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Ms. Jan Pryor came back to volunteer in Nepal within 10 weeks

”WHAT EVER YOUR AGE VSN NEEDS YOU” -Jan Pryor

Everest loomed hauntingly above the Himalayan Mountain range as Silk Air began its descent into the smog laden Kathmandu Valley.  Do I feel like an unconquerable mountain or was my perception of life clouded like the smog of Kathmandu Valley?

Four hours later,  I was lying on the floor the children’s  home, after we had shared and  devoured  a kilo of chocolate Easter eggs. Twenty four loving hands were rigorously attempting to massage life back into travel weary body.  This is it and this is where I am supposed to be.

I first  came with my daughter Misty to volunteer in Nepal, with Volunteer Society Nepal (VSN) for five weeks in December – January 2010, where I built not only a wonderful relationship with my host family but I believed in the ideologies of the organisation.   So to see Tej (the Director of VSN) waiting at the airport to greet me was like coming home and hot Nepali tea was brewing when I walked his all familiar Nepali home.  Most of all I had an over whelming anticipation to once again see those darling children at the New Life Children’s Home.  I had wondered whether, what I considered to be a very special relationship with the children, was going to be reciprocated. To my heart-felt joy, it was. When you consider how many volunteers pass through their lives, to hold a place in their hearts is overwhelming.  I feel that because of my mature age, I can offer the children a very special, unconditional love. A grandmother type of love.  (I don’t like to use the word orphan as I feel these children have a very special life. I know that they are in the exceptional care of the Everest Foundation Nepal)

The afternoon of my arrival, I met with the children. It was a very austere and formal Hindi presentation of a flower and welcome greeting from each child and I reciprocated with a kilo of little chocolate Easter eggs. On my second round of offering the chocolate delights, Sushil,l who was second last in the line, could not contain himself any longer, eggs went flying, as his huge over-excited smile erupted, into a huge leap up into my arms, choking me with the tightest  hugs and kisses. Chaos overruled orderly etiquette and the rest of the children followed. All clambering for that special attention that I feel only I can give to them. Well, that is how I perceive the situation. 

As on my previous trip, I once again, had collected second hand clothes to bring and my work place,  donated  a series of science text books for the school that is sponsored by VSN.  Thankfully, Singapore Airlines sponsored my trip with ten kilos of excess luggage.  Before I can I also did some simple fundraising. I invited friends for a Nepalese banquet and in return for the hospitality they gave a donation.  I obtained the fantastic recipes from the net. Other friends also made financial donations. My second fund raiser came with the realisation that the children did not have any personal toys, so I purchased a small cuddly toy for each child and sold them for an inflated price and the purchaser had the incredibly difficult job of choosing which toy was to go to which child.

So off to Pepsi-cola, Kathmandu, Nepal I headed with AUD$700. Yes, our suburb is called Pepsi Cola due to the fact that there is a Pepsi-Cola factory there. 

Working with VSN allowed me to consider how I would like to invest my donated monies. After a few very serious discussion with Tej and other members of the organisation we decided to take the children on a holiday, regardless, of the opulence and extravagance of the project.. We concluded that it is once in many years that someone, will arrive with cash and say…”lets go on a holiday”.

So Pokhara it was. We hired a van, booked some lovely accommodation at Lakeside and headed off. Apart from the car sickness, it was so much fun for the children to escape the heat and smog of the Kathmandu Valley. To travel across and see their land, to follow small rivers, that grew into beautiful raging rapids. To see rafters and kayakers , mountains strewn with farmlands and small villagers with only paths and no roads. Everything was a panoramic vista for their little eyes. We arrived in Lakeside,  a destination that abounds in the beautiful Annapurna Mountains, which cradles a lake. They had never seen a lake and to make it more fun, they got to ride in a row boat. They strode the sidewalks like confident travellers and  blended into  the peaceful ambience of the lakeside holiday town.  What they all considered to best experience of all was the visit to another lake where they got to see the see fish being cleaned at the fishery and the best of all they got to wade in the water. A  experience they had never had  before. The squeals of laughter as they splashed  and played on the waters edge was also the highlight for me.  It was a simple holiday, filled with much fun and laughter and the photos that now host the wall of their living room will remind them for a long time of their holiday in Pokhara.

