“When I arrived in Nepal to volunteer as a photographer, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I had never been to a place like this, and not surprisingly, was a little shell-shocked my first few days. But as the weeks wore on, my internal monologue drifted away from the differences between Nepali people and my countrymen, and landed on the similarities. And as I write this, on my last day in Nepal, I am struck with a saddening reminder – I have to go home. Never in my life have I met a People so entirely joyous and hospitable; I like to think it has rubbed off on me. As uncertain as I was when I arrived, I leave with the memories of a thousand enduring moments, cascading in my mind like a colorful picture-book. And I can’t help smiling.
I can assure you that volunteering with Volunteer Aid Nepal will be more than a photo album and a slew of fond memories. Volunteering will change you, and I think you’ll like who you’ve become.”
- Peter Hamre, Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.
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“Volunteer Aid Nepal is an organization not large but energetic, young but creative. A variety of new programs, such as documentary and toilet building, that cannot be found elsewhere are provided here, and everyone can find one that most suit him/her here. This organization was founded by a group of young people who are open-minded, smart and ambitious. Being with them during these days is a great experience not only for knowing more about Nepalese people but also for staying with those who share the same goal.
Our research was arranged in a village just under Mount Himalaya where lies the family of the founder. Other than the pure countryside scenery, I am more impressed by the friendliness of the local people. In the family, we were treated as their real families and felt at home there. When we were doing research in that village, interviewees were quite cooperative even though they were busy in farming.
As part of our research, the organization invited professors to give relevant training program. A talented assistant had been with us in the whole process not only as an assistant or a translator but more as a leader guiding us to do research. In general, the organizers were really considerate that we were provided everything we needed in doing research.
What I got here is not only from the social research experience but more from the people we met here: the ambitious young organizers, professors and the talented assistant, and friendly local people. I really appreciate what I had experienced here, and the memory here will always keep a special room in my heart.
Hope for a bright future for Volunteer Aid Nepal! “
- Yuni Wen
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“ My experience working with Volunteer Aid Nepal was wonderful. My project consisted of visiting 30 schools in villages surrounding Pokhara and collecting data information about the school and the students while photographing the school and its facilities, the students, lessons being taught and the scenery the school is set in. Prabina, a young Nepali girl, acted as my assistant, translator and ‘expert of the region’. For the duration of the project I often stayed with Prabina and her family. My experience on this project can be split into two parts: the project itself and also the friendship that formed between Prabina and myself and also with her family. Some of the schools that I visited were better off than others, however, virtually all of them suffered from the lack of something – teachers, teaching materials, sufficient space for learning, sports equipment, books and libraries, and some even clean drinking water and toilets. The emphasis on the importance of education, however, was still a theme that I saw reflected in each of the schools that I visited. Those who worked at the schools, the teachers and principals, were very welcoming to myself and Prabina, and happily filled out the data collection forms we brought and allowed us to look around the school and take photos. They often expressed their appreciation that someone was taking an interest in their school. I felt a real sense of accomplishment when the project was completed. My experience working on this project was complimented by the friendship that developed between Prabina and myself. Her and her family were extremely welcoming and took me into their home as if I was another one of their daughters. Prabina called me “Dee Dee,” or sister. I participated in family activities and daily routine in their house. Prabina got married partly through the time that I was staying with her and I got to attend her wedding; this is an experience that will stay with me forever. I learned many traditions and experienced the way of life for those in rural villages in Nepal.
The month that I spent working on this project gave me a real insight into Nepali people and culture. While life may not always be easy and many people have little, all those who I met were very generous, welcoming, and kind. I had many laughs with my new friends and they are friendships that I will maintain. I plan to go back to Nepal in the not too distant future and look forward to seeing everyone again. ”
- Steph Ferry, Canada
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“Coming to Nepal seems an unbelievable decision in my 20 years life. The experience in the past 30 days proves that I made a good option. A totally new place for me not only a cultural shock, but also an adventure that test my potential to adjust a completely different environment. The most unique part for me is people here, I was impressed by an old man working in the field, and he can speak English well and asked us about political situation in China. It seems that people here don’t regard success as their lifetime happiness; instead, they prefer to pursue internal peace and satisfaction without caring outside criteria. Maybe it is resulted from their belief, not just about religious belief, it is spirit insistence and principle in heart, which is something I hope I could own and insist in the future whatever I will face. Moreover, I want to say I really like mother in our family in village, she totally beyond my imagination about traditional Nepali women. She is so lovely and open; sometimes the expression of love to us seems a little violent. The topic she is enjoyable most is taking us as her daughters in law. In a word, life in Nepal will be a valuable memory in my life that I will miss here. “
- Wu Chen, Nottingham University China
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” It was such a excellent experience together with the Volunteer Aid Nepal. The organizer provided us very meaningful and rich activities. In training class, we got much useful information which helped us a lot in the following research program. The village, Lahachok where we did our research has beautiful scenery, friendly people and interesting culture. We met many women and learnt about their life. This program for me is not only about research, but also about the attitude towards the world. People are different and world is diversity, therefore, more wonderful.
