Project Profiles - Nepal
Important: security in Nepal
At the time of writing, a peace agreement has been signed between the Maoists and the other political parties. They will join an interim government which has recently held elections. The votes are still being counted (as at 14 April 2008), but the Maoists seem to be in the lead and may be able to command a majority in Parliament. The Maoist insurrection is officially over, but the Maoists still collect illegal levies from trekkers and local businesses. For up-to-date information about the security situation, you should consult the travel advisory services of your government. This is the British government's advice.
The task of identifying schools and orphanages in genuine need of assistance is undertaken by trusted contacts, known to Jim Coleman over three decades. Only projects serving poor communities are selected for assistance.
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Currently there are only teaching positions available in Nepal. Click on a region that interests you on the right, and scroll down until you find a project that suits you. |
The regions in Nepal HELP currently sends volunteers to are listed here:
Click here for opportunities in India |
The School Year
Because the school years in India and Nepal differ, it is possible to teach at HELP sponsored school through the year.
In Nepal the school year normally starts at the beginning of May and finishes at the end of April. There are, typically, 10 days of summer holidays in June and another 10 days of winter holiday in January. However, there are variations to this general pattern.
In addition to the holidays mentioned above, the school programme in both Nepal and India is interrupted first in early October by the major annual Hindu festival of Dussehra (or 'Dasain'), and then 21 days later by the festival of lights called Diwali. These festivals add up to roughly two weeks of holiday. Therefore, at this time of year, preference is given to volunteers who can commit themselves to three months. The weather is usually wonderful in these autumn months, so the holidays provide a great opportunity to trek or travel, or to wander around and observe the many religious activities taking place.
See the weather forecast for Nepal
From the schools' point of view, the best times for volunteers are from May to September, and from December to April. Of course, volunteers are needed all the year round at orphanages.
Kathmandu Valley (Nepal)
The Kathmandu Valley, which is the cultural and political centre of Nepal, covers an area of 360 square kilometres at an altitude of 1336 metres above sea level in central Nepal. It is home to three fabulous cities : Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, Lalitpur (or Patan), and Bhaktapur.
The valley, a roughly oval bowl measuring 24 km east-west and 19 km north-south, is encircled by a range of green terraced hills and dotted by compact clusters of red tiled-roofed houses. Most of Nepal's ethnic groups can be found there, but Newars are the indigenous inhabitants and the creators of the valley's splendid civilization.
Today's weather (forecast)
Legend has it that the valley was once covered by a lake until the Bodhisattva Manjushri raised his sword of wisdom and sliced a passage through the mountain walls, so draining the water. Modern geology suggests that it was indeed once a lake.
The Valley has become densely populated, and Kathmandu in particular has seen rapid growth in the last three decades. Apart from the rich elite, the standard of living is one of the lowest in the world. However, Kathmandu has all the mod cons sought out by foreign tourists, so that volunteers can always escape to a hotel bar or restaurant if they feel like a bit of home luxury.
Dolagiri Secondary School
The Dolagiri Secondary School, established in 1982, is situated in a picturesque village which, being perched on a hill, has fine views of the Kathmandu valley.
Dolagiri Secondary School
The school is a Nepali-medium government school, and currently has 400 students, their ages ranging from 6 to 17. There are seventeen teachers, eleven of whom are financed by the government, one is sponsored by the Village Development Committee, and three are local volunteers. The school has eleven classrooms and a library. The principal, a Brahmin priest, would like to build a science laboratory, and HELP will help him to raise the necessary funds.
The village
Because this school is Nepali-medium, volunteers will be expected to teach English. A past volunteer also managed to teach Maths, but this is difficult given the relatively low level of English ability in the school.You may well be invited to share your time with the Yumuhangma English School, which provides an English medium education. (see below)
There is a choice of a homestay in a house just outside the village, with beautiful views, or, at a lodge in the village. The latter option will cost you a little more than the standard HELP payment for board and accommodation.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Dolagiri Secondary School, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Saraswatimata Yumahangma English School
The Saraswatimata Yumahangma English School is situated in the same village as the Dolagiri Secondary School (above).