The rest of my fundraising has been spent on having wardrobes built that will be placed into their  bedrooms of their new house. Each child will have their own section with a lock in-order to place their personal  items such as their new soft toy.

It did not take much effort to raise $AUD700.00 but it has definitely gone a long way and is being spent on projects that I have personally instigated. Projects that I feel will enhance the life experiences and living conditions of these lovely sweet children whose destinies were out of their control.

 Volunteer Society Nepal is a wonderful organisation that is rapidly growing to provide  service to support this desperately poor third world country. The stats include:

• 42% of the population is unemployed
• 51 % of the population is illiterate
• 54% of the population is malnourished
• 15000 orphans in Kathmandu streets
• 42% of the population live below the poverty line

Therefore, the objectives of VSN is to ; provide a safe and nurturing house for our  children, improve the education and health standards in Nepal, empower women,  improve literacy in both Nepali and English and provide skills training in the poorest communities.

Ironically, in the two weeks of my visit, VSN was in the process of employing a master seamstress to teach local women to sew. VSN’s objective was to sponsor a percentage of underprivileged and lower caste women into these classes.  Rupa, Tej’s wife, who is now the director of this program, and I further, developed the plan, with our aim to empower the women of Nepal. Ideologically,  to support women  in their struggle to become independent and promote self-worth.  So we aptly  called the group  “Women 4 Women Nepal” (W4WN). Our objective is to employ the women from the sewing class, on a fair and equitable basis, and they will manufacture their first production line which will be  very  “groovy” aprons. These aprons, will be sold internationally through past and present VSN  volunteers.  All profits will be re-invested back into  W4WN to create further manufactured  lines and develop new incentives through research and development. Recycled plastic initiatives are also high on the agenda for research and development.  Any ideas are welcome.

Whilst living with my host family, there was a passing parade of volunteers young and mature who were all working on a vast range of projects. From the Dutch family, who had raised a great deal of money and who were personally involved in the construction of their projects. This included building a new school in the Everest region and a medical centre in the hills outside of Pokhara. There were the young travellers working within the school and The New Life Children’s Home at Pepsi-Cola region. The was a young Dutch man who has gone home to raise funds to feed all of the orphanages in our region so some of those children do not have to ask the neighbourhood for food. New arrivals were undertaking their language and culture lessons before heading off to work in one of the many orphanages in the Pokhara region.

Regardless, of your age or gender, when you volunteer with VSN, your placement helps to breakdown the poverty cycle of Nepal. Whether it is in the field of education, health, the women’s group, orphanage support, manual labour  or business management. Whatever your field, there is always some work to be done. Or, you could just be like me and be a grandmother to a lot of very beautiful children who love a cuddle and like all grandchildren to be told unconditionally how great they are.

VSN is a non-political, non religious Nepali organisation run by Nepali people. The staffs are very dedicated not only to their responsibilities to the organisation but also, to the well-being of their volunteers.  It is such an honour to be a part of VSN’s growth and support them in the development of new projects where the sky is the limit.

Jan Pryor/Australia

Further information about VSN can be found on

www.volunteersocietynepal.org

www.everestfoundationnepal.org

For further information, I can be contacted on janpryorvsnaustralia@gmail.com

Edited: May 18th, 2010

Help Orphan Children in Nepal

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and had been suffered from civil unrest for last 10 years. Affected by chronic poverty, internal conflicts, social discrimination, and lack of opportunities, hundreds of orphaned children leave their villages in search of work; many of which end up as child laborers, and their lives are only further exploited in cities.

Various individuals and social organisations have voluntarily set up orphanages in Nepal to protect these children by offering a homely environment, education and skill training opportunities. Most of these orphanages are poorly resourced, under staffed, and are struggling to run their program due to the lack of funds.

