Your Name Is Volunteer
Your name is love, because you showed me love and compassion when I needed it the most.
Your name is patience, because you took time to listen to me when my stories were long and my heart was heavy.
Your name is kindness, because you used your healing hands to touch my pain and guide me when I was lost.
Your name is mentor, because you taught me the lessons that life cannot teach so soon.
Your name is a volunteer, you are love, patience, kindness, a mentor and so much more…
We celebrate you the volunteer.

Secret (Volunteer) Service
-by Elizabeth Ellis

How to make an impact today!
Open a door for someone
Pick up a piece of paper left on the street
Say “Good Morning” to someone you don’t know
Plug someone else’s meter
Say “thank you” to the mailman
Give the next person in line at the grocery store your leftover coupons
Keep shoveling snow after your sidewalk ends
Truly listen to someone
Say “good job” for a job well done
Recycle
Donate your used clothes and toys
Make a cake for your fellow employees for no reason
Join a committee
Let someone else go first in line
Give your used magazines away
Note good service on your waiter’s ticket
Send a hand written note of thanks to a volunteer for no particular reason
Say “Have a great evening” to the night watchperson
Switch seats with someone on the plane if they’ve been separated by a family member or friend
Print on both sides of the page
Pretend your Monday at work is a Friday!
Refer a potential volunteer to another agency who might better fulfill a volunteer’s interests and passion
Mentor a new volunteer coordinator
Bring your receptionist a treat just because
Wave to children on the bus
Walk, take the bus or ride your bike to work
Learn about a new organization and how they engage volunteers and community
Put flowers on your desk
Don’t “almost” make a difference, do something today!

Volunteers
- by Barbara Armitage

Our city’s problems are many
Solutions seem painfully few
It’s so easy to find yourself wailing
“Where to start; there’s too much to do.”

Yet for one group the answer seems simple
Their direction is always quite clear
They reach out their hands when the need comes
They’re first to volunteer.

The common vision they work for
Encompasses folks one and all
Peace, justice, freedom, and dignity
No matter how helpless or small.

They serve in a myriad of venues
That’s the most essential piece of this pie
No matter how young or how worldly
No matter how educated or spry.

Some help sell the dumplings in August
Some work our correspondance or books
Some keep us apprised of legislation
Some help in the kitchen and cook

They work to keep women off welfare
And so children will have school supplies
They organize home tours and golf games
See the world through the most needy eyes.

Some organize bulbs with pink ribbons
While others drive meals on the go
Some raise our racial conscience
Lend a hand to Help Me Grow

Whether working for Appleseed Project
Fund raising street to street; door to door
They willingly do with a smile
What others might consider a bore

Some serve on the Board—on committees
Schedule classes for young girls and boys
No talent to small or too simple
Each volunteer act increases all joys.

So tonight I acknowledge your efforts
And in your honor proudly raise cheers
May God Bless you one and all
Our Wonderful V O L U N T E E R S !

Gifts of Time
- by Susan Greig

Both night and day
you’ve given of your time
To make this hospital a better place
Every family here has benefited
And your efforts can never be erased

We send this note to tell you
That we are aware and all agree
Your gifts of time–large or small
Are special ones indeed!

Happy New Year Thank You
submitted by Rachel Altemus

We call and we email, we ask for your time
And you give of it so generously, never expecting a dime
Be it raining or snowing or at the last minute, you always come through
This program would be nothing without each of you
We express our thanks, just as often as we can
Please know that we, the Volunteer Services Department, are your biggest fans
You hock balloons and heart tattoos
You bring joy to many patients, who are singing the blues
You provide a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on
You become a familiar face, one families know they can rely on
You provide rides and shopping, which are no small feats
Because no matter what, we all have to eat
You wash windows and clothing, for the caregivers so tired
Walk dogs and play games, help get TVs re-wired
The list could simply go on and on
But it seems only right, that I move this along
So on behalf of Volunteer Services we offer a gift to you, our volunteers Sent with the warmest of wishes for a happy new year

Thank You to Our Parent Volunteers
by Christina Williams

I’m finally going to graduate, the day is almost here.
I learned to count and write this year, because you volunteered.
You shared your love, your time and smile, so I could learn to read.
I can’t believe I like this stuff, who knew that learning could be fun.
I hope you know just how thankful I am, that you took the time to be with me.
I had so much fun this year, I can’t believe that summer’s here.
I got to sing and dance and play, because you gave your time.
I gained so much confidence, because you cheered me on.
Now the time has come sadly, for me to say goodbye.
But your spirit will be with me, forever, all the time.

He Said, She Said
in the Volunteer world
-by Joan Perry

“How can I be of help?” she asked,
“I have a good idea,” he said,
“Here, hold my hand,” she suggested,
“We’ll do it together,” they offered.

“We’ll be right here until it’s done.”
“Let’s do it this way, its more fun!”
“It’s what we’re here for it’s no fuss.”
“Call us back if you should need us.”

“She needs our help, God bless her heart.”
“Oh, I’m just glad to do my part.”
“Walk with me, I’ll show the way.”
“Goodness no, I don’t want pay.”

“You can do it, I’ll show you how.”
“You need it when? I’ll do it now.”
“If you need anything I’m right here.”
“Who am I? A volunteer.”

Explore The Wonder
-by Sandy Cavinee

The mystery of God’s creation unfolds along our way.
Never fully revealed to us, just pieces every day.
The earth, the sky, the oceans hold their secrets but show to man- How
beautiful and mighty are God’s works and plan.
The greatest gift He gave us-to share as here we dwell, are people just like you who know love so well.
And as we “explore the wonder” of what volunteering means, the WONDER is your service-you are the greatest theme!

(I wrote this several years ago and it was made into bookmarks for Volunteer Week-our theme was “Explore The Wonder-Volunteer).

Thursdays
-by Dom Shalalo

What will we do without you
on those quiet Thursday morns?

That workroom where..oh
those books stand so forlorn.

They wait for practised hands, you see
to process them with care

That shifty contact, bubbles
at our merest touch or stare.

But our volunteers have conquered
its wicked wiles and ways

gliding to book corners
it no longer dares to stray.

“Oh work is only work” some say and that may often be!
But to us your work is the work of love, giving so selflessly.

Do We Have As Much Sense As A Goose?
-By Akbar Khan

A flock of geese flying in a formation ‘V’
Much research reveals what you do not see

Each bird in front by flapping its wing
Creates an uplift for the goose following

Flying in ‘V’ formation they change
By 71% plus their flying range

Common direction and a sense of community
Our efforts become quick and easy

If a goose falls out of formation by chance
It feels greater drag and resistance

If we have as much sense as a goose we’ll stay
In formation with those headed our way

When tired the lead goose rotates to the rear
Another taking its place in the air

It pays, while doing hard jobs, to take turns
Thus no one is over burdened or get burns

The geese in the back honk from behind
Encouraging, gentle and kind

We must encourage others as they strive
To meet the daily grind of life

If a goose gets sick and or wounded
If for some reason it gets grounded

Two geese fall out of formation
They keep it company and for protection

Stay with it until it flies or dies
Such are the depths of their ties

If we humans have the sense of a goose
Their way of life is what we’d choose

Based on a write-up “Do we have as much sense as a goose?”

Over the years, rallies, parades, community volunteering projects, environmental awareness, free medical care and advocay campaigns have all featured prominently on IVD.

These events are led by IVD national committees comprising partners from the UN system, governments, civil society organizations (including national and/or international volunteer involving organizations) and committed individuals. Some IVD committees also include representatives from the media, academia, foundations, the private sector, faith groups, and sports and recreational organizations.

In response to calls by volunteer groups and governmental representatives around the world, the United Nations General Assembly in November 2002 adopted Resolution A/RES/57/106, which invited the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to develop a global Internet volunteer resource to take forward gains made during the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) 2001 through expanded networking and knowledge management. UNV responded by launching the World Volunteer Web on 5 December 2002. Since then this website is the global focal point for the IVD campaign.

The critical question is, however, what happens on 6 December? Newspapers may turn their attention elsewhere and sound bites may fade away, but the work of volunteers goes on with or without publicity and well-deserved recognition. The spirit of IVD must live on as well. In its 2001 resolution, the United Nations General Assembly called on “governments, with the active support of the media, civil society and the private sector, to observe 5 December, IVD, and to include activities focused on following-up on the achievements of IYV”.

Encouraging more people to volunteer is a 365-days-a-year task. If you consider the committed work of volunteers of all ages around the globe, carrying out every imaginable kind of activity, IVD should be a day that never ends.