Saraswatimata Yumuhangma school
This is a private English medium school, with 300 students aged 4 to 18. There are eighteen local teachers, two of whom are part time. You are likely to find yourself teaching English, Maths and/or Sciences, depending on your skills, and you are likely to be invited to share your time with the Dhaulagiri Secondary School.
There is a choice of a homestay in a house just outside the village, with beautiful views, or, at a lodge in the village. The latter option will cost you a little more than the standard HELP payment for board and accommodation.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Saraswatimata Yumahangma English School, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Nyacho Pauwa Primary School
Pupils outside their school
The Nyacho Pauwa Primary School is a Nepali-medium government school situated in the same attractive village as the Dhaulagiri Secondary School (see above). It currently has 220 students aged between 4 and 12, and a staff of eight local teachers teaching grades 1 to 5 in eight classrooms. Two new classrooms are under construction.
The 'Sub-President' of the school also works for the Red Cross, and there may be opportunities for volunteers to get involved in Red Cross work in addition to their teaching work.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Nyacho Pauwa Primary School, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Orphan Children Rescue Centre(OCRC)
This is a small orphanage in an unexceptional suburb of Kathmandu with 36 orphans, aged 1 to 10, from various parts of Nepal. To look after them are just three staff, called 'caretakers', plus two part-time teachers who visit in the mornings and evenings (i.e. outside school hours). These children desperately need extra attention and their carers need support and guidance. Working with the children is very rewarding as they are so responsive and appreciative.
OCRC kids
A new building is being constructed outside Kathmandu, capable of housing up to 100 children. The older children will be moved there in 2007. One or two floors will be used to run a school, and HELP volunteers will go out primarily as teachers, but with additional child-care duties in the evenings.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Orphan Children Rescue Centre, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Nepal Bon Community School
The Nepal Bon Community School is a recently established elementary school with views of the great Buddhist stupa of Bodnath from the roof of the school building. The ‘Bon’ in the title refers to the old religion that prevailed in the Nepalese Himalayas before the arrival of Buddhism, and which still has its adherents to this day.
Morning Assembly
There are around 170 students aged from 5 to 14 years. They are taught by nine local teachers (one half-time) in seven classrooms. Teaching takes place on six days per week, and the daily timetable runs from 1000 to 1600, with a 45 minute lunch break from 1300-1345. Subjects include English, Maths, Science, Nepali, Social Studies, P.E./Health and General Knowledge.
The volunteer(s) are likely to be accommodated in a simple but clean private room with attached bath in the school, but can choose to be in the hostel with the children if preferred.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Nepal Bon Community School, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Western Region (Nepal)
Annapurna Circuit Trek
Today's weather (forecast)
This is an administrative region of Nepal which includes the northern zones of Dhaulagiri and Gandaki, and, in the south, the Lumbini zone. It is in this region where the famous treks to the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges take place, with Pokhara as the base. In the extreme north of this region lies the district of Manang where the Annapurna High school is located.
Annapurna High School
This public school has around 135 children aged from 6 to 16, who are taught in 28 classrooms by 16 local staff. Because of the altitude (3,500 metres), the school year differs from that prevailing in Kathmandu and Pokhara in that it begins mid-March and ends-mid December. The school is situated on the route of the Annapurna Circuit trek, and, because it is not yet possible to get there by road, the volunteer will need to trek there, and this can take around a week either way. The school is looking for volunteers who can teach English and, if possible, computer skills. Accommodation will be provided in a lodge near the school. This opportunity is clearly only for the adventurous minded.
If you are interested in volunteering at Annapurna High School, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Lok Priya Secondary School
The Lok Priya Secondary school is a small government school in a village that trekkers pass through on their way to Manang. There are some 260 students aged from 6 to 18 and they are taught in ten classrooms by fourteen local teachers. Nepali is the medium of instruction, so English standards are not high.
