Trekking in Nepal >> Nepal Volunteer Tour

Skyline Treks also provide home stay (Volunteer's) and cultural tour programs to the participants for cultural exchange or language study here in Nepal. This is very unique as participants can get an inimitable experience of Nepalese tribes and communities on their homestay. Nepal has more than 102 different tribes and ethnic groups with more than 74 different spoken languages. Besides, they have different unique culture, festivals, costumes, ceremonies, rituals and life style which can be experienced staying in their house and community with host family, enjoying their cuisine, language and more.

A volunteer’s life may not be simple during the entire program. However every experience will be fruitful in more ways than one. Volunteers will have to stay with a Nepali family in a village where the program is hosted. The school may sometimes be close or it may take a half hour walk. A volunteer will have to teach about 2 to 5 hours each day, six days a week. There will be a break on Saturdays and on public holidays. The age group of the children at school will range from 10 to 16 years. Whether you will have to teach alone or coordinate with another local English Language teacher will depend on the program and assignment. A normal class will range from 10 to 60 students. It is expected of a volunteer to use their own teaching methods and also suggest local teachers his/her system and help them develop conversational skills in English. In some programs volunteers might also have to provide lectures to local women or youth for about 2 hours a day. This lecture however will be informal.

 

Trip Summary
This Inspiring Nepal tour takes you to some of the best of Nepal. Your adventure begins with a tour of the vibrant ancient city of Kathamndu, taking 4 of the world heritage sites in Kathmandu, Syambhunath, Patan, Pashupatinath and Boudha.
After one day of this, we move straight into your Volunteer Project and Yoga center on Day 3, going through to Day 6.

 

The Programs

Teaching English

The teaching system is different in Nepal. Volunteers don’t have to follow the rule and method of school but there will be times when you need to follow the school curriculum – for example - to prepare the students for exams. They will be encouraged to use their own
Volunteers must stay with a local Nepal family near the school. Volunteers will teach for anywhere between 2 to 6 hours each day for six days a week (Saturday is the day off). This will vary from school to school. The age range of the students will vary, but generally fall between 10 to 14 years of age and have basic level of English. Volunteers for this program are encouraged to work with local teachers to develop new teaching practices and help with their personal conversational English to enable them to teach English in the future.

 

Working in an Orphanage
We place our volunteers in an orphanage where they will assist the children in their day to day routine (Volunteers still live with a host family or where available in the actual orphanage). The children are mostly between the ages of four to fifteen, and have a basic understanding of English. The general role of the volunteer will be as an guardian in short term to care for, look after and encourage the children in different positive activities. Volunteers will teach the children general life skills, including health and sanitation, as well as arts, crafts and music. In some of the orphanages the children do go to school, however you can help the children with their school work in others. Placements are limited in this program.

 

Home Stay/Cultural Exchange
Volunteers stay in a village with a Nepali Family. The home stay program is a good opportunity for volunteers to learn about the Nepali culture, lifestyle, language, and people. We can arrange home stay programs in most parts of Nepal. During this period volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in local festivals and get the opportunity to exchange their culture. Home stays can only be arranged for two weeks or one month.
In a typical placement volunteers stay in a family where they get Nepali food twice a day (around 9 o' clock in the morning and 7 o' clock in the evening). Tea is served in the morning and in the afternoon. Volunteers will have the opportunity to get together with other volunteers and share their experience. You will be able to travel to nearby towns to purchase things for daily use and could travel to other areas on longer vacation. Besides your project work, volunteers can utilize their spare time in organizing the youth and women's groups of the community to do some worthwhile activities like building a smokeless stove, toilet by using local materials, making a soak pit, kitchen gardening, making a solar dryer, garbage management or paper recycling.

Location of Program
The place for volunteering works will be in Katmandu Valley and rural areas. The locations of the program placements can vary with regards to a number of issues. Placements are determined upon arrival with considerations of safety of volunteers and availability.

Program Requirements
You must be 18 years or older
You should have no major health problems

Program Schedule
The volunteer program starts on any time of the year. You can volunteer anywhere from 2 weeks to 5 months. But the schools are closed during June and July so the teaching English program is limited during this period. Please note that September-November there are local festivals that can disrupt your program. This is dictated by the lunar calendar. Therefore if you are volunteering for month or less, we do not recommend starting your placement at this time of year. For those volunteering for a longer period of time, the festival does provide a great opportunity to interact with the local culture.