Volunteer at the orphanage in Nepal

Volunteer at the orphanage in Nepal

Volunteer at the orphanage in Nepal

The high mortality rate for mothers during childbirth, as well as the short life expectancy in Nepal, leaves thousands of children without parents each year. As a result, most of these needy children are deprived of education and find work as child laborers in restaurants, factories and hotels, and as trash collectors. Orphanages in Nepal provide these kids with daily meals, a bed, and some hope. The children are mostly between the ages of four and fifteen and have a basic understanding of English.

How do volunteers help?

The general role of the volunteer will be to act as an older sibling: to care of and look after the children, to encourage them in their studies and good behavior, and to help the children develop socially, academically, and confidently. Volunteers will teach the children general life skills, including health and sanitation, as well as arts, crafts and music. As a volunteer at an orphanage in Nepal, you may also organize tours, games, drawing classes, singing, dancing, painting and other creative activities that the children enjoy.

Do I need any specific qualifications or skills for this placement?

Volunteers do not need any qualifications to help in an orphanage in Nepal, but it will be a more enjoyable experience if you are enthusiastic and approachable.

Detailed information on 3 of our orphanages:

If you would like a more detailed look at some of our affiliated orphanages, we have 3 interviews with the careers and orphanage managers available on our Volunteer in an orphanage in Nepal Case Study Page.

A day in the life of an orphanage volunteer

Where in Nepal can I volunteer in an orphanage?

What accommodation will I be living in?

Should I volunteer directly with an orphanage?

Once you arrive we organize an introduction for you. We deem this to be highly valuable and it’s a program valued by many volunteer in the past. By means of an introduction you can acclimatize and prepare for your volunteering. You can begin at you project rested and prepared. In this way you can be really effective.

Introduction arriving to work in a foreign country can be a nerve-wracking experience; this is why at Friendship Society Nepal (FSN)  we provide a friendly and in-depth welcome. The in-depth welcome encompasses basic language training, cultural training and sightseeing through Kathmandu and surrounding. This is what you can expect from the moment when you touch down at Tribhuvan Intl. Airport. The program may vary depending on your time of arrival. We will manage to include all below mentioned activities in you introduction program.

Day 1: Arrival & Introduction

Day 2: Nepali lessons and local amenities and sightseeing

Day 3: Nepali lessons and FSN's projects

Day 4: Introduction Host Family and Start Project Services

Friendship Society Nepal (FSN) provides following services to our volunteers:

Volunteer Service & FSN is committed to provide enough services and support to the volunteers to make volunteers stay/work smooth and satisfactory though we have limited facilities in the country. FSN provides volunteers orientation and training as an introduction to volunteering in Nepal. We also make sure that your money stays in the local community. We support a number of projects in the community, and with the help of program fee paid by volunteers we are trying to make a difference. Friendship Society Nepal (FSN)  programs are trying to ensure that your stay in the placement is a positive experience for all - people, place and the environment. Please see below more about our trainings and services.

1. Every volunteer receives classes in Nepali language and culture, including visits to major cultural areas, historical places and shopping areas around Kathmandu. During this training period, volunteers will be provided at least 3 hours of classes and after training other activities such as sightseeing, visiting festivals and ceremonies with the help of the language teachers or office staffs.

2. Basic information on the education system, culture, survival guidance, gender issues, caste system in Nepal and recent political changes. Hand outs or books are distributed to all volunteers.

3. An instruction class will be held about the transportation and hiking trails around the working area. Our staff member can also assist you to organize your other plans as like trekking, tour, flights, rafting etc.

4. A meeting will be organized among host family, FSN staffs and volunteer before starting the volunteering work, volunteers can ask several questions during the meeting.

5. FSN will make a tentative itinerary of the daily program as soon as volunteers arrive to the placement.

6. For health participants FSN provides an initiation into Nepali health practices, history of the health institution and present health situation.

7. FSN always chooses very safe place to stay and work. Volunteers are welcome to contact anytime on phone or on cell phones during their entire stay to receive support from FSN staffs.

All trainings and orientation is focused on preparing volunteers for understanding about cultural differences, increasing the ability of adaptation of the daily life and society to function and contribute towards development process.

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD

During Training:

During the orientation and training, volunteers will stay in a hotel or host family near in Kathmandu which is about 5km North West from the Airport. Accommodation is included in the program fee but for few days volunteers will cover their own food if they stay in hotel. Each volunteer will be provided single or double room with attached bath room and non attached rooms. Hotel/host family has hot shower facilities.

During Placement:

At the placement each volunteer lives with a local family as a member of the family and receives a separate room with basic furniture. VSSN finds best host families to make volunteer's stay smooth. The families have received orientation on western habbits. Families provide two main meals a day, the day time meal will be a light snacks, for drinking - boiled water will be available. The typical Nepalese meal is 'daal, bhaat, tarkaari' (lentil soup, rice and vegetables) also other food like noodles, 'roti' (flat round bread) and different kinds of seasonal fruits and vegetables are eaten. You will be eating the same food as the family eats everyday. Electricity is available and phone/ internet service will be accessed close by the village. Every Saturdays you will have a day off, as all Nepali do.