Posted by Ripu Mardan Adhikari
Fulkharka Prosperity Society - Nepal
We, the Fulkharka Prosperity Society, are a group of twenty individuals who have come from the Fulkharka region to the Kathmandu valley for career opportunities, mainly in tourism and trekking. Two years ago, we decided to create the aforementioned society as a way to give something back to our community and to further develop our village in a socially responsible way.
Thus, we believe positive development can be brought about through education. A major aspect of our plan to achieve our objectives of community wide education is by inviting volunteer teachers and social workers to Fulkharka. We are eager to partner with the many talents and resources that volunteers have to offer. We will be relying on flexibility and communication between you, the volunteer, and our club members as this program is in its infancy. We truly hope you will be willing to share any suggestions as to how we can make this program as beneficial as possible for all involved.
Volunteer Opportunities
Education –There are several schools in the local vicinity, ranging from primary to higher secondary. The greatest need lies in recruiting experienced teachers for a wide range of topics, but mostly focusing on the English language in secondary school.
These schools are government run but poorly equipped. In most cases you will have around eighty students in a classroom designed to seat thirty. Most of the time there is no electricity and the students have no textbooks.
The volunteer will need to be creative, innovative, and flexible in order to accommodate such circumstances. Any volunteer that is accepted will have time to work with the regular classroom teacher/s to create a curriculum that is both transitionally coherent as well as keeping with the requirements of the government curriculum.
After much discussion with faculty members of the school, school administration, and other experts in the field of education, it has been determined that the minimum duration for any volunteer to be effective is one month in the primary school and two months in the secondary school.
Health Care –There are several health care facilities located in the region. Any individual with a background and certificate in the field of health care is welcome to come with the opportunity to contribute in many ways. The volunteer would be able to work in the local clinics assisting doctors as well as possibly teaching classes on topics such as hygiene, safe water, disease prevention, and first-aid.
The volunteer will have a choice of accommodation while in the village. The first option is to stay with one of the local families. This opportunity gives the volunteer first-hand experience of what true village life is like. The volunteer will have his/her own room and eat all meals with the family. This is an excellent option for a volunteer who desires a high degree of socializing as there is often little privacy outside of bedtime.
The village is rather remote so any volunteer must also be prepared to do without many of the comforts of a city. Small family owned stores can provide basic supplies such as noodles, water, soap and so forth.
The village is rather remote so any volunteer must also be prepared to do without many of the comforts of a city. Small family owned stores can provide basic supplies such as noodles, water, soap and so forth.
We do ask a small fee for these accommodations. However, it is considerably less than most other organizations. The money goes directly to compensate the host family for meals provided and any additional money goes back into the society’s fund. The amount of the fee is not set and is negotiable depending on the length of stay and other considerations. It will never exceed $100 U.S. dollars per month.
For more information please contact visit the website http://www.helpvillagenepal.com/ or email
info@helpvillagenepal.com
For more information please contact visit the website http://www.helpvillagenepal.com/ or email
info@helpvillagenepal.com
Alliance Nepal - Volunteer Placements in Nepal
Posted by Krishna Timilisina - Director of Alliance Nepal
Volunteering your time abroad to help others is a fantastic experience that will give you the opportunity to work and live side by side with local people. You will undoubtedly learn new skills through having to adjust to new situations and challenge yourself by volunteering in a developing country.
Alliance Nepal is an initiative set up by an enthusiastic team of locals within the Pokhara area. The main objective of Alliance Nepal is to be a catalyst towards social change through enhancing educational opportunities, health care, environmental awareness and cultural exchange. Established in 2007 Alliance Nepal has the benefit of being run by a team of staff with years of previous experience running successful volunteer projects.
The main focus of Alliance Nepal’s work is to raise educational awareness and enhance the lives of villagers through improving education development within the community. A key aspect of this is through working towards setting up a Learning Center from the volunteer and cultural program fees. The Learning Center will provide villagers with the opportunity to learn computer skills, dress making and other income generating activities whilst acting as an information resource center.
Over the last 4 years Alliance Nepal has been successfully working towards its goal of education enhancement within the village. Alliance Nepal will continue working as a catalyst of social and economic change in a number of surrounding villages in the Pokhara area.
Through Alliance Nepal we offer a number of volunteer programs which include teaching at a local school, raising awareness on issues such as the environment, sanitation, health care and gender equality. We believe in providing volunteers with the opportunity to experience and learn about Nepali culture first hand through language classes and home stays.
