Your accommodation one day prior to the induction is covered by VIN at VINs hostel. After the orientation the volunteers will be places in their respective project sites in the community ((with a host family); at an orphanage or at a Monastery or Nunnery depending on your selected volunteer program).

If you are arriving earlier we can book the budget hotel for you on your own expense.

Please be prepared that your accommodation will be of a Nepali standard, and will not have the same facilities and utilities as you may be used to, such as a western style toilet or a hot shower. Although your accommodation will be basic, it will be clean.

Your volunteer fee only covers the cost of food and accommodation for yourself, during your volunteer placement. You will be responsible for paying any additional costs for accommodating your family members in Nepal. Some volunteer placements may not have additional housing available, so you should discuss your requirements with VIN before confirming your placement.

Usually, there are between 3 to 10 international volunteers at each induction session. You might be the single volunteer or with 7-8 volunteers in one project. The volunteers for community developments are placed in the community sometimes with same or different host families. This varies throughout the year, and is dependent on how many volunteers there are at any given time.

You will receive handover forms from previous volunteer before your departure. We can also provide the email address of past volunteers subject to their consent.

You will be provided basic TEFL instruction during your training period but if you are inexperienced it is worthwhile to do some preparation prior to your volunteering. It would be helpful to brush up on your grammatical knowledge of English and to bring some English language/TEFL books for reference as they are very difficult to find in Nepal. Amazon.com has a good selection (with reviews) if you need some ideas, or you are welcome to contact us.

If you have resources that you think may be appropriate, please discuss this with us via email prior to coming to Nepal, to confirm if you should bring them. Most likely anything you have will be of great help, as resources here are limited.

You can communicate back home via internet facilities or make international calls. Most of the host families have Wi-fi facilities; however in monasteries/Nunneries the internet might be slow. It is better to buy Nepali SIM card, top up and use internet. This will also help our staff to call you in your local number for follow ups, share plans and contact you immediately.

The easiest way for volunteers to receive important post / packages from friends and family abroad is to use the VIN postal address in Kathmandu, and you can then pick up your mail from our office. The postal service might take more days to get your packages delivered. The courier is fastest but expensive.

We place volunteers directly in the communities where their skill and experience compliments our different community development programmes. Presently we are working in three districts of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nuwakot and Okhaldhunga. So you will be placed within the communities in one of these districts.

In Nepal, schools run from Sunday to Friday, 10am to 4pm (although times may differ slightly depending on location and season), and volunteers have Saturday and Sunday off, in addition to local festivals and holidays.

The schools will be closed during public holidays, 15 days in Summer, 15 Days in Dashain and Tihar(greatest festival of Nepalese). On average volunteers teach for 4-5 hours per day.

There will be three terminal examinations in one calendar year. Your teaching load will vary depending on the specific school, and volunteers should discuss their anticipated workload with the headmaster / principle of the school at the beginning of their. planning schedule.

We require volunteers to give us a confirmed start date as we need to arrange for their program with project staff and consult with host families regarding their placement.

You will be teaching 3-5 hours per day, 5 days a week.

We can help organize trips if volunteers are interested as per their request.

You are responsible for arranging your own visa for Nepal. You should obtain Tourist Visa as we do not have provision for Volunteer Visa in Nepal. Click here,
All foreigners, except Indians, must have a visa to enter the country. Visitors to Nepal are allowed to stay on a tourist visa for up to a maximum of 150 days (five months) per calendar year (January to December). Please note that international volunteers who arrive in August can work up to ten consecutive months, split across two calendar years (i.e. August to May). Non-tourist visas are very difficult to obtain.

You can obtain a multiple entry tourist visa from the Nepalese Embassy in your home country or a single entry visa upon arrival at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport or at road borders (you will be asked to fill in an application form and provide a passport photograph).
We recommend that you obtain your visa in your home country, as it saves time and you can avoid the long (sometimes very long) queues at the airport.
If you stay longer than the duration of your initial visa, you must obtain visa extension at the Immigration office in Kathmandu or Pokhara.
Please note that your passport must have at least six months validity.

You are responsible to arrange your own flight and visa.

Municipality: Kathmandu
Street name: Khusibu Kathmandu Metropolis – 16
District : Kathmandu
Zone: Bagmati
click here, for contact information.

Nepal has a typical monsoonal climate, with a dry season from October to May and a wet season from June to September. The main monsoon is from mid-June to September, and the very best times to visit are Autumn (September to November) and Spring (March to May).

Kathmandu is not as cold as many people think. Even in the winter months (December to February) the day time temperature in the sunshine can reach a pleasant 20 degrees, but night-times can fall near to freezing. In the summer the temperatures in Kathmandu climb to 30 degrees and above.

Obviously climate charts and temperature extremes differ across the country and temperatures are much colder in the north, and warmer in the south.

If you are volunteering in the winter, please bring warm clothing (think layers), and cool, summer clothing is suitable for the remainder of the year. If you are here during the monsoon, please bring a waterproof jacket and an umbrella.