Project Plan National Development Service (NDS) was a special education scheme devised to suit the needs of Nepal, and played a vital role in the development activities at the grassroots level of the country. Ninety percent of the country’s total population lived in rural areas in 1970s and its development depended solely on the development of these rural areas, which witnessed a very low rate of development growth in every sector such as health, education, transport, industry, forestry, agriculture etc. The rural literate persons were also attracted to modern facilities and amenities available in the urban areas and hence tended to migrate there rather than stay behind to develop their own areas. To add to that, as a result of major drawbacks in the old system of education, policymakers in Kathmandu had neither adequate idea of the conditions prevailing in the rural areas nor did they visit those places to derive first-hand knowledge of the situation there. In view of the problems of the prevailing educational system, the National Education System Plan as one of its objectives had supply of trained man-power fornational development with priority to be given, among others, to the promotion of active students’ participation in nation building. To achieve that purpose, the idea of the National Development Service scheme was conceived and the National Education System Plan specifically stated that: “A National Development Services Corps will be instituted in order that higher education may not be equated with theoretical and bookish knowledge alone and also to provide students for service in national development while engaged in studies.” The Establishment of National Development Service “Under the National Development Service (NDS) scheme a student passing the first year of the diploma course (equivalent to the Bachelor’s degree) or the first year of the degree course (equivalent to the Master’s degree) will be required to go and erve for a year in a place where he is deputed. At the outset, such service will be compulsory for those who complete the first year of the degree course only. Later, it will be made compulsory for those passing the first year of the diploma course as well. The development service shall be an integral part of University education and certificates of having passed the diploma or degree coursem were awarded only after the required service under this program. Foreign diploma or degree-holders will be barred from pursuing further studies or taking up employment in Nepal until they fulfil this service requirement.” The students of the various corps were, moreover, to be deputed to different rural areas for a period of one year. But throughout the period of active functioning of the program it saw only one corps (Education Service Corps) functioning. Youth Problems, Policies, and the Project Involving all the degree level students who formed a major part of the choices youth population in the country, the project was explicitly related to the specific youth problems and youth policy of the country. At that time as elsewhere in the world, youths in Nepal were confused about their role in society. In the context of the outside influences and in the absence of proper guidance, they could be drawn to activities that may not have served the best interests of their academic or social needs. They could therefore be engaged in services of their interest to get direct and immediate results in the form of credit or self-satisfaction, or in studies, which would, through their practical involvement in community services, prepare them before the end of their academic career to face the realities of life. Furthermore, in the prevailing context of the lack of trained manpower, the services of the energetic youth community, if properly channelled, could go a long way in boosting the overall development of the country. The NDS had successfully harnessed the youth force to the process of rural development and therefore to national development. The NDS scheme was essentially thus a youth program.
However, the community services alone were not enough to tackle the problems of youth nor did they alone give out the directives of youth policy. They were the part of the overall national program that was designed to mobilise humanresource of the country towards development. As a part of higher education, the NDS scheme aimed to bring about change in the attitudes, outlook, and skills of the educated youth. With man as the prime agent of development, the place of development could be improved in so far as the state was able to motivate the people to make a fuller utilisation of physical resources. Unless the people developed attitudes and skills, the process of development would not be self-sustaining, and lack of modernization ideas could well handicap the healthy growth of country. Viewed in that perspective, the NDS was a scheme that acquainted the youth with the realities of life clarifying the role to play in future in the context of national development. Thus it was a good example of volunteerism in Nepal. As Director of the NDS Program, this author felt that although it was a compulsory program, the students once placed in the areas assigned exhibited their volunteerism so well that the villagers still remember their contributions.

Project Outline

Aim and Objectives: The NDS program was designed to expose the educated youth not only to the rural life but also to serve as change agents in the development activities of the country. The main philosophy behind the program was that higher education should not be equated with theoretical bookish knowledge, and that students should be provided with an opportunity and scope for service in national development while engaged in studies. The NDS scheme, therefore, was a study service program similar to that of study service schemes operating in several developing countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Ethiopia etc. at that time. Launched in 1973, the NDS program had four main objectives:

1. To make education broader in its outlook, more practical, and attuned to the
development needs of the country;
2. To encourage students to assist in rural development activities;
3. To give students an opportunity to interact with the various groups of people
who make up the population of the country; and
4. To give students practical experience in development works.

Before the introduction of the National Education System Plan, students got their Master’s degree after attending class and reading a prescribed range of books. Practical knowledge was lacking. To fulfil that need, students were assigned to a certain village community to carry out development work besides their classroom learning. The objective, therefore, was to see that the students, backed by theoretical lessons, were supplemented by practical knowledge in the villages and would come back more mature in thinking and prepared to face challenges in their life afterwards.
Exposure of the students to the realities of the country was expected to be of great value to the future leaders and policymakers of the country. Theoretical knowledge alone, however high in quality, is incomplete. An individual with a high level of theoretical knowledge may have a good standing in the society, but in practical life he may fare badly. One must be therefore well acquainted with the realities of the country besides acquiring theoretical knowledge. NDS Program was designed to see that students return after completion of the study service for a year with a greater sense of responsibility, resourcefulness, initiative, self-reliance, and self-confidence in them to face life’s challenges.

The program as a whole was thus designed to bridge the gap standing between the urban and the rural areas. Besides bringing about certain changes in higher education, it also tried to accelerate rural development activities. Students were sent out not merely as teachers, but also as change agents in the fields of health, construction, agriculture, forestry, and social services in the villages. Organisational Structure: In order to properly operate services of such high value, a separate administrative wing called NDS Directorate was established in
1972.
NDS Directorate was placed under the Rector’s Office of the Tribhuvan University headed by a Director. The NDS committee, of which the Rector was the Chairman, consisted of five Deans, and one representative each from the Ministries of Education, Home, and Panchayat and assisted in formulating the NDS Program and coordinated activities at the University. The Director of NDS acted as a member-Secretary of the committee. This NDS Directorate had no field office. The Directorate directly through supervisors carried out supervision and spot-checks from the centre. In the Directorate, nine units worked under the Director:
1.Planning, 2.Research,3.Documentation,4. Evaluation, 5. Publication and Public Relations, 6. Supervision, 7. Training, 8. Administration, and 9. Accounts and Store.

Supervision, one of the most important units of the whole organisation,
controlled and supervised the NDS students’ activities in the field and helped them
carry on the program successfully. It had kept an eye upon the operation of the
program ensuring that its objectives were fulfilled. There were altogether four
sections within the unit: a. Far Western Region b. Western Region c. Central Region d. Eastern Region Each region was controlled by an officer in-charge. The work of the supervisor of these units was to visit the field where NDS students were working and observe their activities in education, health, construction, and agriculture. In their field visits, they met the Pradhan Panch (village head), headmaster, teachers, students and other local people enquiring about the performances of the NDS volunteer. Where there were administrative heads like the CDO or an education head DEO, they met them,and if possible, also the Zonal Commissioner and acquainted them all with the NDS

concept and various activities. They also acted as guardians of the NDS students, gave them advice where necessary and appreciated their good works to encourage them. After supervision, a report would follow evaluating the participants based on observation of the participants’ performances. The supervisor also wrote corres - ponds letters to the students. Before heading for the villages, NDS students were required to undergo a
training course of about five weeks organised by the NDS Directorate. Theoretical and practical training in various skills was given to participants to help them solve the problems they might face in the villages. Besides such training, NDS students acquired first-hand knowledge of the conditions and problems in the village where

they were to stay and work for ten months. On the other hand, the participants also had opportunities to exchange ideas and suggestions with the expert on health, education, construction works, agriculture, forests, scouting as well as physical training. The short period of training aimed at enabling the participants to teach in the class acquainted the villagers with the importance of forest conservation and also enabled them to give suggestions on agriculture and on simple construction works. At the same time, it put its emphasis upon improving health conditions in the village by playing an active role in the work of public health, i.e., family planning, sanitation etc. After the completion of the training students were assigned in the districts to work for ten months. They were sent to the concerned districts and placed in schools under the headmaster. The District Education Officer (DEO) acted as their guardians and their placement to the villages was done through the DEO. The Ministry of Education was quite cooperative by making suggestions to the Directorate for placement of students. Instructions were given to the DEO relating to NDS students as also suggestions necessary to the Directorate. Finance: The financing facilities of the programme were provided through the University budget. Whereas the government financed the program, UNICEF assisted substan-tially by providing vehicles, logistics, medicine, seeds, stationery, and by funding an advisor to the NDS. UNESCO too, extended a financial help of $ 2,000 for the adult literacy drive.
In addition, the NDS office received $ 6,000 to publish eight prepared best village profiles by the NDS participants (1977-78). Response of Youth to the Project: When the NDS program’s pilot project started in 1973 with very few voluntary participants (just 22), the response hardly looked positive. The project was regarded as a waste of time and a temporary solution of the problem of unemployed youth. The participants who volunteered for the scheme were laughed at. Some even put the blame on them for being responsible for making obligatory at the degree level. However, those same pilot project participants now occupy good official positions and some even became senior staff of the NDS Directorate.
The program was fully launched in mid-1974 with the start of the new academic year and was made an integral part of the degree course. The students who wished to complete Master’s level course had to complete the NDS or forget the Degree. After completing two semesters, they had to go and work in the villages for 10 months.

Reaction from the students to the program was not very favourable in the
beginning. In protest, they “gheraoed” (Organising sit-ins to immobilise office work until concessions came), the Prime Minister, the Vice-Chancellor, and the NDS Director. The concerned authorities were naturally upset and the opposition became
an issue between the Government and its critics for some time. The protest was
based on the grounds that the long field stay would interfere with studies and the
academic calendar. All these protests were there because people were hardly
familiar with the kind of domestic development service or study -service.
The idea of involving students in the NDS was a very good plan for the nation’s
development. But when assigned to rural areas, they often hesitated to face the
challenge mainly due to lack of self-confidence. The parents of girls were also found
far from willing to send their daughters to the villages. Once the students were
convinced, however, the programme moved ahead with full steam. Participants
came back more mature, confident, resourceful, and with knowledge about rural
areas.

From 1975 onwards, the idea of the program was well accepted. After
completion of the program, students themselves started convincing their friends
about its utility and benefits. At the time of the close-up of the program, the young
participants were working in seventy-one districts out of the seventy-five total.
The program achieved great success due to the dedication of youths who were
very enthusiastic in doing something for the development of their country. It was
specially welcomed by the younger generations. Even the students of diploma-level
were curious about it.
The NDS office welcomed suggestions from participants and took care to help
them. In view of the remote areas and the practical problems involved, the Directorate
increased the maintenance allowance from Rs. 300.00 to 450.00 in 1978.
The program partly due to the huge publicity and popularity, gained a positive
effect on students. The ex-participants, too, played their role. They came back
changed, more resourceful in thinking, and more confident, and able to face
challenges in life. They often talked about their exciting experiences to the future
NDS participants.
Thus the students brought a great deal of attitudinal change. If they had
opposed the program in the beginning, they started welcoming it. Some of these
same NDS participants are today our ministers, secretaries, and decision-makers
who speak very highly about the program. The program has also earned credibility
among the elites and common mass through the students’ devotion and dedication.