I would like to say thanks to Bhuvan’s family for taking care of us. Also, to Anu for her helping during the research. “
- Zhou YI
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” Firstly, I would like to say thanks for the organization, Volunteer Aid Nepal and the organizer Buhvan, giving me the opportunity to participate in the social research program. It’s a special chance for me, because I merely finish my year 2 study of the undergraduate and in china, there are few such organizations. Hence, for me, it is a process to grow up and learn many things in the research. Moreover, i want to say our assistant Anu is really helpful and professional, and she did very well in the research. Additionally, the research is well-organized, including the training session, field research and report writing. Especially, the training session seems quite important for us who are only year 2 students and has no experience about social research. In the process of the research, I feel that Nepal people are so friendly. Though the economic performance is limited, they have quite happy and positive attitudes toward life. In the research, not only learn about the mother group there and the issue of women there; but also learn about the colorful culture there, such as the singing, dancing, cloth, food, agriculture and see the beautiful natural scenery. In a word, this is a significant memory for me and I would like to keep it forever. Finally, the organizer Buhvan supports us a lot in the research and provides all kinds of help. Moreover, I think this will be a quite promising organization because the ideas are quite new and the man who established this organization is very outstanding in many aspects with ambitious and talent.
Good luck for everything! “
- Zhu Jing
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” Nepal is a beautiful country, full of steep snowy mountains, terraced green hillsides and dramatic river gorges. The people are friendly, hard-working and very tolerant of any problems. Many strikes bring the country to a standstill due to political instability but the people accept this well.
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, UK
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” I came to Nepal for 4 months as a career break to do some trekking, take part in a Buddhist course, experience the culture and volunteer in some way. Nepal is a dramatic beautiful country. The highest mountains in the world dominate every skyline, deep river gorges run in to beautiful lakes and the rich religious culture is a feast for the eyes. The villages in the mountains are particularly stunning, mostly without roads, they still have a very natural feel with small paths and birds singing rather than roads and the roar of cars.
Nepal has its problems though; it’s one of the poorest countries in the world. The majority of the population are subsistence farmers with little chance to do anything else but work the fields for enough money to survive. Added to this problem is the fact that the government is unable to act properly due to political instability and corruption. This means nationwide strikes are common and government services fail to work properly. This should not put you off though; the Nepalese people on the whole are a relaxed, kind and friendly bunch. Even with all of the countries frustrations you rarely see them get worked up by it. The Nepalese seem to have a happy acceptance of life as it is. The people I met where always welcoming and keen to practice any English they had on me. Many live a simple yet wholesome life. At some point you will no doubt come across local singing and dancing, quite an experience and a culture the Nepalese are proud of.
As I said earlier as part of my trip to Nepal I wanted to give what I could to people who are in a less fortunate position than myself. The obvious option was to teach English my national language in a newly opened school. Below is an account of my stay in Ghachok village.
I came to stay as a voluntary English teacher at Ghachok village on the 19th December 2009. Volunteer Aid Nepal, a charity in Kathmandu told us about the community programme in Garchok village, we decided to come and help for a month. After a days bus journey to Pokahra then a 30min taxi ride we were guided to the village by local people in the dark. Upon arriving we were welcomed to the village by a large crowd of villagers outside the school. Garlands were placed over our heads and we where introduced to the school principal, general secretary of the programme and other prominent villagers who would influence our stay such as Shivalal and Kaji who kindly fed us and gave us a room to stay in. Soon after arriving we had a filling Dhal baht at Udbir and Sitas house (the other couple that fed us well throughout our stay). The welcome to the village concluded in the school with some speeches and local singing with dancing – quite an evening and an overwhelmingly kind start to our stay.
Everyone involved with the Janjagara community project which includes the school was friendly and interested in our stay. Many villages enjoyed practicing speaking English with us and teaching us some Nepali. One of my favorite words is chinni (sugar) allways said with a shake of my chin. I defiantly feel more able to understand and converse with people in Nepali now. During our stay we were fed well! Two fantastic rice curries with dhal, spinach and chutney a day as well as local milk, butter, omelettes, tea and wine. Snacks were offered on some days including fried soya beans, pop corn and susi (a maize mix). I got the chance to make some ghee (butter) one morning by churning milk a totally new experience!
The local hospitality did not end there. At nearly every house we visited we where offered tea or wine, on one occasion we accepted an invitation to see a local holy offering and sacrifice at the temple followed by more wine! The religious and cultural openness of the village was very impressive. Soon after we arrived it was Christmas day, with some help we created a Christmas tree out of bamboo, shrubs, poinsettias and marigolds. The villagers helped us bake some cakes and then joined us for some Christmas songs and dancing. The Christmas tree (decorated with sweets) was scattered at the end of the evening by the local children looking for a present. A fantastic day.
