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Volunteer in Kathmandu Nepal - Volunteering Abroad Opportunities

Volunteer Abroad in Kathmandu Nepal: is a captivating place. It is the capital and largest city of Nepal, and offers visitors a mix of the modern life and ancient culture. The city is situated in Kathmandu Valley , along with the cities of Patan and Bhaktapur where our other volunteer programs are located. A visit to Kathmandu is like stepping back into the 12th century. Parts of this bustling city are very crowded and run down, and other areas are architecturally stunning and home to numerous notable Hindi and Buddhist temples, monkeys, and ancient buildings.

Kathmandu is the gateway to the Himalayans and attracts hikers and climbers from around the world. There are numerous things to see and do around Kathmandu. Among the highlights are the Three Goddesses Temple, Durbar Square, Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple), Mahakala Temple, Pasupatinath and Bodhnath and shopping and bargaining around the touristy Thamel area.

Today, Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, most people living on less than $1000 a year. Almost 80% of the population still makes a living from agriculture. The rate of unemployment is almost 50% and poverty levels are very rampant. Nepal’s youth is quite large, accounting for almost half of the population. Many children (mainly girls) are orphaned, abandoned, homeless and living on the streets. Our programs in Kathmandu work with an orphanage home to over 100 girl, providing meals, a place to live and vocation skills to create a better future. Join us today!

With a stunning backdrop of the tallest mountain peaks in the world, warm hospitable people and old world charm, Kathmandu is a exciting place to visit and volunteer. Take a step back in time, volunteer in Nepal.

We offer the following programs in Kathmandu:

Program Length: 1 to 20 weeks
Program Date: Flexible Start & End Date
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8 hour per day
Accommodations: Home stay with ABV Director & family.
Meals: Yes, 2 meals a day
Requirements: 17 years or older, an open mind to new adventures.

Child Care Centers

In Kathmandu our volunteers support a local orphanage and a children's community care center.

ORPHANAGE - The SSC orphanage is located in the Nayabazaar neighborhood. There are currently 13 children residing here between 5 and 14 years old. The children come from all backgrounds and all parts of Nepal, the only thing they have in common is that they have no one to take care of them. The orphanage staff provides a home, education and stability for the increasing number of children without parents due to the recent economic troubles and political unrest. The goal is to support these children within the community by providing food, education and medical needs that were not met before. It is operated on a completely volunteer basis in order to demonstrate how a few people can make a huge difference to the lives of others. These children need kind, caring and understanding volunteers that are willing to offer their time and mentorship. The orphanage staff sends the children to a good private school, and has volunteers come to help the children with their homework and to play with them, thus stimulating creativity and inspiring the children.

COMMUNITY CENTER - This daycare center and preschool in located in Kalopul neighborhood. Many poor women, especially single mothers, have to work all day, but have nowhere to place their children, which results in many accidents and tragic deaths, either in the home or at construction sites where the women work. To address this problem, the Center was created where mothers can safely place their children while they work. The daycare currently has 63 children under the age of five, and many more wait to be admitted. Other daycares and preschools in Kathmandu charges extortionate rates and will not accept children form low castes or with disabilities - the main recipients of this Center's care. Recent expansion will allow 100 children to attend the pre-school, and increase the number of children at this center to 160..most below the age of 5 years who would otherwise would be left alone or starved because their mothers cannot work. Usually the husbands are non-existing or good for nothing, abusive alcoholics, and Nepali culture dictates that the women stay with them no matter what. The Center provides a healthy meal and snacks to the children, also tries to facilitate sponsorship of individual children.
In these programs volunteers help with taking care of the children, showing them love and affection, playing with them, stimulating creativity and even teach a bit English to the older children. Volunteers can also teach basic things such as numbers, alphabet and songs. Prior experience not necessary, volunteers should have a lot of patience, an open mind and a sense of compassion.

Woman’s Support Projects

Despite significant progress in the status of Nepali women, following the political changes in 1990, equality remains elusive. In fact, the current conflict has worsened their situation. Although some constitutional and administrative provisions have been adopted to ensure women's equality, discrimination persists in practice. Statistics reveal a grim picture: Nepali women are worse off than most other women in the world. In a global comparison of the status and women, based on indicators of health, marriage and children, education, employment, social equality and political participation Nepal received one of the lowest scores.

