the best experience and most worth while 2 weeks of my life
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Women’s Empowerment in Pokhara, Nepal. Simply put, the best experience and most worth while 2 weeks of my life.
It is wonderful to contribute to the amazing achievements that “base camp GVI team Pokhara, Nepal” ceaselessly deliver all year round. Their efforts and yours, when you join that team, enable the wonderful women, that I was privileged enough to meet, to brighten their future by learning English alongside a life skill that will enable them to sustain themselves in their future.
The women all share one thing in common, they have experienced a “challenging background”. Some related to human trafficking, some were child brides (the most extreme was a 3-year-old married to a 30-year-old man) and some extreme domestic situations. Their response is not bitterness, but it is a burning desire to improve their lives and their ability to support themselves and their families by learning new skills and that includes learning English. I never realised how hard English is until you must teach it to someone else and try and explain its logic! It has left me feeling extremely lucky, humble and inspired by those ladies. I am in awe of the women.
It is impossible to convey how phenomenally brilliant my time at Pokhara volunteering was – so that this does not read like a Emily Bronte novel – I will bullet point it.
Tara – the main man for “basecamp GVI team Pokhara, Nepal”
• What an amazing guy – no wonder there were over 1200 at his wedding
• Met me with a smile and huge welcome at the airport (despite my phone not working and flight being delayed by 2 hours)
• Immediately gave me a credit card sized contact details info – ideal as I am good at getting lost and my phone wouldn’t work – oh I have said that already!!
• Sorted a hotel out for me for the first night (I overlooked booking it and finding a hotel was not so easy as it was Nepal New Year – they are up to 2081 already!!)
• Set up a WhatsApp group so that I could link with the other new arrivals for a meal on the first night - advise stick to vegetarian options when you ordering by photo – mine didn’t resemble the photo and tasted as bad as it looked (don’t ask) – still having nightmares about it!!!!
• Creates a huge “family feel” for the volunteers, the other staff members, the homestay hosts – the ripple effect of camaraderie extends to all the others involved in the volunteering projects.
• He is “ever present.” He is there and relaxed at every meal time, Wednesday social evening at a local café when you play card games, at the end of each day and for every meeting.
• He is only ever one WhatsApp message away if you were to have a problem
The homestay
• As the name implies, you feel welcome and looked after as if you are staying at home
• The host couple are seldom seen – but are lovely when you meet them
• Chitra is the wonderful lady that does all the home cooking
• All the meals are fabulous – all breakfasts and evening meals except one when everyone goes out for a social evening (my meal cost £3.50) are provided
• As there are set mealtimes – everyone eats together and they are sociable
• Lunches – are at local cafes with the others on your project, organised and paid for by GVI – excellent food, I recommend the spicy chutney that is served with the roti curry
• The twin rooms are lockable, clean, beds are comfortable, with bed linen and duvet and ensuite shower room – be patient – the hot water takes a while to come through. There is a ceiling fan and plug sockets seem “universal” all 2/3 pin combinations including UK work
• I brought my own flip flops (although there were some clogs) for the shower and a camping blow up pillow – there were good pillows, but I like really soft ones.
• You must bring your own towels (luckily, I did read that bit)
• Filtered water available to fill your water bottles (bring a 1 litre one)
• Everyone washes their own plates after a meal, you clean your own room and you get allocated household tasks- mine was wiping the table down after breakfast – exhausting!!! Not.
• Chitra washes all the pots and pans - she is so friendly
• Right in the middle of the city – so a great location for exploring – quiet at night apart from the first night – New Year’s Eve fireworks
• There is a covered outside seating area and a covered communal balcony.
Pokhara
• Amazing city, fabulous people, unforgettable memories of harmonious chaos
• Driving – there is only one rule – there are no rules
• But there is no road rage – it’s astonishing (really funny – because I have been teaching English I think –“is it astounding or astonishing”!!)
• At T junctions – there are no signs, no traffic lights, people just slow down a bit and weave between each other to get to where they want to go
• No one speeds
• The only time you hear a horn is an alert that someone is overtaking when you least expect it
• Overtaking on blind bends – no problem – everyone slows down, tucks in or stops to avoid any incident if someone appears coming head on
• I didn’t drive – but you get taken to the projects in a small travel coach
• There is a gym and a swimming pool nearby (I was reliably informed)
• There is a local “laundry service” – drop it off, pick it up, costs less than a pound
Life with the other volunteers
• You meet everyone at mealtimes so friendly and easy atmosphere
• There are meetings so we all know what is going on
• There’s always a current WhatsApp group for photo sharing and reminding people what is going to happen
• Most volunteers are on a gap year/ just graduated. Not only does it “look good on a CV” but it is fabulous fun and will give lifelong happy memories
• Brilliant mix of nationalities – although this did create friendly discussion about pronunciation, spelling and other grammar minutiae (In England, we correctly say “at the weekend” whereas in US and Australia they say “on the weekend” – this had us all laughing whilst debating the merits of our logic and google didn’t help either side strengthen their argument)
Time – day to day
• Set meal times – breakfast 8.15am week days, 9am weekends. Friday is pancake day. You can choose eggs or porridge or both daily, cereals are available – all served with toast and bananas
• Set off to volunteering project at 9.30am
• Lunch at the local café
• Afternoon volunteering project
• Conversation club (for children 5 years upwards) is on every evening for an hour – different activities and different volunteers every day
• There is a white board in the dining room so that you know where you need to be every day
• Unhurried lifestyle – plenty of time to organise yourself
• Mix of free time, volunteering time, social time, meal time – ideal balance has been achieved
• Weekends – people can explore locally, lunches are at the local café, there are different activities that you can do that are really cheap and Tara will help you to organise
. Many volunteers combine their trip with an organised hiking trip - again - Tara is a great source of information
Other members of staff that I worked closely with on Women’s Empowerment
Sita – what a truly beautiful person, inside and out
• She works full time teaching on the women’s projects
• As she lives at the homestay, she attends all the social events
• When you teach, she points out the exact page in the book, advises you how it is normally taught but then happily allows you to teach it in a style that you choose
• Great company at the lunch time meals at the local cafes
Tsiring and I walked at the same speed so commonly walked together to the projects
• She is originally from Tibet
• I learnt all about the significance of that and its impact on her life within Nepal
• Tip from Tsiring, bring an umbrella – dual purpose – keeps you cool in the sun and dry in the rain
Mhendo works with the project as well and has excellent taste in music – same as mine!
