With each volunteer opportunity, individual experiences differ based on expectations, desires, personal background, etc… Teaching at Deaf School not only allows you to make an important contribution to the education of the students but also provides opportunities to gain knowledge about the deaf community in Nepal and learn Nepali Sign Language. Contrary to popular belief Sign Language is not universal. Each country has its own Sign Language. In fact, even within a country signs may differ from region to region, much like an accent or dialect. Currently, there are 182 different Sign Languages including dialects and sign systems. Within Nepal, Sign Language is relatively new. Given that 24.6% of the population in Nepal is deaf, and most live in rural areas without access to education or Sign Language training, it is difficult for deaf students to get a proper education. Even at deaf schools, there is no curriculum designed for deaf students. However, deaf students are eager to learn and warmly welcome a chance to improve their skills, especially in reading and writing in English. When working at the school it is possible to teach many different subjects or skills from English to art to dance.
If you are choosing to work at the deaf school, you must be patient, friendly, willing to learn Nepali Sign Language and be willing to enter a completely different world of signs and silence. Teaching there can be a challenge due to the languages being used (English, Sign Language, Nepali, and any other language you bring as a volunteer). However, it can be a wonderful opportunity to work closely with the deaf community, help the students improve their skills, and also grow individually as you learn a new way to think is a world without sound.
Teaching at Deaf School
Overview
Once you arrive we organize an introduction for you. We deem this to be highly valuable and it’s a program valued by many volunteers in the past. By means of an introduction, you can acclimatize and prepare for your volunteering. You can begin at your project rested and prepared. In this way, you can be really effective.
Arriving to work in a foreign country can be a nerve-wracking experience, this is why at VSN we provide a friendly and in-depth welcome. The in-depth welcome encompasses basic language training, cultural training, and sightseeing through Kathmandu and surrounding. This is what you can expect from the moment when you touch down at Tribhuvan Intl. Airport. The program may vary depending on your time of arrival. We will manage to include all the below-mentioned activities in your introduction program.
You will be met at the airport by one of our staff. Together with our driver, Bimal, you will be taken to either the VSN office or a hotel. Here you can drop your bags and relax. The VSN director will come to meet you to clarify your program for the first days. Depending on when you arrive, you will begin the Nepali language class or a sightseeing tour of some of the world heritage sights of the Kathmandu valley. In the evening you will enjoy your first Nepali dinner.
After a leisurely start and breakfast, so you can recover properly from your journey, you will start your Nepali language course at the VSN office. After meeting the entire VSN team you will have 2 lessons from around 10.30 to 12.45 with our highly experienced language teachers. This will also give you a chance to meet any other volunteers joining at the same time. In the afternoon, one of our staff will take you around the local area of Pepsi-Cola where the office and home-stays are for the induction period.
Later that afternoon, you will be driven round being shown where all relevant amenities are: the nearest bank, shopping center, internet café, food shops, post office. You will also be shown the local buses that can take you to Kathmandu or to Bhaktapur and also where you can catch a taxi. You will also be told where to keep your valuables and general information about life in Nepal.
At the end of the afternoon, you will be driven with our guide to see some of Kathmandu’s famous UNESCO world heritage sites. One of our guides has over 15 years of experience taking foreigners round the ancient city and can answer any questions you have on ancient and contemporary Nepal. During your introduction, you can visit the famous Buddhist Boudanath and Swayambhunath stupas as well as the Hindu temple complex of Pashupatinath. The Durbar squares on Patan and Kathmandu are also essential visits. If you have other sites you are particularly interested in then this may be integrated as well.
In the morning we will continue the Nepali language training. Be aware we are aiming for a basic understanding. For example to say ‘yes and no’ and to introduce yourself. We do not expect you to speak the language fluently after the training. After the lesson, you are driven round some of VSN’s projects in the Kathmandu Valley. This may include the new CBIA school, our women center, our orphanage, or a visit to the village of Sunakoti where you will see new toilets, drinking water systems, and environmental projects that have all been recently implemented by volunteers and fundraising efforts.
In the afternoon, you can do more sightseeing with our guide in Kathmandu, or if you desire to take some time for yourself that’s even so possible. This afternoon, it’s also a good opportunity to stock up with anything you may have forgotten before heading up to a rural placement. The tourist hub of Thamel will be able to furnish you with anything from Marmite to an extra pair of Merino socks.
