Experience Nepal Through Volunteering

  Nepal

• Kathmandu: 
Kathmandu
• Pokhara: 
Pokhara

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: Ongoing

Description: Volunteer program

Teaching English at School

In our teaching placements you will teach in either a private or government school. The children will usually be aged between about 4 and 18. Their levels will vary according to age and may also differ depending on whether you teach in a private college or government school. The children attending private school are taught six of their classes in English and one in Nepali while in the government school students learn six of their classes in Nepali and only one in English. Also, English levels will vary if you are teaching in a village school or in Kathmandu. If you are teaching in a school you will live nearby in a host family, usually with children or a teacher from your school.

Working in Monastery

There are many Buddhist monasteries across Nepal. If you are placed in a monastery you will be teaching English to young Buddhist monks. The young monks are sent to the monasteries to receive a better education and life but as some monasteries are home to as many as 50 to 100 hundred children, and more often than not there are not enough staff to care for them all properly, they miss out on the individual care they would receive in the home. Often their day to day health and diet is not good. You will not only help the monks with learning English, but you will help them with day to day health and hygiene skills they will keep for life. You may also participate in their morning prayer sessions and Tibetan language lessons.

Home Stay and Cultural Exchange

The home stay and cultural exchange programs are for those wanting to do a short term placement of up to one month. You will live in a traditional Nepali family and exchange elements of your country's culture with your host family. In the village, the culture is very rich, and family, food, religion and tradition are all an important part of everyday life. In the beginning, Nepali village life may seem backward compared to life in the west, but volunteers learn so much about living a different, more simple way of life. In the home stay and cultural exchange programs, the volunteer will become immersed in family life and may choose to assist with cooking, cleaning, caring for children, working in the fields, or any other necessary task.

Assist in orphanage home

In our orphanage placements you will teach English, hygiene and care for children living in the children's homes. You will either live with the children in separate quarters or in a host family nearby the orphanage home. You can play games and sports with the children or dancing and singing. You will have a lot of freedom in the Orphanage home placements. The children attend school during the day, so they often need help with their homework in the mornings and evenings.

Primary health care and medical program

Experience medical students or professionals are best suited to our health care and medical programs. In our health placements you will be placed in a village hospital or health post and assist local doctors with the general health and hygiene needs of the villagers. You will live in a local host family, possibly with one of the doctors you are working with. We often arrange health posts in schools, villages and monasteries where we will provide you with medical supplies that you will give and administer to children and people in the villages.

Environmental awareness

There are many environmental issues that our volunteers can help with in Nepal. Many schools and surrounding areas desperately need re-vegetation and volunteers can help to develop these areas. Often,volunteers in environmental placements also teach in a local school or orphanage and will also live in a local host family.   Some projects you might take part in are, planting gardens, trees, teaching local people about waste management and recycling, and building and maintaining a toilet.

Teaching Sports in a school

In this placements volunteers with sports and recreation knowledge will participate in a standard teaching English or orphanage home placement but can offer their sports skills and knowledge to the students. The Nepali school system is examination based and often lacks the sorts of fun and games that Western students are used to. These kind of activities allow for students to be active and enjoy while they are learning.

School and community maintenance
Social work with local youth club and organisation

Highlights: If you would like to do Trekking in Himalayas, White water Rafting, Jungle safari in Chitwan National Park, Exploring Hindus temples and Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu through out your time volunteering we offer you all of these things.

Our Adventure program

Trekking

Volunteers who would like to participate in some trekking while they are in Nepal can easily do that as a part of their program. We can organise guided treks in the Annapurna mountain ranges which include tea house accommodation, with warm showers and comfortable beds, and three meals of western or local food a day. Four day treks are challenging but suitable for most people at most levels of fitness. As a part of our program, we do not cover the cost of bottled water on the mountain (you can supply your own water purification tablets to save money) or the trekking permit that is required to do the trek (2000 NR). If you would like to do a longer trek through the Annapurna ranges or perhaps even Everest base camp, we can also arrange this, however, it is recommended that you have done some training or had experience walking before. The Everest base camp trek takes from 12- 14 days according to your speed and fitness. It includes flights to Lukla, which is where you will begin your trek. You will be accompanied by an experienced guide and your meals and accommodation will be included in the cost of the trek. Once again, bottled water is to be covered by you and it can cost up to 200 NR the higher up the mountain you go.

White Water Rafting - In our Travel and Volunteer program volunteers can enjoy rafting at trishuli river,Volunteers who partcipate in one month program they can do the one and half day rafting,they will stay at the bank of river with camp fire,volunteers can partcipate at long rafting if they take part more than one month volunteer and Experience Nepal program.
White water rafting is an awesome experience to add to your time as a volunteer in Nepal.

Jungle safari-
Volunteers can partcipate in jungle safari at chitwan national park. They can enjoy elephant ride, Tharu cultural dance and program, Jungle walking with jungle guide, see one horn rhino and bengal Tiger, bird watching, Elephant bathing, Visit elephant building center, Visit Tharu Village by walking/cycling and more attractions of jungle activities.

Sightseeing In Buddhist Stupas And Hindu Temples In Kathmandu

There are hundreds of Buddhist stupas and Hindu temples or various size all over Kathmandu. As a volunteer with BVO we will take you to a variety of culturally significant sites in the Kathmandu valley.

Swoyambhunath

Swoyambhunath Stupa or Monkey Temple, on the west side of Kathmandu gives a global view of whole Kathmandu valley from the top of a hillock. The huge Stupa is one of the holiest Buddhists' sites in Nepal and its establishment is linked to the creation of the Kathmandu valley out of primordial Lake. UNESCO lists it as world heritage site.