In fact, the program became popular and a matter of profound interest from
very remote areas to the capital. The Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka,
and many other countries took interest in it, and the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime
Minister of India, and Mr. Zia ur Rehman, President of Bangaladesh, sent University
professors to collect first-hand information on the program.
Overall Evaluation
The impact made on the rural life by the participants was very positive. Their work
as generalists made them successful in many aspects of village development. As
these youths went to the villages, villagers expected a great deal from them and
thought they had knowledge in every field. As a result, they were consulted on all
sorts of problems. The students, who had received training as generalists, and were
helpful in sorting out and solving most of their problems were often addressed
respectfully as Doctor Babu (respectable doctor), Bikase Master (one who is a master of development work), J.T.A. Babu (Junior Technical Assistant), Master
Saheb (respected teacher), Dai (elder brother), Didi (elder sister), etc.
Students accepted the program as an integral part of their education at the
degree level and the University also accepted it as an integral part of community
services.
In 1978, when the NDS program was in its sixth year, the number of students
involved was 2178 (boys 1729, girls 458). In 1979 about 800 students were
assigned. Each year the villagers’ demand for NDS participants increased. The everrising
credit of the program had also increased the responsibility of both the students
and the Directorate. The fact that His Majesty the King used to give audience to the
NDS students during his visits greatly boosted the morale of students in the field.
The royal directive (which said: “we see the problems of development stemming
from shortage of technical human power persisting in the country. The students
under the National Development Service are doing a fine job and the indications are
there that the National Development Service students can considerably meet the
shortage of technical human power. An emphasis should be laid on the National
Development Service. We are trying to mobilise the students to meet manpower
requirements of the country just as we are trying to dam the river to produce
power,”) became a guideline to the program. The NDS Directorate did its best to
train students to meet the technical manpower for the rural areas.
The program was, in essence, a two-way traffic: the grassroots people who had
remained ignored got the benefits from highly educated youth and the urban-based
youths got rich experiences of rural life after their exposure to the realities of the
country. Such experience would be of great help to their future career. The program
was more effective where participants were placed continuously for more than two
years. Where there was no follow-up, however, it was less so. A fact also realised by
the late King during his field visits and therefore he instructed the NDS Directorate
to assign students in the villages for two to four years continuously.
Students as change agents were found more effective in the remote areas
compared to the semi-urban or urban ones. This was due to the rural-based
orientation students received in their training. The Directorate, too, did its best to
encourage students to get results from the less remote areas. The girl students were
as active as the boys. Besides the assigned job, they achieved, remarkable success in
mobilising and motivating the illiterate females. They opened their eyes towards
family welfare activities. The villages thus became aware of the needs for such
educated female participants.In terms of cost-benefit, the nation received four times more than the input
made, going by analysis done by the author. The NDS Directorate had worked out a
cost-benefit analysis of the district of Bajhang of the Far Western Region where the
total amount spent for the group of students (14) from 1976-77 was about Rs.
100,000.00 and the return Rs. 411,000.00. The attitudinal change in the students and
among the rural people, however, could not be estimated.
The NDS program was a challenge not only to the students but also to many
other sectors. Villagers found the students to be a great asset in making them aware
of the needs, of their role in the nation building task and started thinking about clean
drinking water, better agricultural seeds, better school buildings, better teachers,
libraries, and so on. All this was a positive outcome of the program. As the program
made progress, the impact could be seen in other parts of the country. The NDS
office maintained proper coordination with the concerned departments of HMG,
which cooperated well enough.

However, the NDS students were often a nuisance to the local leaders who
benefited from the mass ignorance. The conservative Panchayat politicians were
opposed to the program and blamed the students for the 1979 movement of Nepal.
Therefore, after referendum the program was discontinued.
The NDS provided the teachers of the University considerable information
through village profiles, which the participants produced. These profiles were useful
for social workers, research scholars, government authorities, and others. The
program thus played the role of a harbinger between the rural and the urban areas
with its positive impact on Nepal’s rural life. It paved the way for rapid development
of the nation and became an ideal instance of model volunteerism in Nepal.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT VOLUNTEER SERVICE : Public Sector Initiative in Volunteerism in Nepal
by Vinod K. Shrestha, Ph.D. and Pradip P. Upadhyay*, Ph.D.
Background
One major constraint of development in rural Nepal has been the shortage of
technical manpower and dedicated social workers. Since the efforts made by line
ministries to bridge the gap of manpower shortage in remote regions have yet to
show effective results, it has been realized that by mobilizing the youths as
volunteers it could provide an instant relief to the districts. Hence, the National
Development Volunteers Service (NDVS) has been established by National
Planning Commission (NPC) to support the poverty alleviation efforts of the
government by assisting local institutions in the areas of infrastructure development,
income generating activities, education, agriculture, health and sanitation etc.
Keeping in view the benefits gained from the mobilization of young volunteers
by NPC Secretariat to special area development districts (high mountain districts) in
twenty out of such twenty-five districts in FY 1998/99, the program has been pushed
forward through the institutional arrangement of National Development Volunteer
Service in March 2000. NDVS is to meet the short -term need of manpower in the
remote districts.
Past Efforts Promotion of Volunteerism through public sector support was first initiated in early 1970s. National Development Service (NDS), launched as a part of Tribhuvan University curriculum for Masters level program with budgetary support from the government, was implemented between 1973 and 1979 under which hundreds of students were sent to various districts to serve as community workers. This program is still remembered as a very successful program in meeting the shortage of school teachers and other types of manpower in the most remote districts of this country. Other national volunteer organizations like Paropakar, Nepal Red Cross, Maiti Nepal, Samuhik Abhiyan etc. and a host of local non-government organizations based in districts have been mobilizing volunteers in this country for short term as well as long term assignments. The contribution of international Volunteer Sending Agencies (VSAs) in the socio-economic development of Nepal is a remarkable one. Since the beginning of the 60s till now the international VSAs have been mobilizing hundreds of volunteers from their respective countries to work in Nepal, especially in the fields of education, health, agriculture, forestry, environment etc. International volunteers mobilized by VSAs like Peace Corps (US), VSO (UK), United Mission to Nepal, UN Volunteers, JOCV (Japan), DED (Germany), MS-Nepal (Denmark), LWF-Nepal (Switzerland), and Student Partnership Worldwide (UK based) have been providing great services to the development of rural Nepal. NDVS Objectives
NDVS has been established to achieve the following objective

· To revive the spirit of volunteerism in Nepal to draw people from different
occupations to it.

· To promote the sense of volunteerism among the public in Nepal in cooperationwith local as well as international VSAs.

· To provide instant relief to the remote districts regarding the shortage of manpower.

· To encourage young volunteers with appropriate education and skill
committed to work with self-less motive to go to remote and backward districts with the motto of serving the local people.

· To provide an opportunity to the fresh graduates to obtain field level experiences –including the living conditions of rural Nepal.

· To persuade the experienced and retired senior persons to contribute as a
volunteer to the development of rural people of Nepal.

· To inform and encourage skilled professional Nepalese residing abroad and
foreign citizens willing to work in Nepal about the potential of being a volunteer worker in rural areas of this country and also to act as a facilitator
in this endeavor.

· To initiate inter-country exchange of volunteers with the objective of
sharing skill, technology, and experiences – especially among the SAARC
nations. The specific duties of the Volunteers mobilized under the NDVS program have been defined as follows:

· To get involved in rural development activities in the true spirit of volunteerism.

· To provide appropriate suggestion and assistance to utilize locally available resources.

· To assist in the operation and expansion of the development programs having direct impact on the education, health, agriculture, income generating activities, and skill of the rural people.

· To assist local organizations and groups in the implementation of development activities and awareness activities.

· To establish coordination with district-based agencies while carrying out the assignment.

· To encourage and facilitate local people in the formation of community based
organizations (CBOs) and users’ groups to carry out local level development activities.

· To assist CBOs and users’ groups in providing technical and other types of assistance.

· To act as a link between district agencies and NDVS and to carry out other assignments given by DDC. Volunteers are mobilized for short-term (up to six months), medium-term (up to one year), and long-term (up to two years) assignments.
Future Program

· Volunteer Mobilization: Efforts will be made to mobilize 300 to 400
volunteers annually.

· Community Focused Program: Mobilize volunteers in the poverty pockets of different regions of the country to uplift the living conditions of the backward, destitute, and under-privileged communities.
· Establish an Information and Promotion Center: Volunteer Information and Promotion Center will be established within NDVS.
· Establish Partnership with Technical Institutes: Relationship will be established with medical, engineering, and agriculture institutes to mobilize the intern students as volunteers.
· Promotion of Volunteerism: Volunteerism awareness programs in schools and campuses for youths, and in the district headquarters for the adults will be carried out.
· Turn NDVS into an Autonomous Body: The ongoing process of converting NDVS into an autonomous organization will be expedited.

Institutional Arrangement
At present, NDVS is under the direct administrative system of National Planning
Commission Secretariat. A high level Steering Committee having representation
from the NPC, relevant ministries, and private sector agencies has been formed to
provide policy directives as also an Executive Committee to provide functional
guide-lines to NDVS. Both the Committees are chaired by the Vice-Chairman of
NPC. The budgetary support for this program comes from HMG/N.
Effectiveness of the Program More than 500 volunteers have already been mobilized under the NDVS program in 42 districts. Most of them are fresh graduates and include professionals like: engineers, overseers, agriculturists, solar energy experts, health workers, population experts, planning associates, teachers, herbal plant experts etc. In most of the districts where the program has been implemented, the utilization
of volunteers has been found quite satisfactory. Although, at the beginning, some
confusion prevailed about this program, the DDCs later on, found it quite beneficial.
Recently, the demand for the number of volunteers from the DDCs has been
growing. It is a matter of satisfaction to NDVS that the utilization of the volunteers
is growing with the dispatch of subsequent batches of volunteers as the DDC officials have been stepping up their monitoring activities. The number of volunteers
allocated to a district for the coming year depends on the evaluation of the utilization.

by Prof. Tulsi R. Vaidya, Ph.D.

