What’s the season (July) like to volunteer?

It’s the time when Nepal (and maybe the other countries) sees the greatest number of volunteers. It’s summer time in the West, time for holiday, but also time to go out on a volunteer abroad adventure. So what’s the season like in Nepal when many flock to experience Nepal intimately, help the underprivileged and the downtrodden?

You’re in for a surprise. If you want to see mountains, the natural beauty of Nepal, this is the worst season. But if you’re here to volunteer and immerse yourself with your local people, it’s the perfect time.

It’s the season of rain in Nepal, time when mudslide and landslide is common. When roads are washed away, houses are destroyed, but it’s also that time when people don’t venture out often and stay within their village, where rice planting season sees migrant workers come home to be with their family and till the land. It’s the time when you see villages see activities and people unite, albeit only for a month or so. Actually, there isn’t a better time to learn about Nepal than now.

The rains almost failed this time around. Anxious farmers were having restless time, but the monsoon is rain has finally arrived. You have to remember that more 70% of people are subsistent farmers and most of them depend on rain to farm. The monsoon also means at least light drizzle will accompany you most of the time and roads are waterlogged and muddy.

So when you land in Nepal, don’t expect to be on an expedition to visit Mount Everest, as your flights will get cancelled because of thick cloud cover and rain. The trekking trails will be full of blood thirty leeches and extremely slippery. And the majestic mountains will shy away from monsoon visitors under the cover of cloud.

You should stay tucked inside your Home Family and enjoy all the trappings of Nepali life.

It’s also a wedding season in Nepal. Don’t miss out on the chance to visit colourful and boisterious Nepali wedding if you’re invited.

Visiting an Orphanage - Observing its activities

Hi,

I visited an orphanage on Friday (been already 2 days). The orphanage had shifted to a new place and I wanted to look at its new infrastructure and see how volunteers had been working there.

The orphanage, called Sahara International, (sahara means support in Nepali), has rented a first floor of a 3 storey building in Narayanthan, on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The 20 children of the orphanage have have bunk beds to sleep on and there is kitchen, toilet and a playground. It's not a bad place.

There were 4 volunteers there. An American couple and 2 girls from Ireland. They were feeding the children with biscuits and peanut butter when I arrived. I spoke to the volunteers and how they'd been doing in the orphanage. The American couple said because of langauge barrier (most children don't understand English), they needed to use lot of sign langauge. They'd also spend their 3 weeks raising funds through the website and painting the floors.

The American couple told me what they'd manage to do with the money they'd collected from fundraising. They'd brought gas stove, proper cooking utensils, constructed a place for the children to wash and shower and improved the toilet. It was quite impressive. They'd spent majority of the time outside the orphanage though, visiting cyber cafes to construct a website and raise funds.

I'm happy that they were able to accomplish so much during their time. They said they'll continue to raise funds to the orphanage. But they actually hadn't spend time caring, teaching and looking after the children. That's part of the job also when you volunteer.

I know orphanages in Nepal can have dirty carpets, dirty floors and rowdy children, but volunteers should be prepared for that. You gain so much be getting used to all the condition and really buckling down to volunteer.

Try to raise funds by all means but provide children with love and care also.

The American couple hadn't taken any Nepali langauge class. They said they were short on time and wanted to spend what time there was volunteering. But it's actually a good idea to learn little bit of Nepali language first, then start the work.

Why Volunteer in Nepal

Nepal offers everything a volunteer would want. The people are warm and friendly, the landscape stunningly beautiful, and the country extremely poor where many well organized grassroots community projects are operating to improve the situation.

Although politically Nepal is still in an unstable state, with strikes and demonstrations occurring frequently, foreigners have never been harmed in Nepal. Even during a decade of civil war, not a single tourist was hurt. You might experience delays, but you’ll definitely be able to volunteer unhindered and travel around Nepal to experience the delights of the country.

Deprivation

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. There is very little industry. Most people are subsistence farmers. Tourism is the big industry and thousands depend on it.