If you are planning to go trekking, it is also possible to hire cold weather clothing, such as down jackets etc.

We advise female volunteers not to wear sleeveless tops, shorts, or short skirts in villages due to cultural norms. Although Kathmandu is becoming more progressive and attitudes are shifting, most Nepalese people dress modestly and cover their bodies.

This will vary depending on the time of year in which you visit Nepal and what additional activities you intend to participate in during your stay in Nepal.

With the exception of some medicines and high-tech trekking gear, you can buy everything that you would need for your placement in Kathmandu (and it is likely to be cheaper than in your home country). Here are a few suggestions on what to bring:

Recommended:

Basic First Aid Kit
A full supply of any medication which you require for the duration of your stay, along with the prescription.
If you wear contact lenses – spare lenses and enough solution
Torch / Flashlight (a head torch is especially useful during power cuts)
Sleeping Bag / sleeping bag liner (depending on season)
Hiking boots
Flip flops
Waterproof jacket (a lightweight fold-away jacket is fine)
Fleece jacket (during winter months)
Light-weight cotton clothing
Mosquito repellent
Sun cream
Sunglasses
Water purification tablets and/or high quality water purifier
Face mask (depending on the time of year, Kathmandu can become very polluted and dusty).
Passport photos (you’ll need these for trekking permits, buying a SIM card and for your VIN volunteer card)

Optional:

Photos of your family / friends / home
Small souvenirs from your country for your host family etc
Perhaps a few examples of your local currency
Basic Learner’s English/Nepali dictionary
Coloured pencils and pens, drawing books, stickers
Books on teaching English/English Grammar for your reference

It is also a good idea to bring with you a photocopy of your passport and visa, and keep this in a separate location to the original documents. If possible you should also e-mail yourself a scanned copy of important documents before departing for Nepal, as this will facilitate things in the event of loss or theft of the original documents.

If you wish to get a Nepali SIM card for use during your stay in Nepal, then you can bring an unlocked mobile with you from your home country.

The Nepali people are very friendly and generous, and giving gifts to volunteers on their day of their departure is common. If you would like to bring gifts from your home country for your host family, below are some suggestions (but this is not compulsory):

A small photo album with pictures of you and your family/friends from home
A ‘coffee table’ book of your home town or country
Posters, stickers or magazine pictures from your country
Children’s books from your home country
T-shirts (new) from your country
Bottles of alcoholic beverages are not encouraged as souvenir items.
Alternatively many volunteers choose to take and print photos of their host family as a gift at the end of their stay.

We would be very grateful for educational resources such as books on grammar, TEFL, science, health, illustrated books, flashcards and children’s books. Donations of clothes and stationery are also very much appreciated.
In addition, if volunteers have any old laptops/ digital cameras/ mobile phones which they no longer require, VIN would highly appreciate these and can put them to very good use for the organisation.

Nepal is located in South Asia and shares territorial borders East, West and South with India and North to China with an area of 147,181 square kilometers and a population of approximately 30 million. It is the birthplace of Lord Buddha the apostle of peace and compassion. Previously ruled as a kingdom, today it is a Federal Democratic Republic with 7 provinces, 744 local units including 481 Village Municipalities, 246 Municipalities, 13 Sub-metropolis and 4 Metropolis. Kathmandu is the nation’s capital and the country’s largest metropolitan city.

Nepal is known for its exquisite natural beauty, with the iconic Himalayas running across the northern and western part of the country. Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions, offering a wide variety of adventure tourism packages. Of the 14 peaks above 8,000 meters in the world eight are located in Nepal. It is the land of Mount Everest (8,848 meters) the highest peak in the World and other 240 mountain peaks over than 6,000 meters high.
Nepal offers plenty of Wildlife as there are eight National Parks and four Wildlife Reserves and two conservation areas. Pokhara, the city of lakes, provides plenty of opportunities for fishing, boating and sightseeing with the panoramic view of Annapurna range. Kathmandu valley has several historical memorials, old palaces and temples.

Nepal is also a place of festivals with some part of the kingdom or the other celebrating some festival during every day of the year. Festivals may be linked with the remembrance of the departed soul, to herald the different seasons, to mark the beginning or end of the agricultural cycle, to mark the national events, or just family celebrations. On a festive day the Nepalese take their ritual bath, worship different gods and goddesses, visit temple, observe fasting and undertake fastiing. The most important aspect of Nepali culture is the religious harmony and understanding prevailing among the Hindus and Buddhist along with other religion.

Nepal has plenty to offer for tourist including but not limited to mountain flights which fly around the himalaya including Mount Everest and provide a close look of the top of the world. Trekking is the best way to get to interesting and remote mountain villages of Nepal and to enjoy views of the famous peaks together with local people, cultures and their lifestyle untouched with modern civilization. The River rafting, which is known as “White Water Adventure” represents another major attractions in Nepal. One can also enjoy bungee jumping, gliding and many more adventures activities.