Most of the orphanages do not provide the children with fresh vegetables and fruits due to lack of funds. They provide only lentils and rice every day. Volunteer Society Nepal believes that all the children at the orphanages should get at least the daily minimum quantity of fresh produce. Although, there are a number of orphanages that also do not provide the necessary diet to the children, Volunteer Society Nepal has been providing eggs, fruits, green vegetables and meat only for 45 orphans from three different orphanages. Volunteer Society Nepal made a commitment to provide this support as long as possible. Due to financial constraints we have been able to support for only few orphan children, we are doing our best to raise more funds so that we can support more orphanages in the future.

Edited: April 6th, 2010

Volunteering in Nepal – Chris Petrie,

I volunteered in Nepal with VSN from 16th Dec 2009 to 10th Feb 2010 in a Orphanage and 2 Schools in Pokhara.

My experience was both rewarding and for-filling. VSN were very flexible to cater towards what I wanted and did their best to make my stay here as rewarding as possible. VSN have been honest to me and to the other volunteers I have been around while here. The VSN families based in Kathmandu are very friendly and invite you into their families and home upon your arrival. While I was here I experienced a Nepali wedding of Surgandha’s neice which I felt very privalledged to attend. The openess and sharing of their family lives is something I was both surprised and impressed about.

My placements forfilled all my goals for volunteering in Nepal. I wanted to make some positive experiences for where-ever I volunteered and experience the Nepalese way of life. I had the chance to visit all the places I wanted to whilst volunteering. The food and accomodation was above my what I thought I might get. I came away with many memories of Nepal that I will never forget.

I fully recommend VSN as an organization and volunteering in Nepal as an excellent experience.

Chris Petrie,
Full Registered New Zealand Secondary School teacher.

Edited: February 10th, 2010

50 more children enroll at Volunteer Society Nepal charitable school

It was a day of celebration at the Career Building International Academy last week as the community came together in honour of the Hindu Goddess of Education, Saraswati. Nick, one of our teaching volunteers from England writes about the event that saw another 50 pupils enrol at the Volunteer Society Nepal funded school…

We had known about the up coming celebration for some time and had been looking forward to it. All the Hindu festivals are a treat for any visiting volunteer to Nepal with bright colours, smiling faces and always some delicious local food! The 20th January was the celebration of the Goddess Saraswati. She is recognised as the Hindu goddess of spiritual enlightenment; encompassing learning, wisdom and fine arts. It is customary to begin a child’s education on this day and the CBIA organised a special worship of Saraswati.

The most significant aspect of this day is that Hindu children are taught reading and writing their first word – as it is considered an auspicious day to begin a child’s education. Goddess Saraswati being pure and white and representing learning, no animal sacrifices are made to her. Everyone has a vegetarian meal on this day. While the preparations on the new basketball court were underway, at the back of the playground the VSN language trainer Beesal was hard at work making Prashad in a huge cauldron over a wood fire. This was a mix of ground wheat and rice meal, sugar and dried fruits topped off with apples and tangerines. It was delicious and fed all the assembled after they received a blessing from the Brahmin. Standing with the families of the children you have been teaching witnessing the ancient rituals was an incredible experience. The school seems to be going from strength to strength with new classrooms, a new basketball court and an expanding library all donated by the funds of VSN volunteers.

We only have one week left at the school after 3 months volunteering here and it’s going to be strange to say goodbye to the children. It makes you want to come back and see how everyone in the community is getting on. All I can say is that I can fully recommend coming to volunteer as a teacher here. There is something new everyday and the kids surprise you with what they want to learn about. The pride they have in their country and their ambition is humbling and to be able to help as a volunteer even in a small is a great way to spend your time as a volunteer.

