Volunteer news

Brinda Poornapragna has recently completed her HELP assignment at an Ashram school in the Tehri district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand and has submitted this item for our blog:

Nestled in the native hills of the Ganges … is an NGO which supports the cause of Girls / Women Education…

The NGO itself was established about 40 years ago and is very illustrious and well known in the region for its service to the cause and impeccable devotion to the cause.…

Read more

by BARBARA PORTER (Director Volunteer Programme)

Volunteering abroad in the Himalayas is an experience not to be missed! ☆ “Want to teach in the Himalayas?” This was the top result following an internet search for short term volunteer teaching opportunities abroad. Who could resist such an invitation? For anyone with a thirst for exciting travel, the Himalayas are an irresistible location, the stuff of legend and mystery.

Still relatively inaccessible, the difficulties getting there make travel and volunteering in the region seem all the more exciting and rewarding.

…

Read more

Summer is coming – the ideal time to volunteer in Ladakh! While the monsoon drenches the rest of India (and Nepal), Ladakh remains warm and dry.

 …

Read more

We currently have volunteers at a village school in south Sikkim and an ashram school in Uttarakhand (Sikkim and Uttarakhand are Indian states). We are looking for volunteers to teach English in similar schools in Nepal!.

This is what Jeremy LeafIoor in Sikkim has reported in a recent email: “It has been wonderful so far. The kids are definitely a challenge some days. I really struggled week two, things have since gotten better. I’m hoping the kids are learning as much as I am.…

Read more

By Marco Saaltink

In only four years time, I’ve noted a remarkable change in Nepal, most interestingly in education. At the end of 2014, a public school where I was volunteering—in the village of Changu Narayan, nearby the city of Bhaktapur—was planning to expand from grade 7 to grade 8. But now, only four years later, the highest level is grade 5. The student numbers have halved, at least. According to a local friend, this is due to more and more parents being able to afford to send their children by school bus to private schools.…

Read more

Sophie Hudson has just sent in a description of her time in West Sikkim:

It’s hard to believe I’m nearing the end of my time in this amazing corner of the world. For the last few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to call Tathang, a remote and tiny village in West Sikkim, home. The outstanding landscapes and natural beauty of the area blow you away, but the people here are what makes this experience truly unforgettable.

It’s such a privilege to be able to work with the students and teachers here at Vidya Sagar.…

Read more

We are recruiting volunteers right now. If you would like to volunteer your skills, please visit the volunteer page of our website. We are looking for English teachers and medics.…

Read more

By Shane Lefevre

“Tathung is a small farming village in the Western district of Sikkim, India that lies in the fertile foothills of the Himalayas. It sits in the Northeast corner of India, bordered by Nepal, China & Bhutan and a kind family here have allowed a silly Aussie teacher to call this place home for the past 2 months.

The spectacular scenery and dramatic mountain landscape calls adventurous types from far and wide, but it’s the warm hearted & welcoming people that really blow you away to make your stay unforgettable.…

Read more

HELP volunteer Paul Lessner enjoyed his volunteering experience so much last year, that he came back for more this year. Last year he was in Ladakh. This year in Sikkim!

 …

Read more

James Dix has just submitted this account of his HELP assignment in Nepal:

Albert Einstein, in formulating his theory of relativity, came up with the idea that time is not constant but can expand or contract depending on conditions. Einstein thought hard to come up with this idea. If he had been a Nepali, however, the idea would have come to him easily. Time elasticity is a Nepali cultural trait. A half-hour walk can mean ten minutes or two hours. A bus can come early, late, or not at all.…

Read more