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.

We offer the  Orphanage / Child Care Placements at the following beautiful working 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 >>>>

Pokhara valley

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 >>>>

Women’s Empowerment

Health

The health status of Nepali people is one of the lowest in the South Asian region and this is highly emphasizes within the female population. Not only is the average life expectancy for females significantly lower than those of men, many young women also faces issues of premature pregnancy due to marrying young. About one fifth of women are married between the ages to 15-19. High birth rates, low life expectancy, high infant and maternal mortality rates have reflected the poor health status of women in Nepal.

Economics

The economic statuses of women continue to be hindered by the fact that “women’s work” is still not recognized as a part of economic productivity. As a result only 45.2 per cent of women as oppose to 68.2 per cent of men are classified as economically active. In addition, women’s participation in the informal sector has increased significantly in both urban and rural areas – for example vending, petty trade liquor making and vegetable selling are often common means for women to find income. In rural areas women tend to be limited to jobs around planting, weeding, and harvesting, while in urban areas many find themselves employed in low level positions and jobs that are predominately viewed as women’s work.

Over 70% of women workers are confined to self-employed, unpaid and low-wage informal sector work with few formal job opportunities. The problems faced by women in the job market stem from a number of factors including stereotypical roles confining women to the household, limited access to education and skill/vocational training, exploitative and unsafe working conditions, discriminatory wage rates, sexual harassment at work and discrimination in employment opportunities.

Women in Nepal work for longer hours than men, have fewer opportunities for gainful employment, and possess limited property rights. In addition many women are expected to juggle multiple roles both inside and outside the family home, including reproduction, caring for the family home and generating income to support the household. In spite of the vastly important contributions women make for their family homes, their low income earning status and the absence of right to property have limited the role of women in their ability to make decisions the allocation of household income.

Cultural Traditions

The majority of the women in Nepal are overworked, uneducated and under privileged. They sorely lack self-confidence and consistently consider their status as below men due to the attitudes of the prevailing cultural societal norm. Many continue to carry the weight of the caste system, the pressure of the dowry system, and the guilt of being a burden to their family.

In the Nepali culture if a husband dies, she faces the horrors of widowhood and in many cases in the villages means being completely hated by their family and community. Widows are often kicked out of their in-laws homes and if they are allowed to remain, they are given ever-decreasing portions of food and resources. Many restrictions are also placed on the women as the underlying assumption is that the man is her other half and if he is no longer around she also should not want to be living a full life.

In too many cases these women may be victims of both physical and mental abuse. Many women are bound to live a life that is detrimental to their well being and that of their children. It often perpetuates a cycle of ignorance and dependence which is carried on generation after generation.

Educating Women

The deprivation of education and job opportunities has made it difficult for many Nepali women to break out of the cycle. At Everest Foundation Nepal we recognize the need to not only educate but also to provide a safe support network or the women of Nepal.

We have established literacy classes, vocational training, income generation program, regular health checkup and health awareness programs for the women in Nepal. Through our program more than 50 women are getting opportunity to enhance their Nepali and English reading writing and mathematical skill and as well as opportunities to develop income generating skills. It is our hope to continue to build and provide a safe space for women to grow and learn essential skills for themselves so that they may break the generations of ignorance and dependency and gain better control over their lives and betterment of their children’s lives.

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