During most of my days in the village I taught in the school. It had opened 5 months previously and is all taught in English. The school is primary school age with classes 1 to 5. The resources are spartan in the classrooms with just a few benches and a blackboard. The school uses Nepal made workbooks written in English made by united press. Having a look through one gives a good idea of how the lessons are taught. The students read trough the first section with the teacher and then answer questions on it in their books or on the board. During the time when there where no lessons because of exams I helped by writing the answers in teacher copies of the workbooks.
The village itself is set on a clifftop plateau above a river with the Annapurna mountain range on the skyline above. It not being by a road and separated from the lower valley by cliffs gives it a remote feeling and spectacular setting. This setting provided fantastic exploration potential and we went on several walks including bathing in local hot springs and visiting a natural cave.
An inspirational contribution from each family in the community helped set up the Janjagara development centre. The project seems to bind these people together in a massively positive way. Every villager is willing to help another in need regardless of their social standing or wealth. If one person is sick other villages will come to their aid. The fact that the school is run mostly by volunteer students from the village is testament to the selflessness involved in the project. The villagers want to better themselves and are willing to put time and money into making sure this happens. The development committee plans to build an extra classroom on to the school each year to cater for the current class 5 who will have nowhere to learn next year otherwise. I toughly enjoyed my stay in this village of honest, hard working people. They deserve praise for setting up such a sound education, community and support infrastructure. I hope this pioneering project has continued success in the future and gains more support. “
Robin Stones , UK
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” I have been 100% happy with my experience with Volunteer Aid Nepal. Your professionalism and constant check-ups have been very appreciated. “
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- Erin Farmer
” Ever since leaving University 6 years ago,.I’d been working in England as an independent filmmaker running my own video production company. Working primarily for corporate and educational clients, I’d begun to feel that my work had become artistically and ideologically uninspiring. I decided to research some possible opportunities and came across Volunteer Aid Nepal which was offering the chance to make an ethnographic documentary in rural Nepal. I jumped at the opportunity, booked my flight and began planning the logistics to get myself and my camera equipment to one of the poorest countries in the world.
I was met by Bhuvan and his colleague who introduced me to Katmandu and Nepali culture. It was a wonderful assault on the senses with people, animals, rickshaws and cars all vying for space on the capital’s narrow, potholed streets. Life spills out from makeshift houses onto the pavements and streets with a communal quality quite unlike Western countries. After a few days of acclimatising to the Nepali way of life and feeling more comfortable in interacting with the people, Bhuvan and I made the 8 hour trip to his home village of Lahachok. Lahachok is a beautiful village, 10km from the traveller’s mecca of Pokhara, lying at the base of the Himalaya and accessible only by jeep or by foot.
As a filmmaker there were both many challenges and delights to working in such an exotic, rural and alien culture. The first was transporting the equipment – carrying 6 cases worth of professional video recording equipment, through the second rice paddies, up steep mountain tracks and across gushing ravines was an arduous task. The second difficulty was re-orientating myself to the culture which was almost entirely different to my own and took me completely out of my comfort zone. Nepal is very communal society, where everything, including space is shared, a quite different approach to the West, where belongings are very much owned and personal space is expected and respected. Before long, however I was relishing in the Nepali system and invigorated by its values. The local cuisine was also a challenge. Each morning we would wake at 5am and take tea and biscuits before setting out to film. The first meal of the day would come at around 9am and consisted of rice and vegetables. Usually we’d film until early afternoon when the weather would turn and we were forced to seek shelter. The next meal did not come until just before bedtime – at about 8pm, a hearty meal of rice and vegetables again.
After a few days living in the village I began to grasp the nuances of the culture. Perhaps the most memorable experience was when we went to film the sun rising over the Himalayas. To do this we awoke at 4am – 2 hours before the sun would rise and then began the hour-long trek up the mountain, with all of the camera equipment, to the top. We made it just in time, as the sun was breaking above the snow-topped peaks of the Annapurna mountain range. It was an awe-inspiring sight, the sky shifting through a myriad of colours as the sun rose quickly in the sky.
Our focus for the film was a lower caste family and the inequalities they endured living in the caste system of Nepal. Their quality of living was quite different to the upper caste families. The house was small, with the bedroom sharing the same place as the kitchen which bore an open fire upon which they would cook. There was no chimney and so the room hung heavy with the thick smoke from the fire. There was a wealth of interesting activities to document but the most enduring moments for me were when the camera was switched off and I could relax and interact with the family and their friends, sharing food and simple jovialities.
Nepal is an absolutely fascinating country for filmmaking with breathtaking scenery and a people who are some of the most pleasant, honest and happy people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and working with. With rich colours, textures and photogenic faces at every turn, there was always an interesting shot to compose. In addition, the history, current political climate and myriad of tribes and sub-cultures within Nepal mean that the country is alive with stories to deliver on-screen for either the budding documentary filmmaker or true industry professional. Just remember to always ensure your batteries are charged and you have enough tape, because you really won’t want to miss a shot! “
- Tim Webster 25th March 201