To find out more about volunteering as a teacher with Vounteer Society Nepal you can explore the Placement Pages:

• Volunteering in Schools
• Teacher Training and Subject Specific Teaching
  
• Teaching in Monasteries

Edited: January 30th, 2010

Helping overcome disability boundaries as a volunteer in Nepal; Irene’s story

At Volunteer Society Nepal we always try to ensure we get the most from our volunteers. We believe everyone has unique skills they can bring to help when they volunteer in Nepal. Few people bring as unique a skill as one of our most recent volunteers from France, Irene. As a trained sign language teacher she has come to volunteer in a deaf school in the ancient city of Bhaktapur.

Having been here for only a week she has already settled into life with her new host family and her new posting. We went to see how she was getting on and found her in front of a classroom of 7 highly focused deaf children signing back and forth to one another. The challenges of this for Irene are significant. She has had to learn to speak Nepali, sign Nepali and also help to teach the children to communicate correctly in English sign language. However, she seemed to be excelling in her new volunteering position. The children also seemed very grateful and were eager to engage with their new teacher.

The opportunity for the deaf children to see someone who has the same hearing difficulties as them, but is able to travel the world, be highly independent and respected is an inspiration. All too often, people with disability issues are not given any opportunity to learn in Nepal. Having a volunteer in Nepal like Irene is of huge importance as it gives these youngsters an idea of what they can achieve and brings them a huge step closer to them achieving their dreams.

Find out more about volunteering at Deaf and Disabled schools throughout Nepal

Edited: January 30th, 2010

Two volunteers donate much more than just their time to our children

Some of our volunteers from abroad donate more than just their time in Nepal. Through hard work and generosity people bring bags of clothes, teaching equipment and money they have raised from their schools, companies or friends. Two volunteers from Australia, Jan and Misty, recently arrived in Kathmandu with some great resources to donate to Volunteer Society Nepal. These were specifically to support 2 of VSN’s own projects here in Nepal: The New Life Children’s Home orphanage and the charitable school the Career Building International Academy. What they managed to bring with them on their volunteering experience hugely contributed to the effectiveness of their stay and well being of our community.

The below account was written by Jan about how they managed to raise money and donations for our projects.

Donations for the New Life Children’s Home

• Clothing: Firstly, we bought loads of second hand clothes that our friends had generously donated. We ended up with so many clothes that I wrote an email to Singapore Airlines, and they generously gave us 60 kilo’s of free luggage to Kathmandu. The joy in the children’s faces was a moment in time that was  irreplaceable. Even more rewarding was the joy in our hearts, when we arrived  the next day to take them on an excursion and they were so proudly dressed in their new clothes

• Learning Materials: We bought numerous stationary items which included: colouring books, pencils, texta’s, educational wall charts and most popular, the growth chart. Misty uses these resources for quiet time in the morning sun.

• Sports Equipment: Another $100.00 that was donated, was spent on a heavy duty food processor, 6 school bags, skipping ropes, cricket bat and balls also, ping pong sets. The sporting equipment is generally bought out in the afternoon at either the basketball court or the field. Another work colleague also gave me AUD$20.00 to spend on the children. This purchased even more pieces of sporting equipment which included: shuttlecocks and basketballs. Which have bought much joy (and lessons on sharing). Judging by the number of children who join us in games,  I think our children are the best equipped kids on the block.

• Socks: Two of the orphan boys from the Bhaktapur region,  who are sponsored to go to this school, came to pick up the left-over larger clothes. Their socks were tattered so  we were able to purchase a supply  of socks all  children who are sponsored to go to the school. AUD$7.50 purchased 20 pairs of socks.

• A photo album of memories: Another memento that I am leaving behind is a photo album. I have taken many photos during this stay and am collating them and putting them into a photo album so that the children have some documentation of their lives.

CBIA school:

• The school in Australia where I work also fund-raised and this money is going to be spent refurbishing the four new school rooms. We will be buying items such as carpet, whiteboards, educational materials, baby gym equipment and we have already purchased the basketball poles and hoops for the courtyard. VSN sponsors this school that the twelve children attend. Altogether, forty under-privileged children are sponsored to attend this school.

