Posts Tagged ‘volunteer nepal’
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:
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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
Launch of Volunteer Community
We have always felt that the best recommendation we can give to you about VSN is from the people who have already been here and experienced it for themselves. This is why we have launched our community pages.
On these pages you can find email addresses to contact people from all around the world who have worked on a variety of our projects. And if you have a Facebook account you can also join our Facebook group – ‘Volunteer Society Nepal: Official Facebook Group’. This is an easy way for people to upload photos, share stories and post questions they may have about VSN.
We hope you enjoy having a look round and it gives you an ever better feel of what VSN is like for our volunteers.
Edited: November 23rd, 2009
4 new classrooms for CBIA
Building work started 3 weeks ago and CBIA kids will soon be moving into their new classrooms. The classrooms will hold middle school classes (3-6) as more students move up from kindergarten classes. The classrooms each have their own 4 walls and roof to help noise levels and enhance the children’s concentration. Watch this space for the finished product!
Edited: November 16th, 2009
New women’s group established in Kathmandu
Jason Carney from Canada has been with VSN in Pepsi Cola, Kathmandu for the last 3 months. He came to us as an expert in grant and proposal writing and has been very helpful in sourcing fund raising possibilities in Nepal. Jason has also established a new women’s group here in Pepsi-Cola. After discussions with the women and other organisers he has set up skills training, legal training and English lessons for over 20 women in the area. The women are delighted to have this opportunity to gain some independence. If you would be interested in continuing Jason’s good work when he leaves us in Jan 2010 then please get in touch!
To speak to Jason about his work please see our Community Page.
Edited: November 15th, 2009
Experience in fundraising?
Volunteer Society Nepal is always on the look out for experienced fund raisers, grant writers and NGO developers to help us improve the good works of our two organisations: Volunteer Society Nepal and The Everest Foundation, a charity focusing on providing for disadvantaged women and children in Nepal. In Kathmandu we have a small office with a computer and internet access for volunteers to use if they want to look into improving our fund raising platforms.
If you would like to know more about these opportunities then please feel free to contact the organisation directly or some of our past fund raising volunteers, Jason Carney, Holly Gee or Nick Tuppen through the Community Page.
If you are interested please get in touch!
Edited: November 15th, 2009
Current affairs in Nepal
Nepalnews.com provides you with up to date news from Nepal so you can read about life here from the comfort of your own home.
Edited: November 15th, 2009