Lok Priya School
There are six teaching days a week. Friday is a half day. The day for all grades up to grade 10, begins at 10am and finishes at 4pm, with a one hour lunch break. The top grades, 11 and 12, run from 6am to 9.30am.
Like the Annapurna High School, the school year begins in March, and ends in December.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Lok Priya Secondary school, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Shree Lali Gurans Primary School
The Shree Lali Gurans primary school is a small government school in a village on the Annapurna Circuit trekking trail with a fine view of the Dhaulagiri mountain range from the playing fields. The school is housed in a stone building that was opened in 1999 with the financial assistance of a Belgian NGO, which has asked us to assist in finding volunteer teachers. There are some 35 pupils mainly from families dependent on subsistence farming. They are aged from 4 to 12 and are taught in six classrooms. Nepali is the medium of instruction, and English standards are very basic.
There are six teaching days a week. The day for all grades (kindergarten to grade 5) begins at 9.45/10am and finishes at 4pm (3pm on Fridays), with a half hour lunch break.
The school year begins in mid April, and ends in the second week of March.There is a long summer break of 22 days from the end of June till the middle of August.The best dates for volunteers are mid-November to mid-March, the last week of April to the end of June, and mid-August to early October.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Shree Lali Gurans primary school, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Pokhara (Nepal)
Pokhara, with a population of around 95,000, is situated at an altitude of 827m from the sea level and 200km west of Kathmandu valley. It boasts several beautiful lakes and offers stunning panaromic views of the Annapurna mountain range including the beautiful Machapuchare (fish-tail) mountain. The city is the starting point for many popular trekking and rafting destinations.There is not much of a nightlife in Pokhara other than dining. The town shuts down by about 10:30 in the evening.
Today's weather (forecast)
Pokhara is part of a once busy trade route linking India and Tibet. To this day, mule trains can be seen camped on the outskirts of the town, bringing goods to trade from remote regions of the Himalaya. This is the land of Magars and Gurungs, hardworking farmers who have earned worldwide fame as Gurkha soldiers in the British and Indian armies. The Thakalis, another important ethnic group here, are known for their entrepreneurship.
The climate of Pokhara is slightly warmer than Kathmandu with daytime temperature hovering around 15 degrees Celsius in winter and 35 degrees in summer. The monsoon season which lasts from mid-June to mid-September is very wet; in fact Pokhara has the highest rainfall in the country.
Social Public School
The Social Public School is a private school which was first established in 1997 with 58 students. The main objective of the school is to give an English medium education to poor children by giving scholarships. In the future, the school hopes to be able to provide a vocational education such as motorbike repairing, house wiring, and mechanics for street children in Pokhara.
The school yard
There are currently 28 teachers teaching 470 pupils from kindergarten to Grade 9. The children are aged between 3 and 16 years old. There are altogether seven 45-minute periods and every teacher gets one free period a day. School starts at 10am and closes at 4pm (1pm on Fridays). There is a lunch break of half an hour at 1pm with tea and snacks provided.
The new science block donated by HELP volunteer Susan Foster and friends
The subjects taught are Nepali, English, Science, Maths, Social Studies, Health and Physical Education, Computer Education, General Knowledge, and Population studies. Volunteers will normally be expected to teach English, but other subjects or activities are possible depending on what the volunteer can offer. The school can accommodate two volunteers at any one time.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Social Public School, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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Dhawalagiri Boarding School
Dhawalagiri School
The Dhawalagiri Boarding School is situated in a village about twenty minutes drive from Pokhara. It is a private school, catering for about 800 students aged from 3 to 15, from pre-primary level through to Class 10.
There are currently 40 local teachers teaching the full Nepalese curriculum in 17 classrooms. Teaching takes place on six days a week (Friday is a half day, from 1000 to 1300 and, after lunch, from 1340 to 1550.
The volunteer will be given a room in the school compound, where the school's founder lives, and will eat all meals in the school hostel with the other teachers living there.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Dhawalagiri Boarding School, first read our volunteer webpage, and then please click on the button below and complete and send the application form.
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