As a volunteer in this program you will work with the local woman’s group by teaching English; help to initiate income generating activities and to create sustainable solutions to the challenges the woman face on a day to day basis. You can assist in training woman in several life and income generating skills and to carry out research to find alternative solutions to fight poverty. These woman need assistance in securing jobs, writing a resume/CV, learning basic computer skills and English. Volunteers assist with health education such as HIV/AIDS, child rearing, nutrition, yoga, and sanitation, sewing, bead work, pig farming and other community outreach programs. Volunteers also write grant letters to mobilize resources to assist in the procurement of equipment, materials and supplies needed for income generating activities. No specific requirements except willingness and enthusiasm to help women. The mission on this program is to help foster the growth of independent, self-sufficient, decision-making women, by encouraging self empowerment.

Medical Program:

We offer programs suitable for pre-medical/nursing students and also for medical students in community clinics and a teaching hospital in Kathmandu.

Pre-medical/nursing students are placed in a community clinic, in Kathmandu. This is a primary care walk-in clinic, which sees a wide variety of out patients. Approximately 150–200 patients are seen each day, which includes those for immunizations, wound dressings, family planning, etc. Common complaints involve GI and respiratory ailments, muscle and joint pain, skin infections. The building is a four-story complex with the clinic on the main floor. There is a consultation room for outpatients, a primary care room and a private OB/GYN room. The first floor consists of lab facilities, x-ray, dark room, a small operation theater, and physical therapy. The second floor houses the ultra-sound room, the optometry facilities, the dental room and the medical storage room. The upper floor has the DOTS delivery facility, the kitchen, the offices and board room. Initially volunteers will spend their time shadowing and observing physicians at the clinic. Volunteers will be given the opportunity to speak and interact with patients where possible. If volunteers wish to spend time in a particular department they are welcome to discuss this with their supervisor. This program is ideal for pre-meds who wish to gain some knowledge about how medicine is practiced in a third world country. *Administrative fee of $100 per month is collected for all medical placements.

Medical students are welcome at the Tribhuvan Teaching Hospital. Applicants must go through a referral (documentation) process and registration + a $200 administrative cost will need to be paid. TUTH is a major Teaching Hospital with 444 beds attached to Maharajgunj Campus for training undergraduate and post-graduate students in Health Sciences. The Maharajgunj Campus also runs the community-based field programs. While undergoing elective terms at the major departments of the Teaching Hospital, volunteer medical students will have opportunities to get familiar with commonly prevalent medical and surgical problems of Nepal. You will gain first-hand experience of many tropical diseases and common health problems of a developing country. During the four-week elective period volunteer will attend daily ward rounds conducted by the consultants of the respective clinical departments. Volunteers will also be posted to the out-patient departments and the casualty rooms where they could see a variety of clinical cases. Medical students are requested to bring their own stethoscope and white coat. Students must follow the rules and regulations formulated by elective program of MED. *One month minimum requirement, work schedule is 6 days a week, 8hrs per day.

HIV / AIDS Program:

Many children with HIV/AIDS in Nepal are subject to horrible discrimination. They are denied access to private and government schools; denied access to healthcare and when their parents die – which happens too soon because of AIDS – the children are abandoned by the community and left to die on the streets. The government provides ARV treatment, but other than that, infected individuals are left to take care of themselves.

Volunteers are welcome to come support a local grassroots organization that works for people with HIV/AIDS. Their largest project is a day and boarding school in Swoyambhu neighborhood. They also conduct vocational training courses for women with HIV/AIDS in candlemaking, basket weaving etc, and biannual awareness programs for the community on HIV/AIDS and HIV prevention, hoping to remove the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. The school – Punarbal Shiksya Sadan – currently has 84 children up to 5th grade, 19 of which are orphans from the far western and desperately poor districts Kailali and Accham, and who live in the school’s adjoining hostel that opened November 2009. Not all are HIV positive, roughly half of the children in the day-time school are not, because soon after the school opened three years ago the principal, Apsara Karki, realized that many other children were not attending school either because of poverty or caste, and she quickly decided to open the school’s doors for every child who does not get an education from the government. After 5th grade the school hopes to integrate the children into other schools in the area, thinking that at that age the children are big enough to understand what HIV is and not to get into fights.

Volunteers teach English during the day or help in the hostel after school hours with homework, playing and organizing sports and fieldtrips for children affected with HIV/AIDS. Pre-medical students are welcome, as well as those with no medical background. The programs needs pro-active caring individuals willing to help these unfortunate children.

Program Includes:

Airport transportation on arrival, in-country orientation and project briefing with ABV Project Director, placement in program, Meals and accommodations with a local host family nearby to the project site, Support of on-site Project Director, departure transfer at the end of the program.