After about two days of language classes and sightseeing, you will be moved to the host family. They will be fully trained about hosting volunteers and you won’t be left in the dark about anything: toilets, drinking water, bedding, how to work the shower, where to buy anything you need nearby, basic etiquette. If you want an early night then that is fine, but you will also be given the opportunity to ring home or send emails from the VSN office so any parents or loved ones won’t be worrying about you.
It’s possible we already start this day at your project. If times appear to be short, we will start the next day in the morning. Our VSN director will discuss and finalize your program at arrival so you know what to expect the first days in Nepal.
While you volunteer with Volunteer Society Nepal you will be staying with a Nepali host family. Be part of a Nepali family. Eat together with the family. Play with the children. Experience the rich Nepali culture firsthand. Many volunteers tell us this unique insight into the culture of Nepal is a key part of why they come back again and again.
All our host families have conducted training regarding hosting volunteers adequately. They know how to ensure hygiene and provide security. They will treat you as a member of the family. To secure the knowledge of the western culture and desires we train our host families yearly.
Although we do not experience it frequently and it can be considered very rare, it could be possible you are not satisfied with your host family. In that case, it’s possible to switch the host family. We want to guarantee your happiness and secure the positive experience of Nepal. Hence, we remain contact if everything runs properly at your host family during your stay.
When you arrive on placement you will be introduced to your host family by the VSN representative and given a full tour of the premises. Many of our host families have children and it seems many of our volunteers enjoy helping them with their English, learning to cook Nepali food, and mixing in with their life. The other way around, we experience volunteers learn a lot from the hosts and children regarding life in Nepal.
At the host families, you will stay with or without fellow volunteers. You can clarify your preference and we will take that into account while arranging your host family. It is always possible to stay as a couple or group of friends in one host family. You should consider the host family as your temporary family in Nepal. As they will treat and value you as a family member. They can even so help you regarding how to discover the neighborhood, advice on travels, and offer you warmth in times of homesickness.
You should not expect luxury on your stay in Nepal. Nepal is a developing country and may well be different from what you are used to at home. However, you will have your own room unless requested otherwise, and the rooms are always clean and comfortable. The quality of the toilet and washing facilities vary significantly between placements. If you are based in Kathmandu you may find you have a hot shower and a Western-style toilet in your homestay. However, if you are in a rural placement then it is more likely that you will have a traditional squat toilet and a cold shower. If you feel like having a hot shower and flushing toilet is a priority then make this clear when you are applying and we will see if it is possible to find you one of our better-equipped host families.
The electricity supply in all areas is limited. Due to nationwide electricity shortages, the government imposes power cuts of around 12-14 hours a day. In the cities, some houses have backup batteries that will run low power bulbs in key rooms, but in the rural areas, you can expect to use candles. A head-torch is a very useful thing to bring.
On placement, you will usually eat with the family and share the same food as them. At least two meals a day are provided for you while volunteering. The usual meal times are between 9 and 10 AM and 6 and 8 PM. You will usually be served the national staple of Dal Bhat Tarkari which is a tasty and filling plate of rice, vegetable curry, lentils, and pickles. It may occasionally have meat such as chicken or mutton in it, although if you are vegetarian this can easily be explained. This may be supplemented occasionally by noodles, eggs and other snacks dependent on your host family and placement
Your host’s family will provide you with clean drinking water on your placement.
The Teaching at Deaf School placement is available at the following places:
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and Buddhists. The cities of Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, Kirtipur and Chobhar are located in this valley, and each displays excellent examples of Newar art and architecture. The valley is the cultural and political hub of Nepal, but this melting pot of traditions and different Nepali >>>>
Dhulikhel is situated at an altitude of 5,500 ft above sea level, 30 km east of Kathmandu on the Kodari Highway and is a 90 minute drive from Kathmandu. It is a typical Newari town surrounded by nearby Tamang villages, and is set on a hill top, enveloped in copper soiled terraces with magnificent views of the central Himalayan peaks. Dhulikhel is well known for its beautiful sunrise and >>>>.
