Volunteering in Nepal offers you a chance to explore a different culture while breaking out of your comfort zone. Although Nepal is famed for its natural beauty, there remain several issues such as poverty, education deficit and healthcare needs which must be addressed.
Follow your passion and discover a project that speaks to you. Your efforts, whether animal care, education or helping monks – will surely be appreciated.
Volunteering in Nepal
Nepal is an entrancing land of mesmerizing mountains, peaceful monasteries and rich cultural traditions that has long inspired travelers and spiritual seekers. Nepal remains a developing nation and many of its citizens live below poverty line – this makes the help of visitors like you even more essential in making an impactful contribution back.
Nepal offers many volunteer opportunities that range from short-term projects to longer term ones, from building and construction, teaching, healthcare and medical placements, women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship initiatives, agricultural sustainability projects and orphanage work to wildlife preservation initiatives. No matter which activity you pursue, your experience will have an immense benefit on both yourself and the community in which you’re volunteering.
Before embarking on your volunteer placement, it is imperative that you reach out to the support team in-country. They have an essential role to play in making sure everything runs smoothly during your stay and that you remain safe and content – and this provides an ideal opportunity for building strong bonds between you and those who will help guide your project from its inception to completion.
Always show respect for Nepali culture and the people you meet there, such as adhering to local customs such as not sharing plates with someone or touching food/water bottles with lips. Keep an eye out for scams targeted towards tourists when using public transport or engaging in outdoor activities, and be wary when engaging in any outdoor activities or public transportation services. Don’t be afraid to be spontaneous and experience something new!
Teaching English
Volunteering in Nepal can be the ideal place for an aspiring teacher or English speaker looking to hone their English. By helping children from underprivileged backgrounds improve their English, volunteering can allow them to widen their future prospects while discovering another culture.
Teaching in Nepal can be both rewarding and demanding. Striking the proper balance between work and personal needs to achieve successful and sustainable results for you and your students can be tricky; therefore, your project placement will provide an in-country support person to ensure it runs smoothly, as well as being available whenever help may be required.
Many volunteers on this program are placed in Kathmandu, one of the world’s most captivating cities with its mazelike backstreets and stunning temple squares. Although some damage was sustained from an earthquake earlier in 2015, most of Kathmandu remains intact and well worth exploring!
Some teachers are assigned to rural communities located approximately an hour’s journey away from the capital city, which requires significant commitment from those without prior teaching experience. Yet it will pay dividends with how it impacts children’s lives.
Teaching in a monastery offers another rewarding volunteering experience, where monks start learning English as early as age five to communicate with other monks and visitors. Knowing English opens many doors for these young monks when they leave the monastery to enter the working world; volunteers participating on this project may experience first-hand how different life can be; be prepared for a warm reception from host families when volunteering on this project!
Animal Care
Animal lovers will find many opportunities for volunteerism in Nepal if they love animals. You could work with dogs at shelters or provide veterinary services at local hospitals and vet clinics, help rehome stray animals or promote responsible pet ownership through community education programs.
Support local farmers through IVHQ’s Agriculture program! Agriculture remains an integral component of Nepalese life, so living with a host family to learn their traditional lifestyle while assisting with tasks such as planting, harvesting and livestock care is a fantastic way to immerse yourself into Nepalese culture while receiving three delicious home-cooked meals per day!
There are various ways of finding volunteer opportunities in Nepal, but one of the easiest and quickest is browsing online or checking Facebook groups and community noticeboards. You might also come across organizations who have hosted volunteers before who could offer advice about what to expect on volunteering assignments.
Before searching for opportunities in Nepal, be sure that all of your vaccinations are up to date. It is advised that all volunteers receive MMR, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTPP), chickenpox and polio vaccines as these diseases are easily spread in developing countries; additionally you should secure travel insurance covering your trip there and ensure their passport remains valid during their time volunteering there.
Healthcare
Nepal was devastated by earthquakes in 2015. With homes and infrastructure vulnerable to further earthquakes being constructed quickly and safely is of critical importance. Volunteers with construction skills could assist the local people by building them safer houses that improve their standard of living and improve lives in Nepal.
Many children in Nepal do not receive the education they require, which makes volunteer programs such as English for Nepal invaluable in providing classes to kids in subjects like English, maths and history that these young learners need. Their goal should be to equip these youngsters with tools they need to follow their dreams no matter their future careers may be.
While volunteering opportunities exist for all levels and interests in Nepal, it is essential that you select one which fits with your skills and interests. Furthermore, ensure you have enough funds available to finance the experience – this may include travel costs, accommodation fees, food costs, exploration trips as well as emergency funds – before signing on.
Dependent upon your program, an in-country contact person may be assigned to answer any queries and guide your volunteering experience in Nepal. They will often accompany you on cultural excursions as well as volunteer projects.
Most volunteers traveling to Nepal will need to get immunizations before arriving, including MMR, Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis-Chickenpox and Polio vaccines, along with Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccinations which provide extra protection from illnesses found in food and water supplies in Nepal. Consult your physician prior to travel so they can arrange the proper vaccine regimens for you.
Conservation
Nepal is an excellent location to engage in environmental conservation. Blessed with natural wonders, wildlife, and picturesque landscapes aplenty, protecting this precious resource is crucial to keeping its beauty for future generations. There are various ways of getting involved here such as planting trees or raising awareness in local communities about environmental issues.
Making an impactful contribution involves helping with disaster prevention and relief. By teaching locals risk mitigation techniques, you will help prepare them for natural disasters while improving lives overall. This volunteer opportunity is especially needed in regions prone to natural disasters.
Forests in Nepal provide sanctuary to some of the nation’s most endangered wildlife species, so their protection is crucial. There are plenty of opportunities to work towards wildlife conservation here in Nepal through reforestation projects or by planting trees as a part of conservation work, providing vital climate-change mitigation, habitat for native wildlife such as tigers, elephants, crocodiles and freshwater dolphins and much more.
Nepal also offers numerous wildlife-focused volunteer placements in National Parks such as Chitwan Wildlife Reserve where you may spot rare rhinoceroses. This can be an exciting add-on to any Nepal volunteering experience or stand-in placement for those passionate about nature and wildlife.