Classical Volunteerism

The definitions of the term volunteer and volunteerism have changed over time. Traditionally, voluntary services were promoted among communities, towards realising the sustainable management of social development initiatives, especially through cultural and religious activities. Guthi is a typical example of a voluntary organization that generates community services in managing socio-cultural activities
in a sustainable manner. This practice has been institutionalised, and still prevails in some socio-cultural groups of people, to promote a participatory approach in mobilising resources, with the active involvement of all stakeholders. Some of the traditional voluntary practices like Badghar and Kulha Chaudhary are effective in the management of water resources and irrigation system, especially in the Terai. Importantly, development programs initiated by traditional voluntary institutions
have been found to be participatory and sustainable.
The construction and successful management of various temples and other religious institutions in the country, continuity of the religious and cultural festivals, helping each other in the time of distress and emergency, and management of traditional water taps are good examples of volunteer mobilization through the Guthi system. These initiatives do, however, require external inputs. Nepal Charkha Pracharak Mahaguthi, the organization that promotes the Gandhian philosophy of development, was probably the first formally registered non-governmental organization in Nepal. It promoted self-help, sustainability, and a participatory approach, and has adopted many pragmatic concepts of the Guthies, to
safeguard the traditional concept of being and working together in determining one’s own fate. With the advent of the modern concept of voluntarism, which has introduced external volunteers, the welfare approach in the community of the Guthi philosophy, which was founded on self-service and sustainability has failed to deepen its roots in Nepalese society, although Nepal Charkha Pracharak Maguthi is still sustaining itself.

First Generation Volunteerism

Gradually, over a period of time, the terms ‘voluntary’ and ‘volunteerism’ have become defined and understood differently from the literal meaning of the term Swayamsewa or Swayamsewak . In the first generation of volunteerism, the western concept of “offering himself/herself for any service” became embedded into the eastern culture. The voluntary concept internalised in the east, as a part of its lifestyle and institutionalised in the social system, has been understood as a “leisure time” service delivery mechanism during emergency for needy people. The concept that was promoting sustainable development and participatory approaches has therefore been distorted into the welfare approach of development, done only by people who have surplus wealth and time. As a result, the traditional voluntary spirit
of “self-service” waned and dependency grew. Beyond the traditional concept of self-service and sustainability, the concept of receiving services and resources from “others” was promoted among the volunteers in implementing development programs. This type of service delivery mechanism could be regarded as the first generation of volunteerism promoting a welfare approach. This mechanism has helped the communities to cope with natural disaster and epidemics, to implement short-term projects, and to build infrastructure. But the entry of sporadic technical services and service delivery from external volunteers, into community development, also nurtured the dependency syndrome among the people. Therefore, this approach should be reviewed and re-defined to reduce dependency and establish people-centered sustainable activities at the local level. However, this type of volunteerism has also its strength in rendering services to the people at times of natural calamities, accidents, and disasters. The institution like Paropakar (para means others; upakar means welfare), established in late 1948, was highly successful in mobilising young volunteers to serve the people of Kathmandu suffering from cholera epidemic. The organization took the immediate objective of welfare and service as an “entry point” and changed its strategy over a period of time, to sustain the institution and to contribute towards national development. Paropakar successfully delivers sustainable services in the areas of health and education in many parts of the country. The spirit and philosophy of selfservice has been largely missing in mobilising volunteers. Sustainable and professional voluntary initiatives can therefore learn from Paropakar.

External Intervention

Traditionally, indigenous informal people’s organisations promoted and strengthened the spirit of volunteer services. But today organized and formal indigenous external institutions have started delivering planned volunteer services to the community. As a result, people are losing the spirit of volunteer mobilisation for self-help, sustainability, and promotion of a participatory approach. In the recent past, the involvement of national and international institutions in mobilising volunteer services increased rapidly. Over the last five decades, volunteer service, implemented by national and international organisations has provided essential services, especially in delivering in the areas of health, education, institution building, and income generating activities in the development of rural communities. This practice of volunteerism has helped immensely to harness the concept of mobilizing young people from outside the community in the form of national or international volunteers to deliver services. It has shown the community to be a fertile land for mobilizing external volunteers for national and international
voluntary organizations. It has unfortunately eroded community confidence in delivering services and facilitating the process of development and has increased dependence upon external personnel. As a result, people have lost their spirit of selfservice, and their capacity for local resource mobilization, and sustainable development practices.

Second Generation Volunteerism

In the present situation, only the traces of the traditional concept of self-service in volunteerism remain in the communities, these being largely limited to religious rituals. The modern form of volunteerism promotes the concept of welfare and external dependency, encourages mobilisation of external volunteers, which is likely to increase external dependency among the people. In the present context, there is a dire need to revisit the concept and definition of volunteer and volunteerism. Voluntary action is not limited only to welfare, essential service delivery, distribution of meals and other materials at the time of emergency. Volunteers at the local level can also be effective in the process of social mobilisation.
People in the communities have led many development initiatives with the voluntary contribution of their time and resources including management of drinking water schemes, community forests, irrigation systems, savings groups, and operation of local self-help groups to address the local problems. These initiatives are truly voluntary initiatives, but unfortunately are not recognized. These voluntary
initiatives should be recognised as meaningful development activities and mainstreamed into the national development process. In the first generation of volunteerism, voluntary service remained a leisure time activity with partial commitment. Partial commitment of volunteers has its own limitation in facilitating the development process. Therefore, full time commitment should be encouraged in volunteerism rather than a partial one. Continuity of process has to be encouraged. This approach can constitute the second generation of volunteerism.
Good examples exist of voluntary action in social mobilisation and development. Following the political change in 1951, when the Ranas lost their power, the traditional spirit and philosophy of self-service as a voluntary action lost its influence in society. Voluntary institutions were only slowly fostered during this period. However, a few voluntary institutions were promoted, formed, and strengthened during the Panchyat time. Many voluntary institutions, especially in the form of youth clubs, were promoted and supported during this period. However, people involved in these types of voluntary institutions were the supporters of the Panchyat system. Activities being implemented with voluntary efforts were limited
to organising sports competition, and delivering emergency services in the case of natural calamities. The voluntary institutions often enjoyed support from the government and were able to obtain land and other resources to construct buildings and other facilities, which did help these institutions to survive. Some voluntary institutions formed during the Panchyat time were effective in social mobilisation, especially in Kaski, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Parsa, and Banke districts as also in mobilising the community and facilitating the development process.

Professionalism vs Volunteerism

A number of challenges remain in promoting volunteerism. One is in striking the balance between voluntary spirit and issue of professionalism. In the recent past, one limitation of professional development actors from outside the community lay in delivering services and facilitating the development process with full commitment. In the same manner, the local volunteers with full commitment lack professional competence in delivering services and facilitating the development process. In order to cope with this challenge, the relevant capacities of the local volunteers need to be developed and the volunteers have to be paid an appropriate amount of remuneration so that professional services with full commitment can be retained and sustained. It is difficult to retain the voluntary spirit with free services. Free of cost services cannot ensure professionalism.

Relevance of Voluntary Services

A critical examination of the existing practice makes three major development actors visible. The first actor is the Government, which has the onus of national development with full authority and opportunities, but was not effective in rendering essential services to the people over the last decade. Instability, internal struggle among political parties, Maoist insurgency, and deep-rooted corruption were the reasons. The Government failed to address issues like education, health, institution building at the community level, and livelihood that directly affect nearly half of the nation’s population. The second actor that plays a role in national development is the business sector. But unfortunately, this sector over the last decade failed to generate sufficient employment opportunities for the people or to contribute substantially to the process of national development.
The third actor is the voluntary sector, which has many comparative advantages over other sectors and has proved effective in mobilising local people towards selfservice in conformity to the true sprit of traditional volunteerism. However, the voluntary sector has also demonstrated dependency on external agencies in implementing programs to mobilise people at the community level. This sector, at times, is criticised for being family-owned and also for being controlled by local elite’s and to a great extent urban-based. However, with its comparative advantage over other sectors, the voluntary sector has been found to be effective in social mobilisation for self-service. The voluntary sector could be even more effective in raising awareness, mobilising communities, forming people’s organisations, facilitating the process of empowerment of powerless people, and enabling people in living a full and meaningful life. In the given situation, if people can be made aware, organised, and empowered, they can be instrumental in achieving social transformation and in bringing structural change to the society. The expected change that is the demand of the current situation could be brought by the meaningful and effective mobilisation of the voluntary sector. Hence, the voluntary sector is relevant and required for national development. But the concept of volunteerism needs to be reviewed and revisited thoroughly. The UN Declaration on celebrating year 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers was influential in revisiting the concept of volunteerism, in further strengthening the voluntary sector, and promoting the traditional concept of volunteerism embedded with the spirit of self-service, sustainability, and a participatory approach to national development.

Current Practices

Many types of volunteer mobilisation practices exist today. The earlier categories of classical, first generation and second generation of volunteer mobilisation have been further divided into other sub-categories, and are analysed below.

Classical Volunteerism: The traditional concept of volunteer mobilisation practices, which are a combination of self-service promotion, participation, program implementation, and local resource mobilisation, is practised by a limited number of voluntary institutions in a few areas of the country.