Pokhara valley is located at the very center of Nepal and is dominated by the peaks of the Annapurna mountain range. The town of Pokhara (913 meters), is only fifty kilometers from Annapurna 1 (8,091 meters), and the sharp decline of six thousand meters within the short distance of only twenty-nine kilometers gives the region. It is famous for the peaceful Phewa Lake and the magnificent >>>>
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Our Projects
Pre-Medical Volunteer
Volunteer Society Nepal offers Pre-medical Nepal. This program provides students with three main opportunities: to help those less fortunate, to Learn first-hand knowledge about the medical field, and to discover the amazing diversity of Nepal. If you are in college, studying biology, chemistry, or any.
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Group Volunteering
Nepal is highly appropriate and recommended a destination for teenagers, high school students, university students, seniors over 50s, corporate groups, friends from clubs, and institutions also who eager to volunteer and travel in a group. We provide group volunteering opportunities up to 25 participants at.
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Family Volunteering
Volunteer Society Nepal offers a family volunteering program. This program is a great way for families to get closer. This is the best way to combine all the efforts on a community development project and explore a new country, a new culture, and a new.
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Gap Year Volunteering
Volunteer Society Nepal offers a remarkable insight into a land of beautiful mountains, ancient traditions, and secrets of enlightenment along. For the real explorer, Nepal is the perfect gap year volunteering destination, with its spectacular Himalayan peaks alluring adventurers for centuries! As a gap year.
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Teaching at Deaf School
With each volunteer opportunity, individual experiences differ based on expectations, desires, personal background, etc… Teaching at Deaf School not only allows you to make an important contribution to the education of the students but also provides opportunities to gain knowledge about the deaf community in.
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Teacher Training
Volunteer Society Nepal offers the opportunity for qualified teachers and education experts to come to Nepal and train the school staff in more advanced methods. Teacher Training can be done through general teaching skills coaching for all school staff, or if you have subject-specific expertise.
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Content Writing and Social Media
Volunteer Society Nepal is looking for Content Writing and Social Media Volunteer / Intern to develop and promote volunteering and internship activities in order to attract interested participants from all over the world to have an amazing time and an excellent opportunity for personal and.
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Film and Photography
Volunteer Society Nepal is looking for a volunteer to take film and photography which can be used in promotional activities for the charity portfolio, fundraising, and marketing. Volunteers will be involved in capturing images and film of the local people, area, lifestyle, and the activities.
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Child Care / Orphanage
The high mortality rate for mothers during childbirth, as well as the short life expectancy in general, leaves thousands of children without parents each year. The high mortality rate for mothers during childbirth, as well as the short life expectancy in general, leaves thousands of children.
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Women Empowerment
Women are traditionally not educated and kept illiterate, increasing their financial dependency and keeping them unaware of their basic human rights in Nepal. A number of laws also discriminate against women’s citizenship, inheritance rights, divorce rights, and even by meting out minimal to no punishment.
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Teaching English to Buddhist Monks
Teaching English to Buddhist Monks program is designed for people who are interested in religious culture, to teach English in one monastery for a period of two weeks or more. Volunteer Society Nepal can provide longer stays upon request. Volunteers will teach English to the.
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Health Care
Volunteer Society Nepal is playing an active role in linking rural Nepali people with experienced medical and health personnel from both Nepal and around the world. The VSN Health Care Program mobilizes volunteers experienced in medical and health areas, to rural places where the government.
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Construction and Manual Work Volunteer
Most of the schools in rural in Nepal consist of four wooden poles supporting a thatched roof. No blackboard. No desks. Few books. Open toilets, no proper classrooms, no playgrounds, no libraries, not even drinking water. In order to address the lack of basic educational.
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Center for Disabilities/Special Education
Most of the disabled individuals in Nepal are ignored, neglected and forced to live in dark rooms because most of the family members of disabled individuals feel shame at having lost the prestige due to them in the community. As a result, they are dying.
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Teaching in Schools
Schools in Nepal often lack appropriate funding and resources to adequately teach children. As English is an international language, it is becoming more and more of the required skill for job placement, educational advancement, and future success. Many classes are delivered in English by Nepali.
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- Teaching in Schools
- Center for Disabilities/Special Education
- Construction and Manual Work Volunteer
- Health Care
- Teaching English to Buddhist Monks
- Women Empowerment
- Child Care / Orphanage
- Film and Photography
- Content Writing and Social Media
- Teacher Training
- Teaching at Deaf School
- Gap Year Volunteering
- Family Volunteering
- Group Volunteering
- Pre-Medical Volunteer