Volunteer in Kathmandu and Valley Area

Info about the Kathmandu & Valley Area

Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal. This is a bustling city – INFO Nepal is approximately 20 minutes from the airport. Most people travel by foot, minibus or bicycle. Volunteers here have all the conveniences of Internet connections, Western style food, both Internet and Landline telephone coverage.

Volunteers working in this region should bring appropriate clothing for this environment. It is warm during the days, but gets cold once the temperatures drop. Volunteers are also advised to bring sunscreen lotion, lots of insect repellent and appropriate inoculations and vaccinations for Malaria, Meningitis, Typhus fever, Hepatitis A & B, and appropriate clothing to be working in this environment.

All of the villages are located within a half to one and an hour's bus ride to Katmandu’s center. Most have a well developed infrastructure, with water readily available, and reliable roads. Primarily, the village economy is agrarian –  you will eat many fresh vegetables. In addition to a local "Tea House" most of the villages will have a few shops where you can purchase bottled water, biscuits (cookies), and stationery. Local phone calls can usually be made and international phone calls accepted, but Internet access is usually not available. 

Programs in Kathmandu and Valley Area:

Greenlands Lower Secondary School, Dhapasi - Originally started for children from poor families whose parents worked in the carpet-making industry, this school now supports poor and/or orphaned children throughout Nepal.  All children are sponsored so that they do not have to pay any fees - not even for books or school uniforms!  Currently there are 50 students bordering at the school, once again without paying fees.  The school has 175 children from nursery through class 7.  There are 10 teachers, a music teacher, and a dance teacher.  Located just outside of Kathmandu proper, the school is looking for English teachers or subject teachers, as well as teacher trainers.

Pabitra Orphanage Home, Jorpati - Pabitra Orphanage Home is situated in Jorpati within Kathmandu. There were previously 82 children in this home which has now been reduced to 55 all aged between 1 and 14. The majority of these children have been orphaned although there are some which have been placed there as their parents cannot afford to feed them. Currently 8 staff run the orphanage, which has 8 bedrooms and a kitchen. The orphanage runs by donations they receive from various charities and private donations, for the food, clothing, rent and all outgoing costs, however this is a constant day to day struggle. All the children who are old enough attend the nearby Eyelens English School, are sponsored by INFO Nepal, who provide their school admission fees, tuition fees, books and stationary. So far we have placed 5 volunteers in this orphanage, who help out with the daily routine including basic hygiene. There are currently 30 children who receive this funding so that they can get a good education and further their chances in life. We hope that in the future we will continue to work with and improve the conditions and the everyday lives of these young children

Manibaya Children’s Orphanage, Kathmandu - This orphanage is based in Maharajgung in Kathmandu which currently has 41 children, aged between 4 –14. These children share 3 bedrooms, with many to a bed. The funding supplied by INFO Nepal goes towards the education of the children, again paying for school fees, tuition fees and all other school equipment. We have been working with this orphanage for the last few months and through donations (Dean Close School and INFO Nepal’s donor) we have provided them with  2 large pots (they were big enough to fit a couple of small children), an 8 liter pressure cooker, some wastebaskets, mops and dustpans.  We also ordered a table and benches to be built by a local craftsman. The table can be broken up into 6 pieces, with an equal number of benches. We also ordered the benches to be made with a storage area underneath the seats so that the children could store their school books in an organized way that is accessible. In total, we can seat approximately 24 children at the table, and additional 10-15 children on the floor. We have also placed 5 volunteers to work at the home and to help teach the administrators there proper hygiene. We are sure that they will be able to teach better management, and eradicate the various infestations (bed, body, hair lice etc) that the children suffer from, and improve their lives. We will continue to work at the home, and to slowly implement more changes, eventually supply proper blankets and bed sheets for all the children there. Everyone at the home is thrilled with the changes we have made so far.

Birendra Peace Children Welfare Centre, Balaju - This small children's home is in the region of Balaju, a rural suburb a few km north of Kathmandu. There are 13 children in the home, ranging in age from 3 to 13. They live in four rooms of a shared house, and share a backyard with the other families who live there. INFO Nepal has only recently established contact with this home, and has made a commitment to sponsor the educational costs of the children, providing them with the school fees, tuition fees, and stationary. The children were recently presented with their brand new school uniforms to start school with, and for some of them these were the only other change of clothes that they owned! The home has no formal support from the Government, and is dependent on donations from many sources to provide for the day to day living costs of the children. As this is such a new arrangement we have so far placed just one volunteer there, who encouraged improved hygiene, taught English, and encouraged play activities. There is a bare room, designated the school room, which has now been improved by the addition of carpets, making posters for the walls, and starting English lessons. We hope to continue our work with this orphanage as we feel they have already benefited so much from our support.

Kwaling Monastery, Kapan - There are 32 monks from ages 6 - 15.  They have come from very remote parts of Nepal - some are orphans, many are poor.  In the morning and evening, they are involved in prayer, chanting, and memorizing script.  During the day they do schoolwork.  Volunteers can assist the monks with their homework and teach English language.  This is a great experience for those interested in learning about Tibetan Buddhism or teaching kids.

Orphanage, Basundara - Roughly 30 children stay in this nice orphanage home, located 45 minutes from the INFO Nepal office.  Volunteers can stay at the orphanage, help with the children in the morning and after school, helping with homework, meal time, personal grooming, and games.  During the day, volunteers can either help at the orphanage if there is work to do, or they can teach at a local school.

Training Villages:

Sanga: Located approximately one hour from Kathmandu, Sanga is INFO Nepal’s training village. Volunteers placed here work to improve the health and sanitation in the village, and to also teach the villagers environmental awareness. Ongoing projects here include building toilet facilities, building an enclosed shower, and water filtration systems. Volunteers here can travel to many of the sites near Kathmandu by bus, or can take hikes in the area. Volunteers here can also take the bus to China, approximately 100km and 5 hours away. Volunteers can also work in the library, which has been established with the Tulsimeher Youth Club. The centre has three rooms – one classroom, one office room and one training room. 

Dhulikhel: Dhulikhel is approximately 1.5 hours from Kathmandu.  This city is best known for its views of the Himalayas; the highest peak has an elevation of over 7,200m. There are also quite a few temples to visit in the region.  The placement is at a school, where volunteers work with teachers in a local government school to teach English, and to help students with their academics. This school also has a very small computer facilities.

See Host Family Info for this area

Activities & Sightseeing:

There are many things to see in Kathmandu. There are many roadside temples (both Buddhist and Hindu), and areas of interest here depending on your tastes. Highlights of Kathmandu include:

           Three Goddesses Temple

           Mahakala Temple

           Durbar Square

           Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple)

           Pasupatinath

           Bodhnath