Most Nepalese also travel abroad to work, mainly to Middle Eastern countries and India, and they send remittance back home. The country also survives on the largesse of Western governments. Most of the projects in Nepal (governmental or private) are supported by donations coming from governments abroad. The orphanages, grassroots projects, conversation projects, and most other projects depend on donations.

The People of Nepal


a typical Nepali village home

The people of Nepal are of two ethnic race; broadly speaking - Aryans and Tibeto-Burmans. The Aryan are mostly well off, except for the Dalits (formerly known as untouchables), while Tibeto-Burman groups have languished behind in education and jobs. The trend is slowly changing though.

Most Nepalese are also known as very affable and welcoming people. Most of the speak Nepali and understand English also (many of them). Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions of Nepal. Christian communities are also springing up as Evangelical activities are on the rise in Nepal.You’ll find Muslims also, especially in the south of country bordering India.

The landscape

Nepal's landscape is amazingly diverse. From the highest mountain in the world, you can reach almost up to sea level in just 100 kilometers. Numerous ethnic groups have thrived in this diverse topography.

In the north of Nepal, the majestic Himalayas form a natural boundary against Tibet. The middle part of the country contains mid hills (from 1000 meters to up 5000 meters), while the south region bordering India is flat, hot and humid.

Volunteer Projects


poverty stricken children of Nepal

Orphanage: Working in an orphanage is a popular volunteer activity in Nepal. You’ll find plenty of orphanages in all corners of Nepal. The orphanages aren’t well supported by the state and rely on donation to keep on going. The children aren’t all orphans in there. Many children come from extremely poor families, whose parents aren’t able to support them. It is not a bad setup to have the orphanages raising children from desperate poor families as they get food and education in the orphanage. A foreign volunteer can help the children by helping them improve their English or other subjects, playing with them, counseling them and making sure they receive plenty of care and love.

Teaching: Teaching in Schools, namely English, is another popular volunteer project. The government-run schools in Nepal have poor infrastructure and poorly trained staffs. A native English speaker can do a lot during their volunteering period.

Also, many schools, especially in rural areas, run well when a native English speaking volunteer join their staff list. The student enrollment increases and suddenly there is a buzz about in the place. Choose a school where you can do a lot. The private schools in Kathmandu are well funded and well organized. Volunteering in them won’t give you the kind of experience you’re looking for.

Teaching Buddhist Monks: a recent but very popular volunteer project. A number of volunteer organizations operate the program in Nepal. The site is usually Tibetan Monasteries of Nepal, where monks are extremely grateful to be taught English. You’ll stay in the Monastery (mostly) and eat Tibetan or Nepali food. You can also learn about Tibetan culture and Buddhism during the project.

Conservation: The forest covers of Nepal are dwindling at an alarming rate. The main reason for this is the reliance on firewood. There are many conservation programs currently running in Nepal. When you volunteer, make sure your project is not only supported by the local community but also owned by the local community. Unless this is the case, all your hard work will go to nothing as without ownership, participation and support from the locals, conservation efforts are destined for failure.

Health Project: For medical students or health professionals. Choose a hospital that caters mostly to the poor. You can really do a lot to help them. You can even organize health camps and treat people for free. Generally, for the poor of Nepal, medical treatment is expensive and unaffordable.

Internship: Many students come to Nepal to Intern. It’s an exciting place to intern. Journalism, social work, anthropology, research, Nepal has plenty of scope in all them.

You can also find other volunteer programs like women empowerment, and language and cultural immersion program.

Seeing Nepal


Mount Everest, highest mountain in the world

Trek to Mount Everest, or follow the trails that led to the Annapurna Base Camp. When it comes to trekking, there is no other better destination than Nepal. Many volunteers combine volunteer work with trekking. You’ll usually do volunteer work in the towns of mid hills, like Kathmandu and Pokhara, or in Terai, like in Chitwan. Trekking is the only way you’ll be up close and personal with the mighty Himalayas.

You can take a break from your volunteer work and trek, or finish the volunteer program and round up your stay with a trek.

In addition to trekking, you can also safari in the jungles of Chitwan and try and spot the elusive Bengal Tigers and rhinos.

There are other adventures sports you can try also, like white water rafting, paragliding, bungee jumping and canoeing.