Volunteer Opportunities Nepal with ViN

I am a teacher from the UK who has previously spent 5 summer holidays volunteering in education in countries including Guyana, South Africa, Tanzania and India. In summer 2018 I worked with VIN on a 4 week teacher training volunteer programme in conjunction with Limited Resource Teacher Training (LRTT). They were incredibly hospitable and, perhaps more importantly, incredibly well organised. They went out of there way to ensure that every volunteer remained safe and healthy (they benefit from having a practising doctor working within the organisation).

The accommodation is clean however it is quite cramped and there is not much storage space. Be prepared for the vibe of a good but basic hostel. The food prepared on site was delicious and very healthy.

I strongly recommend anyone interested in doing a volunteering programme to work with VIN.

I am an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education. VIN provided me an opportunity to provide training for 16 ECD teachers from 8 rural schools outside of Kathmandu. The teachers were experienced teachers so during this time I learned probably more than they learned from me. Before the training VIN set up days for me to observe in the classrooms. After the training I conducted post training observations. My two week experience was wonderful. I would recommend this opportunity to other professors in any field. VIN can use your skills to help with any of their programs.

With VIN I was able to plan and deliver early childhood teacher training. It was a wonderful experience. I learned a LOT and hope the participating teachers did too. Staying in the community with a host family made the experience even more meaningful. I would recommend volunteering with VIN to all Professors who would like to do international volunteering. VIN will put all of your experience and knowledge to good use.

I'm back home now, in Italy, and every morning I recall the beautiful shining smiles of those lovely children I saw during my stay in a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in the outskirts of Kathmandu. I taught them English 4 hours a day, we had fun with Justin Bieber's songs, Bingo and some Nepali games they explained me. I loved watching them falling asleep during the morning prayer, I loved playing with them with a roll of rubber band they called ball and I loved that they touched my hair and asked what it was! It was the best experience of my life, which helped me discover some of my strenghts, weaknesses,and gave an impulse to my future decisions. Thanks to VIN's staff and their support before and during my stay, they made my Nepal experience wonderful!

VIN proposes several types of projects (education, construction, health...) from 2 weeks to few months. The staff is quite supportive and helpful. I was togteher with a couple of other volunteers in a host family around 15km from Katmandu. The family was very welcoming and we had a nice project about Education: we were 3 people on the projects going in several schools around the community area. Nepal is a beautiful country but don't forget warm clothes if you go between December and February !!!

I did a 6 week stint with VIN back in 2012. It was a fantastic experience. The physician who works with the health volunteers, Dr. Laxmi, is a great individual to work with and did an amazing job guiding my work. I ended. Up helping him out at his clinic, writing a grant and doing exploratory research, and doing health talks in local schools, for which VIN provided an interpreter. The host family experience was out of this world -- I was with the family of Saila Dai.

When I first got to Nepal, I was so scared. I was by myself and I had never been out of the United States before. I was really homesick for the first week or so. I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” and as the first two weeks went by, I realized that I had gotten myself into the most amazing experience I had ever had. It is hard to do construction every day. It is tiring and sometimes you’ll feel like you just cannot get through the day, but please trust me on this: it is so rewarding at the end and it is worth all of the blood, sweat, and tears. I met so many amazing volunteers, local and international, through VIN. The host family were some of the greatest people I have ever met. They are my second family. I hated having to say goodbye to all of these people that I met, because honestly, they have all impacted my life so much in such a short period of time. I enjoy every single second of this experience through VIN. It went by so quickly. I hope others have similar experiences and it impacts their life in a positive light, because it definitely did for me.

As a former U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer (Namibia '14-'15), I really can’t say enough good things about VIN and my experience in Nepal. I think what set VIN apart from my prior international volunteer experiences is that they are a local organization with staff members who are also locals. As such, they have a unique perspective and insight as to what and where the genuine needs are. This knowledge is critical in determining the success of an organization’s efforts.

The staff was amazing. Not only are they available 24 hours a day, but they are competent and effective in their roles, and are a very engaged group.

My placement exceeded my expectations in regard to my accommodations, integration, comfort and personal satisfaction. I was fortunate enough to have been placed in a small nunnery near the Bouddhanath area. In addition to the nunnery being relatively small, my class was also small – 4 students. Considering I was the first volunteer to work with them, this allowed me the ability to dedicate attention to any student who was struggling with a concept. This resulted in us having an accelerated class with the young nuns learning more than they likely would have in a large class setting.

My host family, and everyone at the monastery was friendly and welcoming, and were quick to share whatever resources they had. They also helped to explain cross-cultural differences and ceremonial activities as well as to direct me where to find various things in the neighborhood. They also took me on a sight-seeing adventure to Swayambhunath, as well as to visit an HIV Orphanage that had been destroyed by the earthquakes.

I can say with absolute certainty, that when it is time for me to do another volunteer trip to Nepal, I will definitely be contacting VIN.

I was so glad I found VIN out of many possible volunteer organizations in Nepal. The staff and the comprehensive sustainable programs they run are impressive in their coverage and impact on the local community they serve. Although I was only there for a short three weeks, my experience with VIN and the local family I stayed with was rich and impactful.