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Orphanages & Teaching - Nepal

Volunteer with Nepali and Tibetan children in the beautiful Himalayan mountain city of Pokhara.

Start date	Flexible, throughout the year
Duration	3 weeks-3 months
Price	2008: 3 weeks £500, 1 month £550, 2 months £650, 3 months £750 2009: 3 weeks £545, 1 month £595, 2 months £695, 3 months £795 Add £80 per month for B&B / homestay
Number of volunteers	Dependent on time of year there are likely to be 1-5 volunteers

About the placements and location

You can work in local primary schools teaching English, sports, music, art and other subjects or you can work in children’s homes, day care centres & nurseries joining in with the day to day running of the centres and helping to improve the quality of life of the children and the care givers. Our placements are based in the city of Pokhara.

Pokhara is a beautiful mountain city in the Himalayas. It is defined by the dramatic snow capped peaks of the Annapurna Range and the Fishtail Mountain overlooking the city. The Southern side of the city is bounded by a beautiful lake that reflects the peaks. Volunteers live and work in the area of Lakeside.

The ability to speak English in Pokhara for many locals will represent the difference between being able to find work and not. Pokhara is a city that relies on the tourist trade so if a local person has a better grasp of English, they will be in a stronger position to work in tourism and bring benefit to the community. Knowledge of English also opens up the internet, empowers people to learn for themselves and creates new areas of potential.

A typical day

A typical work week is five days for about four to six hours per day. However, bear in mind that this is Nepal, and there are over 3 million gods in the Hindu religion to worship as well as political instability leading to strikes, school closures and other disturbances!

Teaching volunteers will be required to prepare their own lessons for their classes within the school curriculum and the focus of these lessons will be primarily English. Teaching volunteers will also teach other lessons such as sports, music, art and sometimes other academic subjects such as math. Much depends on your personal drive and skill set. If you have a particular interest, you can make it happen. Local teachers are encouraged to participate in the volunteer classes so that they can help and learn, but this is often not the case, so volunteers should be prepared to handle a class on their own.

Orphanage / childcare volunteers will join in the day to day activities of the centre. This will normally include games and activities, tutoring, teaching some lessons and helping with homework as well as helping out with general childcare, cleaning and meal times. Keep in mind that children of orphanages and childcare homes usually go to school through the day leaving the most valuable times for volunteers to help very early in the morning before school and again in the evening after school.

Day care centres and nurseries will have volunteers joining in with day to day activities such as playing, singing songs, reading stories, preparing arts & crafts as well as helping with general childcare, cleaning and preparing meals.

The Work Place - schools

We work with a combination of Private English Medium Schools and Local Government Schools. English Medium schools are taught 100% English; however, the standard of English even among the teachers and administrators can be very poor, and often you may not realise that you are being spoken to in English at all. Although some are “private” schools, conditions are often basic and many lack the simple resources or qualified teachers that you would expect at a school. Government schools provide the most rewarding experience and true need for volunteers; however, this can be a very challenging environment with extremely limited English and lack of support from teachers.

The children at both types of schools are generally very excited to have volunteers working with them and with a little effort and perspective, you should find the volunteering extremely rewarding.

The Work Place – orphanages / children’s homes / day care centres / nurseries

The orphanages / children’s homes / day care centres / nurseries we work with are generally caring for a large cross section of Nepal’s society. Some centres may care for the most disadvantaged members of society as well as children from low-middle class families who need a place for their children in order to be able to make a living. Not all children in such centres are true parentless “orphans”. We believe that it is important to help people at all stages of their development. Providing a single mother with a safe day care centre so that she can earn a living and feed her child is a valuable contribution to society, and although such a mother may be considered middle class, we value the participation of volunteers in such a setting. Simply acting as a good example, being a big brother or sister and helping in anyway we can is valued at any level in a country such as Nepal.

Placements such as these may be an emotional experience and you are unlikely to view poverty and disadvantage in the same way after the placement.

Accommodation

Accommodation is provided in most schools or orphanages. This would be a private room normally in the school building or in the orphanage. This option gives you a real immersion in the local community but can be more challenging as you will not be in the traveller’s part of town so you will find it more difficult to go out and meet people in the evenings.

Alternatively for an extra £80 per month you can stay in Bindu's Hotel which is a family run B&B in Lakeside (the part of town that most travellers stay). The top floor of Bindu's is a self contained apartment with living room and kitchen so you can get some privacy and do your own cooking.

You'll get to know Bindu's family and they are always around to help you out. Accommodation is basic but comfortable with electricity and running water - though these can be unreliable in Pokhara.

Bindu's is within a short distance of the main street on Lakeside which is the place most travellers stay and go out in the evenings. There is a wide range of bars and restaurants in Lakeside and it is an enjoyable and safe place for a night out.

What our volunteers say

"This placement has taught me to make the most of every opportunity in life and take positives from every situation. It has also re-iterated my love for working with children and has opened my eyes to the generousity of the Nepali people. I found being immersed in the culture fascinating, and throughouly enjoyed learning new things about the place, people and ultimately about myself. The support I recieved both in the UK and in Nepal was second to none and I really felt looked after and cared for." - Rachel

For more views from past volunteers please see our testimonials.

What’s included

Comprehensive information pack
Pre-departure travel advice
Airport pick up and hotel night in Kathmandu
Bus transfer to Pokhara
Accommodation in Pokhara throughout
Cultural introduction to Pokhara
The set up of the volunteer placement
Ongoing support throughout the placement

You will often be able to eat main meals at your placement though this will be basic Nepali food.

What’s not included

The following estimates are given as a guide for your budgeting:

Flights - about £550 to £750
Visa - £20 (for a 60 day visa)
Food - allow £250 per month if you choose to eat out most of the time

Next steps and how to apply

Please contact us if you would like to discuss the placement, or go to the how to apply section where you can apply online or download an application form.