VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS AND CULTURAL IMMERSION IN NEPAL

INFO Nepal is a local organization that offers affordable volunteer program in Nepal. Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational and community aid programs. We provide Nepali Language, Culture and staying with a host family, training foreign volunteers who wish to render their services to Nepal. We send trained volunteer to orphanages, children's centers, schools and communities to generate awareness regarding environmental issue, orphans care, sanitation, income generating initiative, teaching English and health care. This will give you a chance to make an important contribution to the people of Nepal and while doing so gain an in depth experience of the country and its culture, that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

THE PROGRAM

The volunteer opportunities are in the following areas:
1. Home-stay and Cultural Exchange Programs - Among our 55 host families
2. English Language Instruction - Teaching in a school
3. Teaching at a Children's Resource Center - We have set up 10 Children's Resource Centers.
4. Environmental & Sanitation Awareness - ecotourism or working with green clubs
5. Primary Health Care Education - We have 7 health posts and two health camp placements
6. Working in Orphanages or the INFO Nepal Happy Home Children's Care House - We have 7 orphanage homes where we have been sponsoring children.
7. Work in a Disabled Care Facility - We have been working with Disabled centers
8. Provide Veterinary Care - Among our Host Families' animals and village animals
9. Administrative Support - To help in the office with fundraising, developing the program and correspondence
10. Volunteers are welcome to design their own program in various areas - You are most welcome to work in any field and we will support you to arrange all the necessary aspects of your placement.

* Please note that if you choose to volunteer at an orphanage or resource center, these take place during the mornings and afternoons.  Most of our volunteers will thus choose to volunteer at a local school during the day.

PROGRAM LOCATION The placements are available in Kathmandu Valley, Kavre, Langtang, Pokhara, Nawalparasi and Chitwan, all of which are near to a city. Volunteers can look up the places to get more of a feel for the areas. Furthermore, we will discuss your exact placement when you arrive according to your needs, safety considerations and availability. Our local co-ordinators will be looking after you.

A TYPICAL DAY AT THE PLACEMENT
In a typical placement, volunteers stay with a family and eat Nepali food with the family twice a day (around 9 o' clock in the morning and 7 o' clock in the evening). Tea is served in the morning and in the afternoon. Volunteers may have the opportunity to get together with other volunteers and share their experiences. You will be able to travel to nearby towns to purchase things for daily use and can travel to other areas on longer breaks. Besides your project work, volunteers can utilize their spare time in organizing the youth and women's groups of the community to do some worthwhile activities like building a smokeless stove or toilet by using local materials, making a soak pit, kitchen gardening, making a solar dryer, garbage management, paper recycling, etc.  It's up to you - you can do as much or as little as you'd like (though, or course, we'd prefer that you do a lot!!).

PROGRAM REQUIREMENT

We do not ask for any formal qualifications from our volunteers. All we ask is that you have a genuine desire to help people and a willingness to experience a new culture and lifestyle.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Our programs run throughout the year. You can volunteer for any time from 2 weeks to 5 months. The volunteer programs generally start on the 1st and 15th of each month. However, we are quite flexible if you would like to start the program on a different date, though there may not be as many volunteers doing orientation with you. Please let us know about your suitable date.

TRAINING

Upon your arrival to Kathmandu, you will be taken to Happy Home, our volunteer center, from the airport, where you will be meeting current or past volunteers and learning about their experience. During your training period you will have: Basic Nepali Language classes - 2-3 hrs, morning. Nepali cultural orientation/ general cultural exchange - 1hr, afternoon. Language and Skills Activities - 1hr, afternoon. Sightseeing - 2 hrs, afternoon. Different Nepali dinners.

BASIC PROGRAM COST  2 weeks is € 250  3 weeks is € 50   4 weeks is € 450  6 weeks is € 525  8 weeks is € 600 10 weeks is € 675 12 weeks is € 750

The program fees cover: airport pickup, language training, administrative charge, training, accommodation and main meals during placement, cultural sightseeing, transportation for volunteers and supervision.
You can pay your program fees up on arrival at the INFO Office in Euros, US Dollars or Nepali Rupees.

The other costs you will need to meet are:
Your flights, Visa (a 60 day tourist visa is only US$30, the extensions are US$30 per 30 days with three renewals possible), Shots, travel insurance, potential police check, and corresponding airport departure taxes. Also you will need a weekly budget from US$20 to cater for all your other expenses like bottled water, personal items, beverages and entertainment. Living in a village is relatively inexpensive in comparison to most western countries and usually it is difficult to spend more than US$10 per week during your placement.


CONFIRMATION

To confirm your placement with us you need to send us your flight details so that we will pick you up at the airport. Though we can accommodate last-minute volunteers, we prefer to receive flight arrival information at least a month in advance.

For more information, please visit our website: www.infonepal.org.

[BACK TO VOLUNTEERING IN NEPAL]