Roshni runs the kids’ conversation club “CC”. Be prepared. One girl, aged 6, asked me if I had heard of John Jones. I asked if she meant Tom Jones, but she said no. She then proceeded to tell me about John Jones who was exploring the Nutty Putty cave in Utah, that his girlfriend reported him missing, that he had got stuck, how long they tried to rescue him, that he died and his body is still in there so the cave has now been blocked off. I was speechless.
As I did Women’s Empowerment – the local projects that I went to
Sesana – this is the one for girls that have been rescued from human trafficking
• Welcome weekend we were taught to make momos
• Little signs of the trauma and loss of a normal childhood– the girl that covered her ears because of the noise created by the group answering questions together and the girl that asked could she keep the paper chain doll that I made as she had always wanted one
• Alongside learning English, the girls learn how to cook
• By the end of their supported learning, some go on to become paralegals whilst others learn the skills to cook or can work in the hospitality sector
• This means that they require no long-term support, but they are gaining the skills to live an independent life
The sewing room project
• This is run from someone’s house – as in the room that they live in
• There is a bed in the corner
• There are 6 sewing machines for the project along one wall
• After the 3 months course when they learn to make clothes, they are given their sewing machine and supplied with the material so they can make and sell clothes locally – so that they and their community benefit
• You teach whilst sitting on the floor
The others are taught from primary school rooms. As I have said – you never realize how hard English is until you try and teach it. The women amazed me, I was in awe, of their determination to learn in spite of the difficulties. One of the wonderful distractions is the pre-school children that come with their Mums.
Resources. Apart from the white boards, the English is taught from one well-thumbed 2007 paperback English book. For props to teach in/out/ along/ through etc – I made toilet roll bridges, a car (imagination required), paper doll chains, paper airplanes etc. Everyone really enjoyed this lesson – as did I.
Funding. The initial cost that you pay to GVI allows GVI to pay for the homestay, the food, transport, the staff salaries and ensures that the projects are run all year round whether there are volunteers or not. Funding for the projects and their expansion is reliant on additional contributions that go directly to “base camp GVI Pokhara, Nepal.”
The mantra that everyone is an equal - respect all those that are being helped and enable them to gain the education and training that most of us have taken for granted. GVI support and promote independence not create a state of dependency.
Truly, the most rewarding and life changing experience of my life. Volunteer now!
I miss everyone.
Women’s Health Empowerment in Pokhara, Nepal. Simply put, the best experience and most worthwhile 2 weeks of my life.
It is wonderful to contribute to the amazing achievements that “base camp GVI team Pokhara, Nepal” ceaselessly deliver all year round. Their efforts and yours, when you join that team, enable the wonderful women, that I was privileged enough to meet, to brighten their future by learning English alongside a life skill that will enable them to sustain themselves in their future.
The women all share one thing in common, they have experienced a “challenging background”. Sex trafficked/ child brides/ other domestic situations.
When you arrive to volunteer - you are fabulously well looked after.
Tara – the main man for “basecamp GVI team Pokhara, Nepal" - amazing guy – no wonder there were over 1200 at his wedding. Creates a huge “family feel” for the volunteers, the other staff members, the homestay hosts – the ripple effect of camaraderie extends to all the others involved in the volunteering projects.
Homestay - fabulous - lockable twin rooms, comfy beds, ensuite shower room, ceiling fan, universal plug sockets. Chitra cooks amazing food and lunches are all included at a local cafe.
Pokhara, amazing city, brilliant, harmonious friendly people, many combine volunteering with a trekking week (Tara would help you to organise that!)
Mix of free time, volunteering time, social time, meal time – ideal balance - mainly gap year/ student volunteers - great atmosphere. On Women's Empowerment, worked with Sita - beautiful inside and out - directed your teaching whilst respecting your independent ideas. Tsiring, fabulous lady from Tibet, full of wonderful insight into the life in Nepal. From the education given, some have become paralegals.
The life skills taught include cooking (I got a chance to make momos on the introductory weekend - harder than it looks!), Some are taught sewing/ haberdashery. On completion of the 3 month course, they are given a sewing machine to take home and materials - so they can make clothes, sell them to enable them to benefit themselves, their families and the local communities. The whole aim is to enable the women to be independent not create dependency.
Most worthwhile, life changing, inspirational fortnight of my life. Thank you to everyone. I miss them all. If you are in doubt whether to go - don't be. Book now.