Even after a truce between the Government of Nepal and the Maoists in 2005 that ended a decade long conflict, Nepal political situation mostly remained fragile and in turmoil for over next decade due to instable government affecting overall nation development that had kept expectation and aspiration of people always subsided. This had lead the breeding ground for many agitating groups resulting insecurity and threat among people due to frequent nationwide strike and blockades.
However the year 2017 has been marked as the historical event for Nepal that has regenerated the people aspiration and hope for the peace, prosperity and happiness. The Local level election that had been halted for almost 20 years have been conducted along with Legislative elections were held in two phases on 26 November and 7 December 2017 to elect the 275 members of the fourth House of Representatives, the lower house of the Federal Parliament of Nepal. The election was held alongside the first provincial elections for the seven provincial assemblies. Since the people are waiting long for a stable government, they have casted their verdict with vote giving majority to the collated party of CPN (UML) and Maoist Center.
Following the announcement of final result by the Election Commission, K.P. Oli of CPN (UML) was sworn in as Prime Minister on 15 February 2018 by the President according to the constitution of Nepal. He passed a Motion of Confidence on 11 March 2018 along with the formation of new stable government for at least next five years. This has not only calmed the agitating groups and the citizens but also has united them in the nation development process.
Currently the country is on development front with full swing be it in hydropower, socio economic, tourism, communication, health, industries, agriculture, women and youth empowerment, so and so forth. Many international communities are extending their support in the development of Nepal. Similarly your volunteering will be an additional steeping stone in building peace, harmonious and prosperous Nepal ahead.

Currently it is quite safe to volunteer throughout Nepal as long as you abide by the rules and regulation of the country. Unlike past, there is no massive disruption, blockades or strikes these days as such disruption is quite rare. Even in such instances normally VIN volunteers are not impacted as the site of volunteering is in close proximity to their accommodation. In addition, VIN does its utmost effort to ensure your safety during your volunteer placement in Nepal, and to make sure you are placed in a safe environment while volunteering. However you are advised not to hang around late night alone, if needed be in a group.
If you plan to go trekking during your stay in Nepal you are advised to use reputable trekking agencies, to keep to established routes, and to always walk in groups. Trekking alone is not recommended. VIN can recommend a reputable trekking agency to volunteers.
Lastly you should not be involved with drugs. Being found in possession of even very small quantities of drugs can lead to imprisonment.

VIN is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) which was founded in 2005 by a diverse group drawn from development workers, educationalists, social activists and other professionals.Unlike many other development NGOs, VIN serves to directly put efforts for change in the hands of local people. It actively encourages people to volunteer within their communities, aiming to unite all sectors of society in working together to set up and run local projects.

VIN has a board of advisors and a board of directors, of whom Bhupendra Ghimire is the Chief Executive Director. VIN also works in partnership with like-minded national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

VIN is officially registered under the Society Act with the District Administration Office Kathmandu (Reg No. 147/062/63), and is also affiliated to the Social Welfare Council Nepal (SWC) (Affiliation No. 20910).

VIN will be happy to e-mail you a detailed list of fundraising ideas upon request.

Yes, you need travel and medical insurance and you are responsible arranging it. VIN cannot take responsibility for the financial compensation of any loss or theft of possessions or medical assistance required during your volunteer placement.
As with any overseas travel, insurance is highly recommended and comprehensive travel and medical insurance should be obtained before traveling to Nepal. Check on line to see what offers are available or talk to your travel agent.

You are advised to take out full insurance cover for medical treatment, accidents and evacuation by helicopter. It is also a good idea to have cover for unexpected losses such as cancelled flights, stolen or lost cash, cards, passport, luggage and any loss damage or liability resulting from terrorist action.

Make sure that you check the details of your policy and check for exclusions to ensure your policy adequately covers you for any activities you plan to undertake. If you are planning to trek make sure it covers accidents and evacuation by helicopter. Your insurance should cover minimum 5000m.

Please contact your doctor or travel clinic at least 3 months before your arrival in Nepal for medical advice, and bring a record of your vaccinations with you.
Vaccinations you might consider include:

Diptheria (only if you aren’t immunized in childhood)
Hepatitis A √
Hepatitis B √
Influenza √
Japanese B encephalitis (JBE) (Optional/ needed only if they travel to terai area)
Meningococcal meningitis (only if your doctor recommends it)
Polio (only if you aren’t immunized in child)
Rabies (Really not/ but you should get it if you are bitten or scratched by dog or monkey)
Tetanus (only if you are for construction project)
Tuberculosis (only if you aren’t immunized in childhood)
Typhoid √
Yellow fever (Not endemic in Nepal, but required if coming from an infected area
If you are coming with short notice, some vaccinations are available in Kathmandu at the CIWEC Clinic: www.ciwec-clinic.com

Malaria prevention:
The Kathmandu area, Nuwakot and Okhaldhunga (our working sites) is generally classified as malaria-free. However, there are parts of Nepal which are not malaria free. Please seek medical advice if you intend to travel to different parts of Nepal especially southern terai.