The farewell from the children was the greatest message of thanks that Volunteer Society Nepal could give, but we thankyou again Jan and Misty for all you did during your time here. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

If you would like to ask anything about her experiences in Nepal with VSN then please feel free to Contact Jan

Edited: January 22nd, 2010

A musical momo feast for volunteers and children alike at VSN’s orphanage

Last Friday was both an exciting and a sad day in Pepsi-Cola Kathmandu. It was Jan and Misty’s last day volunteering in Nepal with us and we will miss their energy and enthusiasm greatly. But to say goodbye they organised a party at the New Life Children’s home (Volunteer Society Nepal’s orphanage), which was a great way to spend a Friday night and rarely have we seen an orphanage feel so much like a family gathering!

All the VSN staff, their kids and the volunteers squeezed into the orphanage at 5pm where a house full of very excited children were getting themselves dressed up for the concert and munching on some sweet treats. Whilst the kids did their last dress rehearsal we all helped to help make momo in the kitchen. With over 20 hungry mouths to feed a big team effort was important! Beesal mixed the buff meat with the secret blend of spices, Gelu mixed up the hot sauce, Nick rolled the dough and the rest of us tried our best to stuff the mixture into the dough in vaguely momo like shapes. This is not as easy as it looks when the Nepali’s do it! If there is a knack then it will take another few months of volunteering to get it.

Once the momo were steamed and ready to eat, the whole house fell silent for half an hour of filling bellies with delicious food. I think about 50 each was the average number consumed, quite a feat given that some of the children are just 5 years old. The hot sauce was no barrier either with the call of  pani, pani! (water) being echoed throughout as the children flapped their hands in front of their mouths.

After the feasting came the entertainment. Misty had prepared some dancing for the kids and they each took it in turns to sing a song of their choice – a nice mix of Nepali and English classics that found the rest of us humming away. The volunteers were also called up for an impromtu singsong of their own, which lead Nick to get all 20 of us to do the hokey-cokey bringing on much hysteria from the kids.

Finally it was time to try and calm the children down and say goodbye. The New Life Children’s Home presented the volunteers leaving the next day with beautiful and very touching hand made cards to say thank you for all their love and support. A few tears later and we all headed off to bed, the adults as exhausted as the kids, but all with the warm feeling of love and laughter! It was incredible finish to the time as a volunteer in Nepal and a wonderful memory to take away back home.

Edited: January 21st, 2010

Two American volunteers make a big difference in Kathmandu with their environmental program

We have new volunteers coming through the Volunteer Society Nepal office the whole time. Read recent volunteer Jan’’s account of life in Pepsi-Cola and the environmental project two American volunteers have just completed…

There is never a dull moment here at the Volunteer Society Nepal’s head office in Pepsi Cola, Kathmandu. It is always a hive of activity with all volunteers sharing experiences of their individual projects, supporting new arrivals and also recounting their most recent adventures. My daughter Misty and I have been here for 4 weeks now and have just returned from an 8 day break from Kathmandu where we went to Chitwan National Park for the “safari experience”. Then we headed to Pokhara to do the Ghorepani Trek. The trek was arranged by VSNs tour guide Gelu Sherpa and was fantastic with magnificent vistas of the Annapurna mountains as our backdrop.

Within moments of being back at the office we met the new, larger than life, Irish recruit Andrew who is heading off to Salleri, in the Everest region, to work in the monastery. We also met the two new volunteers from America, Antoinette and Humsini. In their two weeks here they have exceeded all expectations with a great contribution in a short period of time.

The girls have initiated a clean-up of the local sports field. The field is the central meeting place for the whole Pepsi-Cola community, where the locals and children play sport and sun themselves. But it is covered with litter and rocks. With the help of Sugandha, the girls have painted 8 brightly coloured garbage bins to be placed around the park and VSN is going to pay for the clearing of the bins. It is hoped this simple environmental project will have a big community impact and begin to lay the foundations of an awareness of the social responsibility of rubbish collection. Currently all rubbish is simply thrown on the floor.

