Volunteering in Nepal: A Life-Changing Experience
Nepal is as developing country where you can find huge opportunity of volunteering. Nepal, the country of its name for being holy, nice, and pretty, is gradually turning into a destination of solo tourists looking for something unique from vacation. Most of the tourists look for destinations where they will get a chance to do some good. Nepal’s volunteer program is biggest and where one can do as much good and learn as much good heritage at the same time.
Volunteering in Nepal is not merely a chance to give back for the tourists but also to gain from Nepalis, help them grow in the future, and earn life-long friends.
Why Volunteering in Nepal?
Nepal is a country of extremes where there are fast-paced cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara Nepal is a third-world country whose cosmopolitan capital cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara are wedge in between Himalayan hill towns.
Nepal’s most socio-economic disadvantaged background volunteer experience is improved. Opportunity size and level of facility use are offered to offer Nepal volunteering access with fewer constrictions. Nepal volunteering is most enriching by organizing one facilitation, experience exposure to multicultural settings, and adjustment to and acclimatization Nepali requires.
1. Cultural Immersion and Life Experience
The best thing about volunteering in Nepal is that you are exposed to the culture.
You experience Nepali culture directly amidst the people. You experience the national holidays and traditions, and being amidst people with heavy cultural burdens on their shoulders.
Buddhism, Hinduism, and Nepalese culture will blow your mind with new oriental customs and practices and wacky ways of life unlike any you have previously experienced. You are not sightseers—bowl in with culture and pay back culture and learn and be led
2. A Real Difference
You cannot otherwise require in Nepal in medicine, conservation, and education. It is an area where human beings simply do not receive any kind of assistance when it comes to medicine, education, and conservation. Anybody can do it, anything is possible, anything, whether one is assisting the children, assisting the farmers transitioning to organic crops as a means of funding the local hospitals, your volunteering might be a blessing to the life of an individual and society too.
3. A Feeling of Fulfillment
Volunteering part-time is a tiny but real happening. Volunteerism would be the dearest thing because volunteering would offer you an opportunity to do something for someone else and not yourself. You can help Nepalese villages or the lower stratum of society. You’ll be surprise to hear that you’re doing something great to make some other human beings better. This awareness and gratitude that you’re with the kind of person whose life you’re making better can make your whole life better.
Common Volunteering Options in Nepal
There are ample Nepal volunteer opportunities and you may do anything kind of work best according to your ability, interest, and objective. The best satisfying areas on which the volunteer can perform his work in a better way are as mentioned below.
1. Education and Teaching Volunteering
There will be only one place where Nepali volunteers will have to work. Manpower management and village zones will not be the same. The majority of the students and students of the village zone are illiterate even at the primary level. Students will study English, maths, science, etc., and would be taught by students with the help of volunteers who would be able to change their life.
English education: English is a work to be accomplished by Nepali students as it becomes additional vocational choice other than international communication. English-speaking volunteers can spread the language skill as well as even texts to school teachers in rural districts.
Infrastructure Education: In addition to service provision by education in schools, the volunteers can even provide school infrastructure. It is assisting with organizing to rebuild or even construct classes, build a library, or even arrange learning gadgets and gadgetry.
2. Public Health and Healthcare Volunteering
The state of the Nepal nation, even the village governments, is not that welcoming. None of the quality clinics are even at village levels themselves, and ironically to the place, even the proprietors of such clinics have not or do not even have Medicare facilities along with medic doctors. Doctors as volunteers will be a huge help by sharing their expertise with village medic doctors and providing outreaching services to far-flung villages.
Medical Volunteers: Medical professionals, doctors, and medicine specialists can volunteer their services at the rural hospital or clinic. They can be medically involve in offer services in health camps and assist a helping hand in local medical staff training so that level of service can be enhance.
Health Education and Awareness: The services of non-health workers can utilize in creating awareness among the public about the general hygiene, food, cleanness, and mother health issues. Public health intervention would serve as a buffer to an epidemic and save health conserving ethical values.
3. Environmental Conservation and Sustainability Volunteering
Nepal is least bio-diversify in the entire huge world, i.e., the Himalayas, forests, and swamps. Environment volunteers in Nepal will be able to assist in the environmental protection program. It will never become a limitation on the natural wealth of Nepal and will guarantee sustainable development.
Conservation Projects: Volunteering is done in green NGOs where one-horned rhinoceros and Bengal tiger species conservation projects are conducted by them, and both are listed species and endangered. Anti-poaching and afforestation facilities are provided while volunteering.
Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development: Volunteers can promote rural farmers towards sustainable agriculture. Volunteers can provide training for organic farming, water conservation and soil and environmental development towards food security.
4. Social Empowerment and Community Development
Social empowerment of Nepalese rural individuals to the maximum extent possible with respect to economy, sanitation, and infrastructure has to be initiate through efforts. People empowerment by volunteering to volunteer would be empowerment of people.
Volunteering activity will provide the convenience of group volunteers in carrying out socio-economic reforms for women empowerment.
Infrastructure Construction: Voluntaries will help in construction of the nation’s infrastructure, i.e., a school building, health center building, or a community center. Destruction of infra itself is estimate to create long-term development in a society.
How to Find Volunteering Opportunities in Nepal?
It is not bad to choose the most sought-after volunteer work in Nepal, but at least some level of basic cross-checking should be done so that the program on which you are about to make your choice is worth, real, and good enough for your sought-after goal.