Pashupatinath

Pashupatinath is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. Legend tells that one day Lord Shiva grew tired of his palace atop Mt. Kailas, so he went in search of a place where he could escape to. He discovered the Kathmandu Valley. Without telling anyone, he ran away from his palace and came to live in the Valley. He gained great fame there as Pashupati, Lord of the Animals, before other gods discovered his hiding place and came to fetch him. He disguised himself as a majestic deer and would not help the other lords when they asked for his help. When Shiva would not yield to their pleas, they planned to use force. Vishnu grabbed him by his horns and they shattered into pieces. Vishnu established a temple and used the broken horns to form a linga at the bank of the Bagmati River. As time went by, the temple was buried and forgotten. Then a cow was known to have secretly sprinkled her milk over a mound. Apparently, when the cow herders dug around the spot, they found the lost linga and again built a temple in reverence. However, Shiva once more escaped from Mt. Kailas and came back to the valley as a Kirati hunter, but Parbati followed him disguised as a beautiful huntress. Shiva tried to seduce her, discovered who she was, and returned home shamefully.

The surroundings in which these events occurred became known as the Pashupati area that has been worshipped by those faithful to Shiva for at least fifteen hundred yeas. However ancient the legend may be, the first proof to the establishment of the Pashupatinath Temple dedicated to Pashupati is in an inscription on a Ratnesvara linga dated to be from 477 AD. The chaturmukhalinga of Pashupatinath, a linga with four faces is one of the most venerated lingas in the whole world. The linga - male sex organ, stands on a yoni - female sex organ, and has four faces facing four directions with the fifth face presumed to be on the top.

The ritual of offering gifts to Pashupati continued over generations as worshippers were drawn to the religious energy of the site. A circuit of the Pashupati area leads past a sixth century statue of Buddha, an eighth century statue of Brahma, the creator, skeletal images guarding temple gates, and gold covered temples. Other sights within the complex are the Rajraswari Temple, built in 1407 and the Kailas area with lingas more than fourteen hundred years old.

The Bagmati River flows close by, and the Arya Ghat cremation grounds are there. Photographers should use discretion if taking photos of cremations and of bereaved families. Sadhus, sages who follow the lifestyle of Shiva, may be seen covered in ashes and minimal clothing. They ask for money in case one should want to take their photos. The main Pashupatinath courtyard may be entered by those of Hindu faith only.

Bouddhanath

Bouddhanath is the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal. The stunning, large dome is festooned with prayer flags and people circumnavigate it in a clockwise manner as proscribed by custom.

The historical Buddha was born a Hindu Prince in what is now southern Nepal about 2500 years ago. The traditions of both religions are to be seen everywhere in Nepal.

After the Chinese occupation of Tibet in the late 1950's many Tibetans fled to Nepal and India along with their spiritual leader the 14th Dali Lama. Near Bouddhanath are a number of large Tibetan style monasteries. Bouddhanath Stupa lies about six Km to the east of downtown Kathmandu. It looms 36 meters high and presents one of the most fascinating specimens of stupa design. Bouddhanath, a World Heritage Site, is also known as Khasti, or dew drops, after an account that builders had to use dew to mix the mortar as Kathmandu was suffering from a severe drought during its construction.

The Bouddhanath Stupa is one of Nepal's most holy sites for the Buddhist faith. No one is certain of the historical origin of the great structure, but it has been converging point for worshiping Buddhists in the region for centuries. It constructed as a monument to the Buddha, with a representation of his "all-seeing eyes" painted on the upper tower to watch the four cardinal compass directions. This tower, capped with a great pyramid, all sits atop a great dome and a base of 3 layers. The whole structure has a diameter of approximately 100 meters and a height in the range of 40 meters, which is immense in person. Prayer flag are draped from the top of the monument and fly in the breeze that clears the rooftops of the congested urban neighbourhood. The site is located a few miles from the city center of Kathmandu, but this outlying section is still bustling with traffic and the din of street merchants. Tourists and faithful monks alike appreciate the hallowed ground that is a respite from the hectic city.

Durbar Square Kathmandu

Kathmandu Durbar Square is a complex of palaces, courtyards and temples, built between the 12th and 18th centuries, used to be the seat of the ancient Malla Kings of Kathmandu. An intriguing piece here is the 17th century stone inscription set into the wall of the palace with writings in 15 languages. The Durbar Square, protected as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the social religious and urban focal point of the city. There are also three museums inside the palace building.

Qualifications: 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 willing to experience new culture and lifestyle.

Cost in US$: 2 weeks 340 pounds,4 weeks 480 pounds,6 weeks 530

Salary / Pay: To increse Network and connections To know about culture and life style To Experience what nepal has to offer To increase skill and ability

Experience Required: yes

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 willing to experience new culture and lifestyle.

Typical Volunteer: If you have a genuine desire to help people and willing to experience new culture and lifestyle. Then you can join with us-

Age Range: 16+

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Nepal Independently Or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Best Volunteer Organization's Mission Statement: BVO Nepal is a registered Australian as non profit INGO operating from Nepal and Australia. It was established to link international volunteers with Nepali people in an attempt to enrich and improve the lives of Nepali people and provide a new and memorable adventure for volunteers. Our mission is to create and develop a range of dynamic opportunities that benefit the international volunteer and the communities of Nepal. We give our volunteers the opportunity to contribute something and gain the experience of what Nepal has to offer.

Year Founded: 2007