Guthi: This is the classical example of the traditional concept of volunteer mobilisation practices. The nearest meaning of the term Guthi in Newari language is living together in mutual trust and self-service. Accordingly, Guthi promotes selfservice, sustainability, and participatory approaches in the management of temples, religious institutions as well as in celebrating religious and cultural activities. The Guthies, that manage thousands of temples within the Kathmandu valley and elsewhere in Nepal, are an institution in itself, with a clear vision, resources, system, leadership skills, and members for its sustainable operation. Another feature of Guthi is participation of all stakeholders in the decision-making process, program implementation, and conflict resolution. The division of roles and responsibilities to meet individual interests, expertise, and competence is another key feature within a Guthi. This institution also promotes the process of local resources mobilisation among all the stakeholders. In the management of temples and religious institutions, the individuals or groups of people who established the temple or institution are made responsible in allocating resources, in the form of land or other physical property for its sustainable operation. The major thrust of the Guthi practice is thus collective or individual involvement in self-service and self-development. This practice has been institutionalised in the lifestyle of people, especially among the Newar community all over the country. But other non-Newar communities have also adopted the concept of Guthi, to meet the requirements of their own culture, religion, and context. However, this practice has been limited to labour exchange (Manka Guthi), and religious and cultural activities. The promotion of this practice in implementing other development initiatives could help to ensure sustainability, participatory approaches, and local resource mobilisation.

Badghar and Kulha Chaudhary: This is also a classical volunteer mobilization process practised especially among the Tharu communities of mid- and far western rural Terai. A household or individual democratically elected or selected at regular intervals is given full responsibility for social mobilisation to manage Kulo, a canal operated under collective ownership of all citizens. Under the shared leadership of Badaghar or Kulha Chaudhary owners, the Kulo is mobilised for sustainable operation, maintenance, repair, and cleaning periodically, particularly at the time of cultivation of crops. Badghar and Kulha Chaudhary are also responsible for disseminating information, hosting the community’s guests, and mobilising people for collective action in the community. There is no external involvement or intervention in this practice among the Tharu communities as they are the experts on this subject. But efforts could be made to introduce this practice to other communities without disturbing their own lifestyle.
Volunteerism for Community Mobilisation: Raj Kulo is the traditional community- based irrigation system practised in the mid-hills and the inner Terai region of Nepal. Raj Kulo is managed by a group of community people elected by the community. The group is responsible for equitable distribution of water, collection of water revenue, and uninterrupted supply of water with proper maintenance and repair by mobilising human and financial resources in a participatory manner. Raj Kulos have been quite successful in providing irrigation facilities for the community.
Though there are many successful cases of community-managed irrigation systems with voluntary mobilisation, Chhattis Mauja in the inner Terai of Rupandehi is the best example. There are quite a few cases of traditional voluntary mobilisation practices in the communities. For example, the communities, for years, have been voluntarily mobilizing local resources to construct Kuwa, a source of drinking water for community; Chautari, a short-term shelter for pedestrians; Pati, an inn for travellers used as a night-time shelter. However, these initiatives are limited to the rural area and are now declining.

Ama Samuha/Mother’s Club: Traditionally, used by the Gurung in the midhills of western and mid-western Nepal, and now also by other communities, these are informal groups mobilised to safeguard the rights and interests of self-motivated groups in mobilising local resources using their skills of dancing and singing. Efforts are however needed to mobilise the funds generated in the productive sector so that women will have access and control over resources, essential for women’s empowerment.

NGO-Promoted Volunteerism

After the restoration of democracy in 1990, the number of NGOs in Nepal has grown to astronomical figures. NGOs have their own comparative advantages in contributing to the development process but are not free from problems. Still they are now established as one of the main development actors. Recognizing the competence and credibility of the NGO sector, the National Planning Commission, starting from the eighth Five-Year Plan, has entrusted the sector with the responsibility to implement development programs in collaboration with the Government and local bodies. The recognized strengths of the NGO sector are competence in voluntary social mobilisation for meaningful participation of the communities in the decision-making process, program implementation, and local resources management.
Many NGOs in the country have become active in safeguarding their rights and interests, in addressing issues of public interest, and in mobilising local resources to implement people-led development initiatives designed for collective benefits. Savings and credit cooperatives are excellent examples of voluntary mobilisation by NGOs at the community level. Local Resource Mobilization: A number of NGOs have also mobilised voluntary contribution of time and financial resources from among their own members to sustain their operation. Musthi Daan, is donating a musthi (handful) of grain daily to a mendicant. However, Char Tare Youth Club (CYC) of Baglung has modified the concept through the daily contribution of 50 paisa (half a rupee) from their executive members to generate money for a capital fund. CYC is also generating financial resources from its well-wishers, ranging from Rs. 5 to 200 per month. The resulting
capital fund has also prompted local communities to make a voluntary contribution of used newspapers, which are sold for recycling, with the funds raised going to the organization’s capital fund. Promotion of Self-Help Groups: Many NGOs have also organized local communities into self-help groups to lead the people-owned local development initiatives by mobilizing local resources with active participation of the owners. A number of self-help groups have been formed all over the country to organize thousands of people to collect millions of rupees and lead hundreds of development initiatives. For example, Vijaya Development Resource Centre (VDRC) of Gaidakot organized 4,895 men and 1,630 women in 51 Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Parbat and Kapilbastu districts into fifty groups who have set up 33
savings and credit cooperatives and collected over 7 million rupees. The cash is lent to the community to operate micro-enterprises. This ensures self-employment and generates family income.
Delivery of Essential Services: The NGOs are instrumental in delivering essential services to the communities by mobilizing internal and external volunteers. The essential services include education, health, technical support in farm and offfarm income generating activities, and local institution building. NGOs have proved most effective in implementing non-formal education programmes all over the
country. Womens’ Literacy Program, implemented by PACT, a US-based INGO in partnership with the local NGO, has helped 300,000 women to become literate by mobilizing more than ten thousand volunteers at the community level. Activities like health-related awareness raising program for the prevention and control of HIV AIDS, nutrition, family planning, sanitation and safer motherhood have been successfully implemented by the NGOs by mobilizing local volunteers on a shortterm
basis. There are good examples of volunteer mobilisation to plant trees in protecting the environment. Volunteers were also mobilized by the NGOs in raising issues of gender equality, prevention of human rights, liberation of bonded laborers, and mainstreaming of dalits.
Infrastructure Development: The NGOs are also found mobilizing volunteers for the construction, management, and operation of essential infrastructure like drinking water schemes, school building, irrigation systems, trails, mule tracks, and suspension bridges. Volunteers are mobilized to transport materials to the construction sites from the nearest road head as also to contribute unskilled labors.
Volunteers are being mobilized to form committees to manage and operate the infrastructure. These management committees are responsible for mobilizing voluntary contribution of financial resources for maintenance and operation.
Direct Personnel Placement: There are a number of NGOs that mobilize national and international volunteers in communities to deliver specific services or to facilitate the development process by building local capacity, raising awareness, linking community institutions with other development agencies, organizing people into local organizations, raising issues of common interest, and by mainstreaming
issues of women, dalits, and other marginalized groups. For example, Samuhik Abhiyan mobilizes volunteers for placement in remote communities under its National Volunteer Program (NVP). Fresh university graduates, both men and women, are selected and trained in the process of social mobilization before placement in a community with a local counterpart for 18 months to facilitate the development process. The volunteers are hosted in the community by a local organization. Relevant and essential training in the social mobilization, management of people’s organizations, management of savings and credit, community organization skills and community facilitation skills are provided at regular intervals to the external volunteers, local volunteers, and representatives of the host organizations. The program is aimed at capacity building of volunteers, and at building a strong network for the local community and host organization with external development agencies, business sector, and local bodies. A major part of the fund required to implement the program is mobilized within the organization in the form of voluntary contribution by members in the form of remuneration paid for providing professional services to other institutions. The project is partially supported by the Japan Chapter of Samuhik Abhiyan on the basis of equal partnership.
Volunteerism with North American Roots: Another set of NGOs in Nepal instrumental in promoting volunteerism and mobilising volunteers to implement various activities and addressing social issues are national NGOs registered within Nepal with North American roots such as Junior Chamber, Lions Club, Rotary Club, and Round Table. In the Jaycees, volunteers benefit from its major four areas of opportunities, i.e., individual development, business, community development, and international relationship. Jaycees has 73 chapters all over the country and has mobilised nearly 5000 young volunteers aged between 18-40 years. It implements
programs to benefit its members and the communities. Similarly, the Lions Club has its chapters in major parts of the country and has mobilised large numbers of volunteers to serve people in various areas. The Rotary Club has mobilised volunteers to provide services to the community and has supported His Majesty’s Government in implementing projects to eradicate polio from Nepal. Round Nepal has also been active. These organisations are rooted among the elite groups mainly in the urban areas and are successful. They mobilise resources locally and are not dependent upon external donors, and have a
sufficiently developed infrastructural base in the form of land and buildings to sustain their operation. They also have a permanent source of income in the form of rent accruing from the infrastructure. They are capable of managing sustainable mobilisation of volunteers for self-development and service to the community.
However, they draw criticism in being inaccessible to the poor- middle class people, and for their limited ability to reach the poorest of the poor. INGOs: Recently many INGOs have also placed international volunteers in communities to deliver essential services in partnership with the government line agencies, private sector or NGOs. These volunteers have brought a wide variety of expertise and experiences to the Nepalese communities and have introduced new technologies, skills, and paradigms in the areas of natural resources management, education, management of people’s organisations, promotion of renewable energy, new business creation, marketing of products, and institutional building at the local level. The hard work of the foreign volunteers, especially those of women, have developed the confidence of the local people and encouraged them to work for their own development. However, in some communities the foreign volunteers are also being blamed for damaging the local culture through their alien lifestyles, food habits, clothing styles, and language, which develop a certain dependency syndrome among the local communities. Some people have also questioned the relevancy of the foreign volunteers in delivering the basic services, which could be better delivered by the local people themselves. NGOs have made remarkable achievement in mobilising volunteers and contributed immensely in the national development. However, there are some limitations of the volunteer mobilisation process that needs to be addressed for improvement in the future. A majority of the NGO-promoted volunteers are project-based,
dependent upon donors’ fund, and are controlled by the local elites. In spite of their positive intention and rigorous efforts, the self-help groups, management committees, and user’s committees often ceased working. The NGOs must learn from this and take time to orient the community so that they internalise the need for volunteer mobilisation before formation of such groups. Groups formed with proper orientation and internalisation and sustainability in the long run are found to be successful.

