Work In an Orphanage

Project At A Glance

Location: Kathmandu, Chitwan Start/End point: Kathmandu Duration: 2-12 weeks Hours: 30-40 hours per week Food: Local meals (3 times a day) Room: Orphanage, host family or homebase Date: First and Third Monday of each month

Project Summary

A country crippled with political instability and poverty, Nepal needs immediate help for children orphaned by recent wars and violence. IFRE works with more than eight local orphanages throughout Nepal and supporting their activities by sending volunteers and making donations. Volunteers generally teach basic English skills and organize creative, extra-curricular activities such as game playing, singing, drawing, etc. This program is the perfect place for volunteers looking for a chance to make an immediate and positive difference in the lives of orphaned Nepali children.

Skills/Qualifications Needed

A country crippled with political instability and poverty, Nepal needs immediate help for children orphaned by recent wars and violence. IFRE works with more than eight local orphanages throughout Nepal and supporting their activities by sending volunteers and making donations. Volunteers generally teach basic English skills and organize creative, extra-curricular activities such as game playing, singing, drawing, etc. This program is the perfect place for volunteers looking for a chance to make an immediate and positive difference in the lives of orphaned Nepali children.

Volunteer Responsibilities

Orphanage volunteers teach English (3-4 hours a day) in the orphanage or local school (where the children attend during the day). Volunteers offer daily life-skill support with physical and dental hygiene and dressing for school/life. Evenings are a chance for volunteers to show off their creativity by organizing games, drawing, singing, dancing and other creative educational and extra-curricular activities, which may include organizing sports training. Volunteers also playing music and teach subjects such as mathematics, world affairs, personal hygiene and nutrition. The possibilities are endless.

In the evening, volunteers also help children with their homework and help monitor their academic progress. If volunteers are not interested in teaching during the day, they can opt to stay and care for the younger children remaining in the orphanage. Volunteers are also expected to assist with serving and preparing meals, maintaining the garden, various administrative duties and day trip support.

Room/Food/Supervision

IFRE manages living accommodations, meals and supervision for volunteers throughout their stay in Nepal. Most volunteers placed in Kathmandu projects stay at our home base – a permanent home set aside for international volunteers and manned with a local staff. Our safe and secure Kathmandu home base is located in a beautiful area of Kalanki, nearly 5 km away from Thamel, a popular tourist hub of Nepal. Most of our volunteers’ projects are located within 2-5 miles of the home base. Therefore, volunteers can simply walk to their projects or take a local taxi or bus. Most necessary services for travelers are located within 2 km of the home base: internet cafés, restaurants and grocery stores. Our home base is located in the heart of city and provides easy access to volunteer to all parts of Kathmandu. It is a perfect situation for volunteers to live safely and comfortably while making many new friends and sharing experiences every day. In the evening volunteers return to the home base, to relax, eat dinner, explore local areas or share the day’s experiences with fellow volunteers and staff. Our home base provides a same-gender shared room and shared bathroom with running hot water and a “western” style toilet. Volunteers will have the ability to do laundry at the home base.

Volunteers receive three prepared meals per day. Our cooks prepare breakfasts, lunches and dinners of Nepali foods (similar to Indian food, including wheat bread, rice, curry, dahl, chapatti and pickles) for volunteers. If volunteers will be out of the house during lunch hour, they can request a lunch "to go”. If traditional Nepali fare does not appeal to volunteers, they are welcome to buy personal food and prepare it.

Occasionally, depending on volunteer traffic, available projects or distance to a volunteer’s assigned project, we may also place our volunteers with carefully pre-screened host families. Our host families are socially respected and are experienced with hosting international volunteers. They have strong interest in our volunteers’ safety and well-being and demonstrate this with caution and care. In most host family situations, volunteers will share a room with another volunteer of the same gender. Another viable option is an at-orphanage stay. Many orphanages in Kathmandu have special rooms set aside to house international volunteers. Volunteers who have stayed with a host family or at an orphanage describe an enriched experience because of having done so. Once you have applied for program placement, you will find the specific details of your accommodations in your personal placement documents for your project.

IFRE maintains two offices in Kathmandu and Chitwan to supervise and assist volunteers. However, volunteers working in Pokhara will stay in touch with Kathmandu office by telephone or email and will receive staff visits as often as possible, usually every two weeks.