The day they were put out saw children from the VSN supported New Life Children’s Home and school working side by side with volunteers clearing up the rubbish by hand. Talking to the onlookers reminded us how long a journey it is until garbage bins are used regularly, but it was a very visible start to the process with a huge pile of rubbish cleared within just a few hours.

Edited: January 21st, 2010

Volunteer in Nepal with a local company and avoid sky high fees

International volunteering in Nepal is not a new idea. People have been coming here for decades to offer their help and support in any way they can. However, as is often the way when opportunities like this develop, there are lots of people who tend to take a cut of the money involved. What makes Volunteer Society Nepal different is that we are a local Nepali company and so you can be 100% confident that when you volunteer in Nepal your money is going to the country itself, not to pay for advertising and office space abroad.

International vs. local agencies

There are many placement agencies located throughout the developed world. You will see large adverts in magazines and newspapers from companies in the US, UK and Australasia offering volunteer packages throughout Nepal and the rest of the world. However, what a lot of people don’t realize is that these large agencies then use local agencies like VSN to manage the placements in Nepal. Despite the difference in cost, the experience you have on the ground is no different, and in fact they are often a lot less flexible than if you arrange to volunteer direct.

International fees are often 2 to 3 times more expensive:

To give you an idea of the huge range in volunteer fees, here is a list of some of the leading organizations worldwide and what they charge for a 6 week program:

I to I	$2,256.00
Global Volunteer Initiative	$1,661.00
Global Volunteer Network	$1,385.00
Global Crossroads	$1,335.00
Volunteer Society Nepal	$700.

All of these programs offer very similar inclusions. None of them include flights. Volunteer Society Nepal is far better value at between half and a third of the cost.

Affordable volunteer fees do not mean less contribution to local projects:

?Looking at global volunteer agency websites, you read about funding for multiple offices around the world and the ever increasing costs of getting listed high up on search engines. However, you very rarely read clear information about what % of your fee goes to the project. The simple reason being… it’s very little. Once they have paid for all their running costs only a minimal amount goes to the organization you are working with. However, we know if you volunteer in Nepal you want to know exactly where your money is going. That is why we give you a clear breakdown on our website according to your length of stay.  Click here. On average it is over 30% of your total fee, far higher than international agencies.

But how do I trust the quality of VSN?

Talk to our previous volunteers. We have placed hundreds of people since we started work in 2004. On our site you can find email addresses of past volunteers who are happy to answer any questions, or you can contact people through our Facebook community group. There is no better recommendation than those people who have come before you. Volunteer Community

We hope you can come and join us to volunteer in Nepal and make sure every bit of your hard earned volunteer fee goes to the right place.

Edited: January 18th, 2010

Volunteer in Nepal whether you are 17 or 70 years old

Who says GAP years are just when you leave school?

One of the common misconceptions about volunteering abroad is that you will be in a group of very young people. It is true that many of the large volunteering organizations target the ‘GAP year’ pool of school and university leavers. However, at Volunteer Society Nepal we have placed volunteers from the age of 17 to 76!

Make the most of your time after the kids have left home

We often find that when people retire or their children leave home they are suddenly left with lots of time to spare. This is the ideal time to come volunteering in Nepal. We find that the varied experiences some of our older volunteers bring with them not only helps hugely with their interactions with Nepalis, but also allows them to share it with our younger volunteers.

Older volunteers bring valuable life experience

Many of our more senior volunteers bring with them real world business experience, first hand child care experience, teaching expertise and often top medical knowledge as well. In the past we have also had parents coming with their adult or young families. By all accounts the bonding of working in a different environment such as Nepal is a memorable bonding experience.

Read about Michelle’s experience below:

So why not Volunteer in Nepal?

Whether you are a grandparent, have just retired, or want to do something special with your family, you will be warmly welcomed in by Volunteer Society Nepal. If you would like to speak to some of our older volunteers then you can contact them through the volunteer community:

• Michelle – Volunteering at an orphanage in Pokhara and building a new vegetable garden
  
• Maureen – Fundraising support in Kathmandu
• Mark – His family volunteered on a construction project in Kathmandu

Edited: January 13th, 2010