State-Promoted Volunteerism
The government has also mobilised volunteers in the sectors of health, education, environment, and infrastructure development. Health: In the health sector, the government mobilised young women as
community health workers in all the VDCs of Nepal, through basic training given in health with a health kit for use in the community. These volunteers have proved very useful in providing basic and primary health facilities in the rural area of Nepal.
Forestry: Forestry is another large sector where thousands of volunteers have been mobilised to form the Forest Users Groups, (FUG), to manage the community forest to allow sharing the benefits among its members. FUGs are instrumental in raising people’s voices on environmental protection, and are effective in ensuring people’s control and access over the forest and its products. Direct Personnel Placement: Recently, the National Planning Commission set up the National Development Volunteer Service, (NDVS), to mobilise volunteers for six months with the possibility of extension for one more term, to deliver the technical services, and facilitate the development process. The DDCs manage the volunteers at the district level. At times, however, the inadequate bureaucratic process reportedly hinders the state-mobilised volunteers and commitment to deliver services as well as a tendency to drop out or to be absent from the field remain.

Policy Environment
The voluntary sector in general and traditional volunteer mobilisation in particular is largely governed by age -old practices rather than policies or a legal framework. For example, the spirit and philosophy of traditional volunteer mobilisation initiatives have social but not legal recognition and the policy framework does not guide the process. However, the absence of legal provisions and policy guidelines is not impeding the values and belief of volunteer mobilisations at the community level. The absence of legal provisions and policy framework to govern the traditional volunteer mobilisation process has contributed to the freedom of their operations. But, due to the absence of legal provisions and a policy framework, the traditional voluntary initiatives and institutions are not entitled to many state benefits packages like subsidy, tax exemption, and capacity building packages. Attempts to bring traditional volunteerism under the government policy framework could strengthen the spirit of self-service and self-development.
Attempts were made to bring the voluntary organisations within a legal framework with the enactment of the Association Registration Act 2034 and Social Welfare Council Act 2049, both of which are government endeavours to provide a legal umbrella to all voluntary organisations and provide legal protection, recognition, and rights in the process of further promoting and nurturing voluntary institutions. They have yielded some positive results in the promotion, formation, and strengthening of voluntary organisations. The formulation of these acts could thus be taken as a landmark and affirmative step towards the development of voluntary organisations in Nepal. These acts have direct implications for the voluntary sector. Other acts and policies related to local governance, drinking water supply, irrigation, health, education, and micro finance have indirect implications for the voluntary sector. The discussion below examines, the direct implications of the Association Registration Act 2034 and Social Welfare Act 2049.The Association Registration Act 2034, clearly indicates that no citizen of the country is entitled to establish and operate a voluntary association without formally registering with the District Administration Office. A minimum of seven people can form a voluntary association and apply for registration at the District Administration Office. They must also provide the prescribed amount of registration fee and various information about the association.

The term “association” is defined as a voluntary organisation, club, council, study center, and friendship association formed with the objective of development and extension of social, religious, literary, cultural, scientific, educational, intellectual, physical, philosophical, financial, or professional activities. This provision has resulted in the registration of all types of institutions in one act, without any distinction between their specific objectives. Any change in the specified objectives or amalgamation of the association with other associations requires ratification by a two-thirds majority of the members present in the general assembly and is subject to approval by the local authority. Specifically, the voluntary non-governmental development organisations are facing a sort of identity crisis as their objectives, activities, and funding sources might differ from those of the religious and cultural associations. The local authority, if found necessary, could designate an officer to check the books of accounts of the association any time. The designated officer is entitled to charge up to three percent of the balance amount within the association as fees. The local authority has the right to suspend or terminate registration of the association if the specified objectives are amended or the association is amalgamated with another association without prior approval of the local authority, if activities are against its specified objectives or if the association is found to be not following the guidelines or policies issued periodically by His Majesty’s Government. Autonomy, which is the key element and spirit of any voluntary organization, has been breached by the
Act. In contradiction to the values of volunteerism, the government local authorities are given full control over the operation of voluntary organizations. This may be the price the voluntary organisations have to pay for getting legal protection from the government.
The Act has authorised voluntary organisations to possess, utilise, and sell physical property. This will certainly encourage voluntary organisations to generate resources for their operation but the provision of automatic property transfer to the government in case of insolvency and failure in functioning of the association or any other causes inhibits development of organisational infrastructures, capital funds, and local resource mobilisation. Similarly, the Social Welfare Council Act 2049 also has some implications for the voluntary sector in general and voluntary NGOs in particular.
A voluntary organisation is free to apply for affiliation with the Social Welfare Council in a prescribed format along with its constitution, name, address, and profession of the executive members, and address of the registered office. This provision in the Act has safeguarded the autonomy of the voluntary organisations and allows them to be registered with the Social Welfare Council. Any voluntary organisation seeking a financial grant from His Majesty’s Government, foreign governments, international organisations or foreign missions for any project or activity is required to apply to the Social Welfare Council for approval. Applications received are critically reviewed for consultation with the line ministries for approval within 45 days. However, projects designed against the interest of the nation may not be approved. This provision obliges the voluntary organisations to provide information on their source of funding to the Government, which is essential to ensure financial discipline and transparency, and in establishing the credibility and reputation of the voluntary organisation. But, it may also impede the voluntary spirit of local resource mobilisation at the community level.

Conclusion
Traces of traditional voluntary mobilisation practices exist, particularly in the rural areas of Nepal, which need to be preserved, promoted, and nurtured. However, watchful efforts should be made not to destroy the values, beliefs, and spirit of the true sense of volunteer mobilisation processes. Serious attempts made by some NGOs or other types of organisations to adopt the traditional voluntary mobilisation practice require further encouragement and support from all stakeholders. The contribution of the NGO sector in the social mobilisation process, which actually is promoting a true sprit of self-service and self-development, needs to be brought into the framework of volunteerism by redefining and revisiting the conventional definition of volunteerism as a free and leisure time service delivery at the time of an emergency. The legal framework and rigid policy guidel ines could hinder promotion of volunteerism. Hence, ideally, the voluntary sector should be left to take its social course of action with social recognition. Still, a regulatory framework and information system within the voluntary sector is essential for its own development. Hence, the legal provisions and policy guidelines should be made conducive in the greater interest both for the voluntary sector and the Government.

References
Workshop Report on the Needs and Challenges of Nepali Non-Governmental Organizations, organized by Samuhik Abhiyan, 1992.
The Society Registration Act, 2034.
The Social Welfare Council Act, 2048.

Volunteerism in Nepal : A Perspective on the Existing Policies and Practices By Basu Dev Neupane

Mr. Neupane is President of SAMUHIK ABHIYAN, founder Secretary General and past President of the NGO Federation of Nepal.

Volunteering: An Evolving Paradigm Volunteerism continues to evolve in response to the emerging needs and priorities of communities. Many voluntary activities are rooted in ancient customs of caring and sharing. Whenever there is a need in society, such as in funerals, natural calamities, and any other emergencies, human beings have the impulse to work together. Thus, in most societies, volunteering is a fundamental part of people’s lives and most languages have terms to describe it. For instance “Shramadan” and “Paropakar” in South Asia, “Harambee” in East Africa, “Mingu” in Latin America and “al taawun wal tawasul” in many Arab States. The act is very familiar, even if the word “volunteer” is not. For example, Nepal has a tradition of protecting and conserving temples through Guthis. Bhutanese traditions for managing common natural resources such as firewood collection, fire control and prevention, and wildlife protection continue to influence country’s culture of environmental volunteerism. Volunteerism is both a source and a reflection of social capital. It is part of the nformal web of solidarity that binds societies together and that provides social safety nets. Volunteering is not only a form of social capital, but also an effective social network of the community. It is also reciprocal within the norms in the community. By nurturing trust and establishing a pattern of generalised reciprocity, volunteerism binds societies together. Characteristics of Volunteerism Certain key basic criteria can be identified to distinguish volunteering from other types of human activity. It is not undertaken primarily for financial gain. Some even argue that only purely altruistic behavior should be counted as volunteering. Others

contend that there is no such thing as pure altruism and that all volunteering contains an element of exchange and reciprocity. A volunteer is for twenty-four hours a day. It is not a time-bound occupation, but a widespread form of social behavior. Volunteering is undertaken by one’s own free will.

Types of Voluntary Services

Within the broad conceptual framework, voluntary services can be grouped into at least four categories: mutual aid or self-help; philanthropy or service to others; participation or civic engagement; and advocacy or campaigning. Each of these types occurs in all parts of the world. However, the forms may differ from country to country and from community to community. The nature of volunteering is influenced by the economic, social and political make-up of the country and its stage of development. Mutual Aid or Self-Help: In many parts of the developing world mutual aid or self-help constitutes the main system of social and economic support. Even in the countries of the industrialised North, contributions from self-help are significant, particularly in the field of health and social welfare. These voluntary groups are often organized around a particular disease or illness. Philanthropy: Philanthropy or service to others primarily was meant for external parties but not for the members of his or her own groups. This type of volunteering takes place typically within voluntary or community organisations. The long-standing tradition of volunteers being sent from one country to another to offer developmental and humanitarian assistance, both from the North to the South and from the South to the South is increasing.

