Nepal

For a volunteer, Nepal is a fascinating location. A landlocked country in South Asia, it is in the heart of the Himalayas and contains eight of the world's highest peaks including that of Everest. It is one of the least developed countries in the world and gap year or career break volunteers for Nepal are much needed.

Nearly half of its population live below the poverty line and only 15% of households have electricity. In addition, many thousands of children are engaged in hard physical work and live on the streets.

Only 42% of the female population are literate. Many girls do not go to school because they can't afford the government imposed fees of £50 a year. Furthermore, human trafficking is also a problem. The country is fascinating and diverse in its geography. The mountainous region in the north contains eight of the world's highest ten mountains, including Mount Everest, whilst the south of the country is humid, fertile and heavily urbanized. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, is 1,400m above sea level and surrounded by four major mountains. Nepal's culture is rich and varied, and being invited to a local festival is something of a highlight of volunteering in Nepal. Our projects are based in both Hindu and Buddhist communities, and you will play an active role in daily life. As such, you are almost guaranteed to be invited to join in with celebrations on a regular basis.

Outreach International have two bases for volunteering in Nepal, one in Kathmandu, the other in Pokhara. The latter is probably the best centre for trekking, white water rafting and canoeing in Nepal. It is one of the liveliest Nepalese towns but infinitely more tranquil than Kathmandu. Located on the beautiful Phewa Lake the skyline is dominated by the Annapurna mountain range. There are wonderful day walks and longer treks into the Himalayas. The best known of these is probably the trek around Annapurna.

Kathmandu is a wonderful 'medieval time capsule'. Ancient timber buildings have become internet cafes, narrow lanes seethe with merchants and echo with the sound of bicycle bells, chanting, religious music and car horns. The population is less than a million but Kathmandu is the melting pot of a dozen ethnic groups from Nepal, Tibet and India. Sacred cows roam the streets adding their smells to those of incense, spices and pollution. Our volunteer projects are in quiet, grassy areas of town. The hustle and bustle is never far away and so are the mountains and rivers of the Himalayas.

General Information

• 	Your first few days as a Nepal volunteer will be spent in Kathmandu, where our coordinator will give you a comprehensive briefing. You will also have lessons in the Nepali language. Learning some basic Nepalese is important but all of our projects expect you to communicate in English and ask you to use English because people are so keen to learn the language. Once you have finished your orientation and language course you will be taken to your project where you will be based for the duration of your stay. Please let us know if you would like to borrow a Nepalese language CD course prior to departure.

  Language Training

• 	The focus of your time volunteering in Nepal will be working on your career break or gap project. However, Nepal contains or shares eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest and Annapurna. The country's network of trekking routes is far greater than its road network and provides incredible opportunities to explore the tiny mountain villages and enjoy the wonders of the Himalayas. During your stay Outreach International will organise and pay for a five day trek in the Himalayas as part of your Nepal volunteer project experience. We use the best available local guides and take you to places that would be difficult to organise independently. We can also organise an elephant tour in Chitwan national park and white water rafting expeditions. Big mountains mean big rivers, so these are not only exciting, but they also provide an opportunity to see parts of Nepal which are only accessible by water. The Nepali weekend is Friday afternoon and Saturday. On some projects, such as the orphanage projects, the busiest day will be Saturday. Therefore volunteers may like to work a full 7 day week while taking several days off in a row every few weeks. This will allow for Nepal volunteers to make the most of their project and to see the country. You will be working in the same town as other volunteers so it is easy to organise these shorter expeditions. As an Outreach International volunteer, you will receive good discounts at our recommended travel agents.

