Article about volunteering with VEC featured in GoMad Nomad Travel Mag
Volunteer Opportunities
As our organization grows, so too will the need for international volunteers to come join us in Nepal. Unlike so many other organizations in Nepal that charge hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars to volunteer, VEC charges only a $75 processing fee, which covers guides to your placement, language lessons, briefings, airport pick0up, and coordinating housing. In addition to that, we ask that each volunteer pay their host family about $3 a day to help compensate them for room and board. We take volunteers year-round, and no matter what role you fill, whether it be working in a remote Himalayan medical clinic, teaching young Sherpa students in our boarding school, or working in an organic garden, we guarantee a unique and unforgettable experience, the memories of which, will last a lifetime. Long-term volunteers (3 months or more) qualify for significantly reduced trekking rates with Nepal Charity Treks, our non-profit trekking program.
Volunteer Teachers
We are looking for volunteer teachers with a strong background in English to come teach at the Gangkharka boarding school starting in March 2009. English classes will be our primary focus, but it will also be important to work with Nepali staff in other subjects, as well. Volunteers will stay in the village with a host family or in a living quarters at the school.
Perhaps the most exciting time to be a volunteer teacher with VEC will be at our beginning when we will be bringing 50 or so Helambu children back home from Kathmandu, where they are currently enrolled in a boarding school due to a lack of formalized education in their region. This will serve as a wonderful opportunity for the students and teachers to become acquainted with each other. All will make the journey from Kathmandu to Helambu first by bus and then on foot.
We ask that volunteers stay in their placements for at least two months for the sake of consistency for the students, but we are open to shorter stays. Some of the perks of volunteering with VEC, aside from the opportunity to live amongst members of a beautiful Himalayan culture, are free Sherpa language lessons from a VEC staffer.
Volunteer Medical Staff
There is an immediate need for all sorts of medical professionals. At the moment, Sindhupalchok has one medical clinic with running water and electricity in the remote village of Baruwa. VEC is planning the establishment of a second clinic in Helambu, in a village called Yangri. This clinic, to be constructed in the spring of 2009 will significantly cut down on the hours of travel time required for so many to reach medical attention.
A medical volunteer's responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Traveling to remote villages to provide medical attention
- Giving lessons in basic first aid, CPR, the Heimlich Maneuver, etc.
- Assisting medical personnel from the Nepali government
- Writing proposals, reports, and taking inventory to ensure a full stock of supplies in our clinics
- Diagnosing and treating the ill and injured
Recording Himalayan History
Organic Farming
We are also looking for volunteers to get involved in other ways, whether it is working with students in the organic garden, planning sports activities, or art programs. We encourage all volunteers to approach VEC with their ideas to discuss how their unique skills and interests can be shared with others.
Additional Volunteer Information
The journey to Helambu is a long one and a volunteer must be physically and mentally fit prior to his or her arrival in the region. To get to many of these sites is a full day’s walk through mountainous terrain following a six hour bus ride from Kathmandu. While a volunteer will be constantly surrounded by breathtaking views of rural Nepal, this comes at the cost of forsaking modern conveniences. To maximize the effectiveness of a volunteer’s time with us, we recommend a stay of three months or longer. During that time, holidays can be scheduled when needed to get back to civilization in Kathmandu or Pokhara. On the bright side, life in the villages means free lodging and minimal spending of money. To learn more and recieve a volunteer guide and application, e-mail a letter of interest and CV to vecvolunteers@gmail.com, or download these files from below.
| village_environment_community.doc |
| volunteer_agreement.doc |