Awareness Building: Volunteers play a crucial role in advocacy or campaigning and act as activists to bring changes in legislation affecting the lives of vulnerable groups. They have been instrumental in raising public consciousness about abuses of human rights and environmental destruction, gender equality and women’s empowerment movement as well as democratic governance in many parts of the world.

Participation: Participation has been recognised as an essential component of good governance. It has become the watchword of development in recent years and there are many good examples in Nepal. There is, however, strong criticism, too, which argues that, much of what has passed for participation has been little more than token involvement and a means of legitimising outsiders’ decisions.

Voluntary Services in Nepal

Volunteerism is a part of Nepalese culture. Most of the problems of the communities are solved through voluntary services. Public goods such as trail-roads, temples, inns, water taps, and wells used to be built on a voluntary basis. In fact, relief work at the time of disasters (flood, earthquake, famine, epidemic etc.) are mostly done on a voluntary basis. Guthi, Dharma Bhakari (food reserves), are examples of traditional voluntary works in the Nepalese society, guided mainly by religious, social, and cultural factors. Traditional voluntary organizations are functioning under the traditional norms mostly without being registered with any of the government offices. Modern voluntary services were initiated in Nepal after the establishment of Paropakar Sanstha, by the late Dayabir Singh Kansakar, and Gandhi Charkha Pracharak Sangh, by the late Tulsi Mehar. Other voluntary organisations include clubs, trusts, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and community-based organisations (CBOs). The number of NGOs, which are registered with the Social Welfare Council (SWC), is more than 11,000 and the number of NGOs registered in CDOs in the districts is even bigger. According to a survey of NGOs, conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in 2000, only one-fourth of the NGOs registered are found to be active.

In the present context, voluntary services in Nepal are mobilised in at least three different ways and at different levels: local, national, and international. Local Voluntary Organizations: His Majesty’s Government of Nepal allocates budget for the local governments, e.g., Village Development Committees

(VDCs) and District Development Committees under different community development programmes for which local communities have to meet a certain part of resources through people’s participation. Many District Development Committees (DDCs) have similar programs of their own as well. A survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on village development expenditures and their resources showed that local development works equivalent to Rs. 3 billion were carried out in the year 1999, and one-third of this was estimated to be met through people’s voluntary services. Likewise, it is estimated that DDCs also mobilised about the same amount of services in that particular year. Many municipalities are also conducting similar programs. A number of local NGOs and informal community-

based organizations (CBOs) are also playing a crucial role in their development efforts at the community level. Thus, the local government was able to build up roads, tracks, drinking water supplies, health posts, and other social capitals worth more than Rs. 3.5 billion.

National Voluntary Organizations: There are many voluntary organizations at the national level who are active in Nepal, e.g., Paropakar Sansthan, Nepal Red Cross, Marwadi Sewa Simithi, Bal Mandir etc. After the restoration of democracy in 1990, a large number of NGOs both at the national and local levels have been formed and are providing voluntary services in different areas. Some of them are quite active such as Samuhik Abhiyan, Maiti Nepal, Sathi etc. These leading national NGOs are providing voluntary services in the areas of health, education, and relief work. It is estimated that the amount of contribution made by the major national NGO’s amounted to equivalent of Rs. 1 billion in 1999/2000.

International Voluntary Organizations: Nepal is considered to be a favourite country for many international voluntary organisations. Almost all the well-known international voluntary organizations provide voluntary services to Nepal. Among them the major Volunteer Sending Agencies (VSAs) are: Peace Corps (US), Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO-UK), MS Nepal (Denmark), German Develop -

ment Service (GTZ- GDS), SNV (Netherlands), JOCV (Japan), SPW (UK), and UNV (United Nations). The services of these international volunteers are mostly in the areas of basic and primary education, primary health, and other areas like HIV and AIDS, local governance (including social mobilisation), income generation activities (saving and credit schemes), empowerment (particularly of women, socially disadvantaged groups, and physically handicapped). A very brief information on some of the leading international VSAs in Nepal is given below:

Peace Corps: Peace Corps (US) volunteers have been serving in Nepal since 1962 and over 4000 volunteers have served in Nepal so far. Currently, 120 volunteers are serving in different parts of the country. The number of districts being served has been reduced to 28 at present from 58 in the past due to security reasons. Major areas of services are Education, Agriculture etc. JOCV: JOCV (Japan) started its activities in Nepal in 1965. Forty-two volunteers including 12 senior volunteers are currently serving in Nepal. JOCV is serving mainly in education, health community development etc. VSO: VSO (UK) is also one of the oldest VSAs in Nepal. It initiated its activities in 1964 and VSO volunteers are engaged mainly in education, health, natural resource management etc. The number of volunteers serving at present is 45.

DED (German Development Service): DED started its work in Nepal in 1965. There are 18 volunteers currently working in natural resource management, local govern-ments etc.

UNV: Nepal has been cooperating with the UNV Program since 1974. Nepal is a recipient as well as a sender of UNVs. Currently, there are nearly 100 Nepalese, serving in more than 20 different countries as UNVs. Meanwhile, 19 International UNV Specialists, 11 National UNV Specialists, and 5 National UNV field workers are serving in Nepal.

All the voluntary service organizations together (local governments, major national NGO, and 8 VSAs and UNVs in Nepal) produced work with value equivalent to Rs.5.5 billion in 1999/2000, which is 1.52% of the GDP of Nepal in that year. The estimated value does not include the work of traditional voluntary organizations, local politician’s contributions, and voluntary contributions of other INGOs. Therefore, it can be assumed that the monetary value of voluntary services may accrue to about 4 to 5 % of the GDP of Nepal.

Benefits: a Win-Win Situation Volunteering brings benefits to individuals and society at large as well as the volunteers themselves. The significant benefits they bring are:

Spiritual Connection: Volunteerism helps foster compassion, social responsibility, and spiritual and emotional bond between the provider and recipient of voluntary services. This further helps develop norms of solidarity amongst the members of a society.

Economic Benefits: Volunteering makes an important economic contribution to society. A survey in UK in 1997 suggested that the voluntary work contributed a total of Sterling Pound 40 billion. Another survey in Canada indicated that over 5 million adults volunteered adding about $16 billion to its GDP. Similarly, another survey in eight European countries in 1994 found the average participation in volunteering across the continent is 23%, which is equivalent to the work of almost $10.5 million full-time employees. Given the impact of its contribution in the economic sphere of a nation, if a system to assess the value of voluntary services in monetary terms is developed, it would help in promoting a favorable environment for volunteering in all sectors and by all citizens.

Social integration: Volunteering helps in social integration, particularly for those who are excluded or marginalized. Likewise, volunteering by the young people offers opportunities for self-development and provides a valuable grounding in the practice of citizenship. For the older people, volunteering contributes positively to the process of ‘active aging’ by helping them to adjust their lives without the structure of the workplace. Political stability and economic progress is also linked with social interaction. Thus, volunteers have been very effective in social mobilization, thereby forming social capital and facilitating participation of communities in all stages of development activities.

Employment Opportunity: Volunteering plays an important role in promoting employment by enhancing the employability of unemployed people, especially the young generation. For those in search of paid employment, volunteering can boost self-confidence, provide access to workplace networks and an opportunity for the development of specific marketable skills. Volunteering also leads to the creation of new jobs by developing services, which are later taken over by the state and the market and turned into paid jobs. For example, the innovative response from volunteers worldwide to the HIV/AIDS epidemic has led to the creation of thousands of paid jobs in the public and private sectors.

Participation: Participation has long been seen as an essential element of good governance and for sustainable development. Volunteering is a key means by which individuals articulate their engagement as citizens, and build trust and reciprocity among citizens. The social capital generated by voluntary action is vital to the development of efforts of people living in poverty.

Goodwill Ambassadors: International volunteers working in developing countries often play a very important role as promoters of the countries they have served. They act as natural goodwill ambassadors in introducing the countries to the developed world.

Issues and Challenges

Social Values: Volunteering is under pressure from the forces of globalisation and industrialisation, fuelled by a reduction in religious attachment, the break-up of traditional communities, and an increase in individualism. The Human Development Report for 1999 singled out caring labor as an essential facet of economic sustainability. The Report states that this often overlooked and little studied but essential part of human development is being squeezed by globalisation. In Nepal also traditional voluntary organisations are disappearing or not functioning as they used to do in the past. Funds of traditional Guthis and Trusts are being depleted. Changes in social patterns such as increasingly materialistic thinking and depreciated social and cultural values have contributed to defunct traditional voluntary organisations. Since 2000, the number of international volunteers has also depreciated due to security reasons.

Policies and Strategies: Lack of clear policies and strategies to promote volunteerism by the Government by the private sector as well as by voluntary organisations themselves also poses a serious challenge to sustaining voluntary services.

Recognition: The value added by voluntary services is not adequately recognised and the contribution made in the nation’s economy has not yet been estimated. In many countries including Nepal, the failure of governments to measure the contribution of volunteering to GDP is a sign of the low status in which it is held.

Coordination: Lack of coordination among the recipient institutions, VSAs, and government agencies affects the efficiency and effectiveness of volunteers’ services. This may lead to duplication of efforts in certain areas with no activities in others.

Recruitment Process: In the case of international volunteers, it is reported by many VSAs that the recruitment process takes six months to one year. Due to such an ordinate delay in recruitment, many times they lose appropriate candidates. Commitment and Ownership: In many cases voluntary services are considered as free and do not receive adequate commitment and ownership of the recipient agencies. On the other hand, volunteers services are not used at the optimum level. In some cases, volunteers are used only for attracting external funding.