Some of the common methods of choosing the best volunteer work are as follows:
1. Volunteer Organizations and NGOs
It is also the most accessible form of volunteering in Nepal where one can find volunteer agencies and registered NGOs. Volunteer agencies and NGOs are locally register man-based organizations that work on a mission to fulfill various needs in Nepal. Some of the easiest to find volunteer agencies are:
- Global Vision International (GVI): Global Vision International offered volunteer opportunities in Nepal to fulfill education, health, and conservation needs.
- Volunteer Nepal: Volunteer Nepal arranges for the placement of volunteers with the village and the volunteers themselves arrange various community development projects.
- Himalayan Development Foundation: They arrange different Nepalese development work placements in health, education, and infrastructure development. They arrange mainly accommodation, food, and orientation program so that necessary care is taken and proper orientation to the volunteers while they stay in Nepal.
2. Local NGOs and Grassroots Initiatives
Besides this, the volunteer could also access Nepali-based NGOs or grassroot organizations. Grassroots organizations are volunteer-base grassroots-level organizations with participatory culture where volunteering takes place. Grassroot organizations are access through utilizing the internet, directories, or word of mouth.
3. Word of Mouth and Travel Communities
If you’re already traveling in Nepal, Spontaneous volunteering is simple to arrange by chatting with fellow travelers, hostels, or local tour operators if you happen to be already in Nepal. Local contacts come in useful to find the independent small-scale placements detailed elsewhere.
Pragmaticities of Volunteering in Nepal
Volunteering in Nepal is an enjoyable experience but pragmatism of the following kind is well known to you in advance.
1. Visa Requirements
You will need a tourist visa for all of your visitors in Nepal, and you can collect it on arrival. You’ll need a work visa or a volunteer visa if you’ll be volunteering for more than a week or two. For further information on visa policy, visit your home country’s Nepali consulate or embassy prior to arranging your accommodation.
2. Health and Safety
Nepali villages are not well link with medical facilities, so book good accomodation in advance if you are volunteering. Nepal also has good traveling insurance which will help in medical emergency situations. And also, you can get vaccinate by your doctor before travelling Nepal. As precaution you can take medical prophylaxes such as anti-malarial, for tropical diseases.
3. Cultural Sensitivity
Nepal is a developing countries nation and, apart, your host society, culture sensitive as well. You would be well to be here only by grace of knowledge on local custom, religious belief, and faith. The Nepalese will welcome your participation as an international volunteer in consideration of local custom, and volunteering here to you would suit and be rewarding.
4. Costs and Fundraising
While there are a few volunteer programs that give accommodation and food but charge the volunteers to pay for their visa fee, transport, and personal expenses, most of them charge volunteers to pay for themselves. Even, some projects are asking some to pay an admin fee, and you must pay it through volunteering so they can pay half the program cost. If they are within your budget, then you can fund raise yourself, gather money from your family and friends in terms of donation, or might receive grants on your behalf for qualifying to work overseas as a volunteer.
Conclusion: Impact of Volunteering in Nepal
Volunteering in Nepal is not an act one does, it’s a process of becoming, it’s learning, it’s living experiences with people who open their arms and attempt to hug you.
Whatever you would do such as teach, ministry of health, save the world, empower people, etc., whatever you would do, it will be on your mind throughout life. Nepal is your golden opportunity to anybody who will perform work for once but do not let opportunities slip away from your fingers to land in one of the most gorgeous and richest nations in the world.
Volunteering in Nepal, you’re not just a good human, you’re doing it for yourself and you’re living other humans’ lives whose human interfaces will make your life touch an unprecedented higher plane.
FAQs
1.Why volunteer in Nepal?
Nepal offers the ideal blend of cultural experience, natural beauty, and demanding yet rewarding work to be in a real position to make a considerable amount of difference in teaching, healthcare, conservation, and community development.
2.Do I need experience or qualification to volunteer?
It depends on the program. While some of the health volunteering activities require specialist experience, most of the teaching, conservation, and social work projects welcome committed individuals with no experience.
3. How do I find a serious volunteer organization in Nepal?
Look for volunteering with international NGOs, local NGOs, and travelers’ organizations. Do research, read reviews and ratings, and interview ex-volunteeer for feedback.
4.What are the most common volunteer activities in Nepal?
The volunteers would be placed to work in education and teaching, medical care and public health, environment conservation, organic farming, and social empowerment programs such as women’s empowerment and infrastructure.
5. How much does it cost to volunteer in Nepal?
Some organizations offer free volunteering and others require payment of a program fee to cover accommodation, food, transport, and administration. Others make the volunteers pay in order to cover the cost of the visa, airfare, travel insurance, and pocket money.
6.Do I need to have a special visa to volunteer in Nepal?
Tourist visa is issued to short-term volunteers, longer visits perhaps needing a volunteer visa. Check by phoning the Nepalese embassy in your home country to obtain the most current requirements.
7. Is Nepal safe to volunteer?
Nepal is relatively safe for tourists and volunteers, but one must be cautious. Take note of your surroundings, go with a reputable organization, and follow health as well as safety guidelines.
8. When is the best time of the year to volunteer in Nepal?
Nepal is geographically diverse, though the best time to volunteer will usually be September to May, skipping the rainy monsoon season between June and August.
9. What are some of the cultural sensitivities that I need to be aware of?
Volunteers should be respectful of Nepalese culture, dress modestly, and follow local customs. Learning a few basic words in Nepali and being open to religion will also go a long way in enabling easy interaction with the locals.
10. Can I volunteer, travel, and trek in Nepal?
Yes! Volunteers explore Nepal’s trekking routes, cultural sites, and adventure sports prior to, during, or following the volunteer program. Plan your visit to make the most of your travel experience.