Volunteer opportunities include - Volunteer in an Orphanage, Volunteer teaching English, Volunteer on the Oral Health Program, Volunteer in construction, Volunteer with agriculture, Homestay and cultural exchange and TeachingBuddhist Monks.
Why choose to volunteer with Alliance Nepal?
- 100% of your program fee is kept within Nepal with no money being spent on admin costs abroad; therefore your contribution is helping Nepalese people and the development of the Nepalese economy.
- We are a grassroots and ethical organization working towards community development and income generation through volunteer and cultural exchange programs.
- As a volunteer or as part of the cultural exchange program you will receive language classes to enhance your integration into the local community.
Where does your money go?
- 25% of your program fee goes directly towards community development.
- 25% of your program fee goes to the host family to cover the cost of your food and accommodation.
- 50% of your program fee is spent on airport pickup, one night accommodation in Katmandu, travel costs from Katmandu to Pokhara and back, language classes, sightseeing and travel expenses in Pokhara and towards admin costs.
Your orientation will include
- 3 days of sightseeing
- 2 language lessons
- 1 cultural lesson
Dates and Duration
- The program starts on the first and sixteenth of each month.
- You can volunteer from 2 weeks to a maximum of 5 months in a calendar year.
Accommodation
Your accommodation will be very basic as Nepal is a poor country that is developing slowly. If taking part in a home stay you will have a room within the family home; depending on the number of volunteers this may be shared. Some houses many not have electricity and they will either use solar power or candles. Houses will generally have an outside toilet, with no shower, so you will have to shower outside. If staying in a hotel for the duration of your volunteer placement then you will be in a comfortable room with a shared toilet and shower room.
Food
During your orientation in Pokhara there will be a wide range of restaurants to choose from; including choice of Nepali, Indian, Chinese, Italian and many more. During the length of your placement you will be provided with traditional Nepali food; Daal (lentil soup) Bhat (rice) with vegetable and occasionally eggs or meat if you are not vegetarian. If the family has buffalos or cows then you may also get non-pasteurized milk. Daal Bhat is eaten twice a day; in the morning at 8.30pm and in the evening around 7.30pm. In the afternoon you will be provided with a snack such as puffed corn, beaten rice, noodles or other.
For any more information on Alliance Nepal please contact Krishna Timilisina at Krishnatimi@gmail.com
Website: www.volunteerworkinnepal.org
Or visit the organisation's Blog http://alliancenepal.blogspot.com/
It’s a joy for me to be able to work as a volunteer in Nepal. The experience I have gained will always be remembered and cherish.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I have no reservation in recommending Alliance Nepal to family and friends. The staff is friendly and efficient. They are trustworthy and reliable. Every 2 or 3 days one of the staff from Alliance Neapl would come and visit or call to check on me and another volunteer, David from Germany. In short, this is what I called “Personalised Service” which I received from Alliance Nepal.
It was wonderful that Alliance Nepal had arranged for me to stay with a very nice host family. Throughout my stay with my host family, I was able to observe their local cultures and traditions as well as I enjoyed eating Nepal’s national food, daal-baaht.
I was placed to do my volunteer service at “Annapurna Child Home” with 22 children. My first impression of “Child Home” was shocking. I regret to say it has very poor facilities yet it has given me a better insight and a valid reason that I could do something to help the local volunteers and children there.
David and I were honor to be their first batch of foreign volunteers at “Child Home”. To be honest, although both of us are inexperienced in volunteering and caring the children, we did our best to teach and play with the children. I should mention here that communication with the children is a HUGE problem as most of them are young and do not know how to speak English. Nevertheless, when there’s a will, there’s a way.
One of our biggest project or achievement in “Home” was to brighten up the gloomy girls’ and boys’ room. We had a wonderful time in painting some cute cartoons in each room, including the kitchen. The end result was beyond words to describe. We also discovered some kids are talented in drawing and crafting. I truly hope these kids will be given an opportunity to explore whatever talent they have been blessed into a skill which will come in handy when they grow up.
Although I’m back in Singapore now, I never stopped thinking of the children and people I met in Nepal. May all sentient beings in this world are blessed with loving, kindness and compassion.
Andrew
Email : andrewsmith.jack@gmail.com