volunteers interested in working in a Buddhist monastery will mostly teach English to monks and immerse themselves in the Buddhist culture. This is a perfect choice if you are interested in Buddhism and the life of Buddhist monks.

As a volunteer you will be…
Working as an English instructor in schools of the Tibetan Children’s Village
Teaching for 3-4 hours a day
Assist in extra-curricular activities and administration
Organise games, drawing, singing, dancing and other creative education
You can join in with meditation, rituals, prayers and songs if you wish.

Though no teaching experience or skills are necessary, volunteers joining the Buddhist monk teaching programmes in Nepal should have good written and verbal English. Volunteers are expected to be flexible and patient.

Location
During volunteering in the Buddhist monastery, volunteers will stay in a hostel (mostly located inside the compound of the temple school). This hostel also acts as a home for monks and children. A separate room and shared bath will be arranged for volunteers. If you are interested in staying with a host family this can also be arranged. The projects’ Kathmandu office is within three miles distance of this project so our local staff will visit you every two weeks. In your free time, you are always welcome to visit our office.

4. Working at a Health Post or Hospital
Nepal's health care system is very poorly funded and there is an obvious lack of manpower and resources at all levels. The local hospitals that are located in the suburban city areas and villages urgently need volunteers and help. As a medical volunteer in Nepal, you will work in these rural health posts and community clinics, mostly assisting the main doctor. Work responsibilities vary depending on your education, skill and experience. Depending on your medical qualifications volunteers with a background in healthcare will work closely with orphanages in the Kathmandu Valley as children’s healthcare is particularly in need of extra help.

Projects may include:
Health checks
The creation of medical records
Health and sanitation education
Administering inoculations against childhood diseases
Treating basic ailments in the Orphanages
Volunteers with health education and first aid training can also provide real benefits to local communities. You can teach youth clubs and/or women's groups in the community about Health and Sanitation. You can also deliver first aid knowledge to the local villages and assist in developing and delivering First Aid and General Health education.

Please note that for the health programme we prefer medical students or advanced degree holders, however, volunteers with basic experience in this area can also be placed.

Location
There are rural and suburban options around Kathmandu and Chitwan.

5. Cultural Exchange Programme
This programme offers you a fantastic way to get more out of your trip to Nepal. You will be placed with a Nepali family in a small rural village or within a city for the duration of your stay.

You will learn about:

Culture
Lifestyle
Food

A totally unforgettable experience of Nepal!

You should remember that this is a cultural exchange so you should try and offer some knowledge of your own home culture and customs to your host family. During your training you will attend three hours of language lessons in the morning and in the afternoon you will go on short tours to see all the best local sights.

You can spend the day visiting the local village and school and exploring the local area. You will also have the opportunity to help out at the local school. Home-stay programmes can only be arranged for two weeks or one month and are best from September to May, which is the time when most large local festivals take place resulting in an overall more exciting experience.

Please note that if you choose a home-stay/cultural exchange you will be placed with your host family as soon as you have finished your Language training.

Included Excursion - Trip to Chitwan (Included in all project options)
You will be taken on a two-day trip to Chitwan. Your food and drinks are not included on this trip; however, all of your accommodation, activities and transport are included in your programme. You will be taken on an Elephant ride to go Rhinoceros and Bengal Tiger spotting. You will also have the opportunity to go canoeing, visit an elephant sanctuary, visit the Thauru village tour and a show of Thauru cultural dance, a jungle walk etc.