Absence of a Focal Agency: This makes it difficult for the VSA to deal with any issues related to voluntary services. Career-Oriented Volunteers: In some cases, voluntary services are also consi-dered as salaried jobs and volunteers continue to remain volunteers for a longer period of time. NDVS Volunteers, in some cases, are being treated as government servants, which therefore restrains them from participating in community activities.

Measures for Promoting Volunteerism

Volunteering is a cost-effective way of providing a range of social and welfare services, but it is not cost-free. In order to flourish, volunteerism requires an effective infrastructure, both at the national and local level, to help mobilise support and match the volunteers to appropriate host organisations and tasks. The government has a role to play in funding this infrastructure and in ensuring the requisite legal and fiscal framework. Given the diversity of volunteering, it is not possible to put forward universal models for its development. Volunteering is a product of its environment and a government scheme for promoting volunteerism in Western Europe or North America may not be appropriate for Latin America or southern Africa. This is not, however, to say that lessons cannot be learned and practices exchanged.

Government’s Response on Volunteering

Government support for volunteering can take several forms which can be summarised under the following six headings.

Creating an Enabling Environment:

•Policies & Strategies: Governments should develop policies and strategies to promote, mobilize, and support volunteering in accordance with the human resource needs of the country. In developing its policies and strategies, the government should work in partnership with the key stakeholders, including the voluntary and private sectors. The policy should also include an establishment of budget lines within the Government structure for funding effective infrastructure to facilitate volunteering initiatives.

•Legal Protection: For the establishment and funding of non-profit and voluntary groups, a legal provision to ensure due protection for individuals who wish to volunteer their time as is the case for paid labor is essential.

•Tax Incentives: Provision of tax incentives would encourage the setting up and funding of volunteer schemes in all sectors of the society.

•Focal Unit: A focal unit with overall responsibilities for promoting, managing and coordinating voluntary services and liasing with voluntary organisations, government agencies, and the private sector would greatly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of voluntary services. This will also facilitate recruitment processes for both national and international volunteers, processing of visa etc. This unit could also be responsible for evaluating the effectiveness and relevance of volunteers’ services. For this purpose, an agency like the NDVS could be designated as the focal agency.

•Special Provisions: Creating provisions for civil servants to take time off for voluntary service, for a short period of time, with recognition for the services with a points system for their promotion would be helpful.

Promoting Youth Volunteering

Demographic changes in some regions are resulting in an alienation of young people with concomitant social problems. Such situations drive the youth to anti-social movements. In Nepal, it has been reported that most of the youth from the remote areas are involved in Maoist Insurgency, as they have no other options. Engaging in voluntary activities could divert their minds towards more productive activities. This will also be a vehicle for the youth to acquire both technical and life skills. Moreover, evidence suggests that people who start to volunteer at a young age continue to do so throughout their lives. Governments should therefore take thisopportunity by promoting volunteering among young people through:

•Promoting volunteering within the education and youth services by developing specific programs to encourage youth volunteering. The policy should be to recruit fresh graduates for volunteers’ services.

•Including volunteerism within the curriculum of social studies in schools. Camping can be organized for students during vacations for practical experience.

•Developing systems to recognise and accredit volunteering, which can be used for their future studies or career.

•Working with the media and other stakeholders to present a more attractive, up-to-date image of volunteering.

•Establishment of an information system on voluntary services.

•Establishment of a desk in the Nepalese Embassies of certain countries would help tap expatriate volunteers.

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Raising Public Awareness

Governments can help raise public awareness about the value of volunteering and the opportunities to volunteer by:

•Carrying out or funding basic research on the level of volunteering and its contribution to society in social and in economic terms.

•Publicising volunteers’ activities and contributions in the development field, as well as profiles of voluntary organisations.

•Working with the broadcast and print media to promote a positive image of volunteering and the opportunities for involvement.

•Harnessing the power of information technology to signpost available volunteering opportunities for people.

•Recognising the contribution of volunteers through an awards system applicable to the society concerned.

•Organising high profile events or ‘days’ to publicise the work of volunteers.

Private Sector’s Role in Volunteering

In recent years the private sector has begun to take an interest in volunteering. Both as part of a broader community investment strategy and as a means of staff development, businesses have been developing schemes to support their staff in voluntary activities in the community. Such schemes take on a variety of forms, such as, time off with pay for their staff to volunteer; financial support or assistance in kind; a

company-volunteering scheme; and recognizing and supporting existing staff involvement with non-profit organisations. Whatever the model, evidence suggests that employer-supported volunteering increases staff skills, morale, and loyalty towards the company and enhances the standing of business within the local community.

Influencing Organizations
Governments should encourage volunteer sending bilateral governments, international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank to develop their own strategies on volunteering, which might cover:
•interaction with organisations with a large volunteer component
•involvement of volunteers in carrying out their own programs
•development of schemes to encourage their staff to volunteer

- by Lalita C. Thapa and Uttam N. Malla
(The contributors are both returned UNVs. Ms. Lalita C. Thapa is at present an ARR at UNDP Nepal and Mr. Uttam N. Mall is with the Nepal Bureau of Statistics.)

Ghachok is a beautiful village.  The Annapurna mountain range towers above it and the Gandaki River carves a deep gorge below.

Janajagaran Model Community School is a forward-thinking school which started just 6 months ago.  The Janajagaran Development Center (JDC) is an enthusiastic and committed group of people who have given their time and money to build the school for local children.

At this school, every subject is taught in English medium.  Most schools in Nepal are government-run and taught in Nepali medium.  The others are fee-paying boarding English-medium schools which are well beyond the reach of the average family.  However, this school is different because all local children can study here without paying a fee.

Many of the teachers are themselves volunteers and are still studying and taking exams in Pokhara alongside teaching - they are very committed and hard working.

Myself and 2 other volunteers arrived in Ghachok late one Saturday evening to an overwhelming welcome.  Flowers were put around our neck and red powder on our foreheads amidst loud applause.  Then we were treated to the first of many many amazing, tasty, feast-like meals that we enjoyed during our stay.

Then the welcome programme continued in the village hall.  After we were introduced, we each said a little about ourselves and the entertainment began.  Traditional Nepali singing and dancing involves 1 or 2 people at a time standing up and entertaining everyone - great to watch but I found taking part a little daunting!

Then we were shown our comfortable room at another family’s house that was to be our home for the month.  We were warmly welcomed here.

We were very well looked after during our stay - with regular hearty meals, tasty snacks and never-ending ‘kalo chiya’.  We even learnt a little Nepali with the encouragement of the families we stayed and ate with.

We felt able to help at the school in several ways.  We taught lessons alongside the Nepali teachers, pronouncing the English words for the children to copy while the Nepali teachers ensured that they understood the meaning.  We wrote model answers to some questions in the school books to help the teachers and found ways to further improve the excellent books that are used at the school.  We also taught some lessons alone when the teachers were absent due to exams.  As time went on, we got used to the students and they got used to us and the teaching became easier.  Their enthusiasm to learn was amazing - they were always very keen.

There were several strikes and holidays when the school was closed.  We had a constant stream of people coming to introduce themselves and welcome us and we went on several trips to interesting places.  The hot springs at Tatopani were a relaxing place to bathe and the neighbouring village of Lhachok had an interesting cave at Partikola.  We were often welcomed into people’s houses for cups of tea and we also went to Pokhara a few times during our stay.

The vision of the JDC does not stop here.  Already a grant has been found to build the next classroom so that the current class 5 can continue to class 6 next year and there are plans to extend the school every year.  The school also hopes to build a library, science lab and to buy more benches and desks for the classrooms.

I have really enjoyed spending time with a very inspiring group of people with a fantastic vision for a successful future for their children, full of opportunities.  I also enjoyed a warm and friendly stay with the people of Ghachok village.

I wish the school and village every continuing success in the future.

Yours sincerely
Becky

Volunteers will teach English to the monks, both young and old, for around 3 to 5 hours every day. Volunteers can also have a chance to participate in some monasteries run programs & meditation during free time. This program combines religious learning & research through Volunteering. This Teach English volunteer program will help Tibetan kids to explore more scriptures written in English and to circulate Buddhist teachings practice to the whole world. Often volunteers on this teaching English abroad programme are left to their own devices when teaching English.

Eligibility and Skills Required
Teaching English in Monasteries Nepal
* You do not need any formal teacher training or experience to participate, but whatever experience you do have will be taken
into account when arranging your day-to-day activities.
* A good command of oral and written English
* Volunteers need to be independent, enthusiastic and adaptable, hard-working with an open-minded attitude.
* International volunteers are welcome.

Application fee: US$ 99

Program Fee : US$ 450 for first month and US$ 100 for extra each week

Includes: Airport Receive/ Transfer, Accommodation in Kathmandu during orientation/training phase (2 days), Program Orientation , Basic  Nepali Language and Volunteer Work ideas Course,  Kathmandu sight seeing tour , Land Transportation to and from Project Location, Accommodation and foods in Project Location.

What additional costs will you have?

Visa, flights, travel insurance (recommended), vaccinations, souvenirs, trips or tours you do while in the country, Personal expenses etc

What we provide

Orientation: Orientation will be taken by our staff. We cover areas like, culture, greetings, locations, Project details, responsibilities, placement information, Volunteer Work Ideas etc.

Nepali Language Class: Basic Nepali Language class will be taken in Kathmandu during orientation phase (2 days).

Lodging: Volunteers will be staying with a local welcoming and educated family.

Travel assistance: If participants like to travel around, we provide with full support for bookings & arrangements to travel within the country.

24/7 Support: Guidance and Support from Volunteer Aid Nepal and its Networks

Thanks for your effort to make Nepal as a best volunteering destination of global that helps to develop communities and it also gives new height to us all over the world. CONGRATULATION !

( Girija Prasad Koirala ( Prime Minister - 5 times ) has Volunteered more time form his life for peace, democracy and Human Right in Nepal.)