  Travel & Expeditions

• 	Our coordinator in Nepal is Mr Bir Bahadur B.K, otherwise known as Kamal. He is aged 35 and lives with his wife and two children. He is also the director of one of our orphanage projects in Kathmandu, where he lives with his family. Kamal will organise all the logistics of your stay. He will meet you at the airport, introduce you to your project manager and host family, organise the monthly expeditions, deal with any problems or difficulties that may arise and keep in regular contact with you throughout your stay. He is enthusiastic, friendly and passionate about his work, both in the orphanage and with Outreach International volunteers. Parents, families and friends of volunteers can always have immediate contact with both the UK Head Office and the Nepal Field Office. The Nepal Field Office will know where each volunteer is at any time, and will regularly visit you on your project. Moreover, in every project supported by Outreach, there will be a local supervisor. Outreach International attaches great importance to back up and support, but at the same time does not want to over-monitor you. We recognise that for gap year volunteers in particular this is an important time of independence and adaptation, and we want to give you the freedom to develop your role in the project. As part of your personal analysis and debriefing, you are asked to write a short article concerning your work and experiences. You can also request official certification from Outreach International acknowledging your contribution to the Nepal project as a record of your work and a possible advancement to career development. Our projects are all recognised by the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Outreach International will also be able to provide future employers with references for volunteers who successfully complete their project placement. The UK office will also offer support in the form of regular fundraising awareness courses and an annual Teaching English as a Foreign Language course. These are free of charge to all volunteers.

  Support from Outreach International

• 	The staple diet of Nepal is daal bhaat, a dish of rice, lentils, various pickles, lightly curried vegetables and meat. Vegetarians are well catered for. There is a vast range of light Indian style curries and unusual vegetables. Fruit vendors frequent most corners and sell a multitude of wonderful brightly coloured produce. In Kathmandu and Pokhara a more western diet is catered for in the forms of steaks, pizza, fruit salads and recipes from around the world. You will never go hungry! Nepal volunteers normally stay with a host family who in most cases will be a relative of Kamal, our coordinator. Our families are always warm, welcoming and great fun to live with. They will all involve you in aspects of Nepalese life that are not normally accessible to tourists. We know them well and they go out of their way to involve you in their daily lives and make you feel at home. "It's very easy to contact Kamal here, and he's organising everything for us so well. The trek he planned seemed ambitious but he got it all perfectly planned." Peter Foulser. Nepal gap year Orphanage Project. In some cases you will have a private room in the orphanage where you will be working. Your room will be clean, spacious and simply furnished, although basic in comparison to the UK. In some Nepal volunteer projects you will have the option of staying in a local hostel, which would provide you with a greater degree of privacy.

  Food & Accommodation

• 	All Nepal volunteers are covered by the Outreach International public liability insurance. In addition to this you are given your own specialist travel insurance designed for those who volunteer and work on their travels. Cover includes baggage, personal accident, medical expenses, repatriation, personal liability, plus much more. Providing you are sensible and follow our guidelines you should not expect to have any medical difficulties. It is essential however that you attend our pre-departure briefing, read our 'Travel Health' booklet thoroughly and take proper advice when exploring at weekends. The details of your insurance policy and travel health will be comprehensively explained at your pre-departure briefing in the UK.

  Health & Insurance

• 	Outreach International will book your flights for you through STA or Wexas Travel. We encourage all volunteers to depart together so you can get to know each other on the journey. You will be met at the airport by our coordinator so it is important that you arrive at your destination at the same time as fellow volunteers. However, volunteers often like to return to the UK at different times. For this reason you all have the option of returning at a date to suit yourself. You also have the option of booking up your own independent flight. The cost of flights is not included in the Outreach International charge. You will be given a Nepali visa on arrival at the airport in Kathmandu, which must be paid for. This visa can be extended in Pokhara or Kathmandu and Kamal (our coordinator) will help you with this. For many treks you need a trekking permit. For treks organised by Outreach International we will arrange this for you. For independent treks you must organise this either independently or through a travel agent we recommend. Nepal volunteers will be able to walk to their projects from their accommodation or take a bus or tuk-tuk. The cost of this is included in the fee paid to Outreach International. You will be shown how to get to and from your project and between different projects where necessary.

  Flights, Visas & Project-related Travel

• 	Nepal is an inexpensive country and your day to day living costs such as food, a high standard of accommodation and transport are covered by Outreach International. We will also take you on a great five day trek as part of your volunteer experience. There is great white water rafting and you are bound to travel independently during your free time, eat the occasional meal in a restaurant and spend money on a one-off adventure such as taking a tandem paragliding trip. The cost also covers all UK support and training, including teacher training and fundraising days, an in-country language course and CD course in the UK, all project-related travel, public liability insurance, medical insurance, support and documentation for your visa application, personal baggage insurance and comprehensive in-country support. We recommend that Nepal volunteers take approximately £150 a month for personal spending money. For project costs please see the costs page.

  Spending Money & Cost