Why pay for volunteering?
You probably asked yourself on occasion. Why pay for volunteering? After all…you’re offering your services free of charge… and on top of that you have to pay? How ridiculous is that?? The question one should ask though is: “what is it I’m paying for?” In the following points, we will shed light on this question, and hopefully will have answered any misconceptions many people have on volunteering. As a potential intern/volunteer you need to understand that below is a list of reasons why a program fee is required.
1. Airport Pickup & Transfer
After traveling halfway around the world to a country you’ve never visited, there should be someone who will greet you at the airport who then grabs your bag and whisks you away in a car. When it comes time to leave, you have someone willing to help you lug your bags back to the airport and seeing off you.
2. Logistics
The most difficult part of picking up your life and plopping down in another country is all the logistics involved. From finding a place to live to obtaining the perfect volunteer placement, the details are much easier to accomplish when you have a local there to guide you or take care of it for you — who, obviously, needs an income. Additionally, we have our own project developed to place our volunteers and have also developed relationships with many schools, hospitals, and orphanages in the every part of Nepal where we can get you to the placement there.
3. Language and Orientation
As a volunteer, you can be very useful. However it takes time to understand not only your role but how your placement organization works as well as local cultural practices and etiquette, which is why orientation and trainings are a crucial part of any responsible volunteer program. The orientation will include language training or cultural orientation by our staff. The fees paid by you will help us to develop our training programs and hire on quality individuals to run them.
4. Food & Accommodation
We charge fee may not only set up your accommodation but also include the cost of living in your program fee. The program we arrange at a homestay, you will have your meals cooked for you by the host family, in which case you would be charged in advance.
5. in-Country Assistance
Perhaps the volunteer placement isn’t all you hoped it would be. Or you need help sorting out a banking issue, renewing a visa, or tracking down a doctor who speaks English. Having associated with organization in-country to help with issues that inevitably arise can be invaluable, especially if you aren’t fluent in the local language. We know which doctors to visit when you’re sick, where the best place to buy a bus ticket is, how to avoid being scammed, and so much more! Plus we are around to help at all hours of the day, so if an emergency happens on a weekend or in the night, we are always available for you to call. We also keep in touch with family members if the unlikely happens and you need to be evacuated from the country or fall seriously ill. For those with worrying parents the peace of mind might be worth the money!.
6. Programmatic Support & Continuity
We charge fee may not only set up your accommodation but also include the cost of living in your program fee. The program we arrange at a homestay, you will have your meals cooked for you by the host family, in which case you would be charged in advance.
7. Trips and Excursions
We offer you to choose trips for you a wide range of volunteering, trekking, tour, rafting, peak climbing, jungle safari, home stays program including tours to Tibet and India to experience the unique beauty of the Himalayas region, to enjoy the customs and food of the diverse people who call Nepal home; to be awed by the mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, jungle and ancient cities and to have the journey of a lifetime, this is a great way to see the country without being responsible for the logistics. Plus it means you will have the opportunity to better acquaint yourself with your fellow volunteers and local staff. Note: In some cases, you may work directly for the organization in need of volunteers and there may be volunteering program with little fee. These organizations may be local or international, and their process for applying generally differs from our organization as it will be more tailored to their requirements and needs and less so on those of the volunteers. But, be aware that they usually are unable or unwilling to provide above mentioned logistics and support like arranging housing, orientation, sight -seeing, language classes, visa Assistance, 24/7 support and social and Cultural activities etc.