Nepal

Originally from Canada, I decided to study education for a year in Queensland, Australia. While
working towards my diploma in education, I founded and chaired Teachers Without Borders (TWB) USC On-Campus Chapter to help bridge the gap in education. As an official student group, TWB hosted barbeques, garage sales, wine and cheese nights and received generous donations to aid Nepalese children and teachers.

Once my studies were complete, I travelled to Nepal to volunteer and unearth an organization that was helping improve the quality of life for students and teachers in the country. I arrived in Nepal on November 21st, 2008.

Soon after my arrival, I met Kanute, an American eager to see the world. Kanute introduced me to Bikram, the director of Volunteer for Community Development Nepal, a small grassroots organization located in the heart of Kathmandu. I felt welcomed and comfortable in Bikram’s presence; his goals and his passion to achieve these goals were immediately evident.

Bikram arranged for a home stay at an orphanage outside of Kathmandu. I had the privilege of living with five orphans for two weeks. Helping the kids with their studies, making crafts and picking up litter in the community, I was able to experience Nepalese culture firsthand. During my stay at the orphanage, Bikram maintained contact and ensured that I was both safe and happy. At the end of the two weeks, I decided to make a monetary donation to VCD Nepal.

I sincerely believe VCD is the exemplar for volunteer abroad organizations. I would like to thank VCD Nepal and VCD director, Bikram, for giving me this unforgettable opportunity to make a difference at a grassroots level!

When I asked for information about the programs, the information that was given was quite different than what the program actually was. Some information given was quite unclear, and I guess there was some misunderstanding and miscommunication.

When I was put through to my program coordinator in Nepal, he was very happy to help with all the problems and change my project to what I wanted. Once I got to Nepal, the worries all went away, everyone was very happy to help and very supportive. I had an amazing time at my project teaching English at monastery in Kathmandu. The people I have met have all been so wonderful and with the biggest hearts. I stayed with a host family, (DT and Anju) which made the experience so much more interesting. The monastery itself was amazing, and the monks so so sweet and wonderful. It was so much fun every day to go and see them and teach them. You really have a lot of freedom to teach whatever you want, I incorporated lots of art to my teaching. I had lots of free time to explore Kathmandu and the valley around, which I am very happy about. There is so much to see and do here. I am very sad to leave Nepal, it has been the most humbling, eye opening and wonderful experience. Thank you to everyone who has opened their hearts to me. <3 Nepal truly is a very beautiful place.

At the end of my volunteer project, I ended my time here with a week long trek to Ghorepani, Poon Hill for 5 days. Although it was monsoon season, we got very lucky with the weather, and got to see the most spectacular view of the Annapurnas. The trek itself is not very hard, very do-able. It was amazing- would recommend Three Sisters Trekking Company for all women guides- was a wonderful experience, very empowering.

My experience with projects abroad was such a positive experience, which allowed me to have the most journey in Nepal. I spent 5 weeks in Nepal performing physical therapy work. I was unsure of which organization to do my project through. But due to the variety, price, and review of projects abroad I decided to do my project through them.
Getting ready to travel abroad was a very confusing process for me as I had never traveled sole to a foreign country. However, Jessica my pre-departure support staff was helpful. She was a little slow to answer my questions, but she always responded. I also used the pre-departure website all the time- as it was extremely helpful.
During my stay in Nepal, I have no complaints whatsoever about my experience. The host family was amazing and completely accommodating to certain health restrictions in my diet and everything. I was placed at a rehabilitation center for children with cerebral palsy. I learned so much from the physical therapist and got a lot of hands on work.

I had a very fun time on this trip. Everyone was nice and very helpful, and the experience could not be matched. I would highly recommend this program to anyone that was interested in doing a volunteer abroad program in Nepal.

Had an amazing experience volunteering with RCDP. The language and culture class was VERY helpful. Felt well communicated with, supported, and safe throughout my entire stay. RCDP frequently checked in to make sure the project was going okay and did not hesitate to help change projects if that's what you need. Highly recommend Mary Help Center orphanage project in Kathmandu. They were great! Overall would greatly recommend RCDP. Please contact me directly if you have any questions I would love to help answer.

My experience here in Nepal has been one of the very best of my life. RCDP was very helpful and very accommodating with everything that I needed. I did a health education internship - one week in Chitwan and three weeks in Kathmandu working with Nepal Mary Child Help Center. The children were amazing and my project was amazing. I switched from Chitwan to Kathmandu after one week and RCDP was so helpful and kind in making my switch. There is so much to gain and learn traveling abroad and RCDP made the experience very pleasant and affordable. I will definitely come back and would recommend this organization to anyone. Feel free to email with any questions! Namaste!

I absolutely loved the experiences I had in Nepal under the agency of RCDP. First of all, I had to say that the staffs were really welcoming. The living coordinator Practima was so friendly that you felt like home as soon as you landed at the airport. The shelter was basic but cozy, and the friendly cooking staffs made best BREAKFAST with no doubts. I in the end ended up doing the project of teaching English in the E-school. I absolutely was thrilled to see friendly students, and they were so excited to see foreign volunteers coming to teach that they would follow you around and ask questions all the time. In the meantime, RCDP was also thoughtful about assisting us with other requests as well. For example, Practima helped us to book the bus tickets when we did not know the local language. Other volunteers sat together and had nice meals together. I would defintely recommend people to come to RCDP. Reliable, Welcoming, and resourceful. Definitely a life changing experience.

I absolutely loved the experiences I had in Nepal under the agency of RCDP. First of all, I had to say that the staffs were really welcoming. The living coordinator Practima was so friendly that you felt like home as soon as you landed at the airport. The shelter was basic but cozy, and the friendly cooking staffs made best BREAKFAST with no doubts. I in the end ended up doing the project of teaching English in the E-school. I absolutely was thrilled to see friendly students, and they were so excited to see foreign volunteers coming to teach that they would follow you around and ask questions all the time. In the meantime, RCDP was also thoughtful about assisting us with other requests as well. For example, Practima helped us to book the bus tickets when we did not know the local language. Other volunteers sat together and had nice meals together. I would defintely recommend people to come to RCDP. Reliable, Welcoming, and resourceful. Definitely a life changing experience.

It was very nice working in Nepal as a volunteer. We were supposed to teach the monks English in the temple but since girls are not allowed to enter the temple, we need to change our plan. After I got to know how adorable the kids in the Edify International school, we just decided to stay in the RCDP main office and give classes to the children in Edify school. It was really an unforgettable experience that I will never forget.And what I have learned in during these days will definitely benefits me in the rest of my life and always bring me joyce and memory. Thank you very much again fir giving me this opportunity. And I highly recommend you all to have this experience in your life. You will not only learn things in your volunteering but also gain precious friendship. I appreciate these days and hope to come here again. Best wishesto all of you guys.

Although i have been through some problems here, but the overview is still perfect. We decided to teach monks English for 3 weeks, but the temple does not allow female teachers to enter into it to teach. Unfortunately, one of our team members is a girl. So that we changed our project to teach students in Edify School. The students there are perfect. although some of them are a little bit naughty, but most of the students are willing to listen to us and happy to learn knowledge from us. It is quite good for me to have this experience because i have no experience for teaching,and it is good to know that how teachers are feeling and what teachers' responsibilities are. Also, I did some travelling around Pokhara and other places, not only for trekking, but also boating.
It is good to be here, to have a look different culture in Nepal, and i quite enjoy the experience here!