Volunteer / Intern

Volunteering is often times a life changing experience – it has been for the people who work to make Helambu Project happen. Helambu Project has several ways people can volunteer to help us, all of which are important in different ways and require different sets of skills. Helambu Project coordinates volunteers and will help prepare you to come to Nepal to volunteer. Currently we have need of the following types of volunteers but are always open to new ideas and possibilities:

Volunteer Teachers

Volunteer teachers are currently placed at the Pasang Memorial Community Boarding School in Gangkharka. Many people don’t think of themselves as teachers and wonder what they have to offer. However, as a foreigners we often over look the high quality education we received and how much that can benefit the students at the school. Creative teaching methods, interactive teaching styles, arts & crafts, and alternative learning techniques are often things we take for granted because they were part of our education from a young age. The Nepali school system and our school currently needs the energy and creativity volunteers bring to classrooms. Children love learning about volunteers’ home countries, doing crafts and playing games with volunteers, and simply interacting with volunteers. It’s a great way for them to learn English and other subjects as well! Longer-term volunteers have also helped by teaching English to some of the staff and villagers who have wanted to learn.

Medical Volunteers

Helambu Project health camps are carried out when volunteers with medical experience are available to accompany them. The region suffers from a chronic lack of medical care and many people have to walk days to get to the nearest clinic. We have a small medical clinic at the school for medical volunteers and for volunteers with more experience can organize health camps where they travel to different villages and see whoever needs medical treatment. Wilderness first responders, EMTs, and a whole range of people with medical experience are encouraged to apply as often basic knowledge of medicine and treatment is very helpful to people; however, Helambu Project cannot provide any medical training so it is important to have experience.

Volunteer Organic Farmers / Outdoor Workers

Reviving agricultural traditions, as well as introducing new methods, is an important part of making our work sustainable. All across South Asia and the Himalayas farmers are being encouraged to switch to genetically modified crops prone to failure, fertilizers which deplete soil and contaminate streams, and use monoculture cultivation. This year alone in Nepal, thousands of farmers were sold genetically modified sterile corn seeds which did not germinate and cost farmers their major cash crops, costing some of the poorest people on the planet the only source of their livelihoods. The tragedy of farmer suicide is growing more common in India and Nepal, where Farmers commit suicide by drinking liquid fertilizer when their crops fail because they receive no support or justice when sold faulty seeds or their land goes fallow. Global warming is also becoming an increasing problem, temperatures in the Himalayas rise eight times faster than other places on the earth, changing the fragile Himalayan ecosystems and harming their agricultural sustainability. In order to fight these issues, Helambu Project is dedicated to growing and buying food locally for the school according to as many organic and sustainable principles as possible. We encourage people with the skills and knowledge to help us make our project as environment friendly as possible. Villagers possess a wealth of information about crops and land that has internationally gone overlooked. We are therefore looking for volunteers who want to learn from local farmers, teach local farmers, and work on organic farms.

Research Volunteers

Helambu Project International also welcomes volunteers who will play an important role in formulating, monitoring, and evaluating projects. Research volunteers in the past have recorded oral histories of village elders and in the future, may conduct surveys on the receptiveness to economic development projects, such as micro-credit, in the area. Research topics are conducted with the approval and coordination of Helambu Project and School staff in the field, and the volunteer will receive due recognition for the work they contribute.

Volunteering Outside of Nepal

The biggest myth is that you can only help by coming to Nepal and volunteering! There are hundreds of ways in which you can volunteer your time right where you are – by helping write proposals, hosting fundraisers, and assisting with administrative work. Volunteers outside of Nepal currently do all of these tasks! Volunteering before you come to Nepal is also a great way to get to know the project and see the impact your work has made when you visit! If you are interested in fundraising, please visit our USA and UK fundraiser pages.

Internships

Internships are available in the West or in Nepal. Interns in Nepal will split their time working in the villages and in Katmandu and help with logistical work, project proposals, project management and implementation, financial reporting and other duties. Interns will be giving some light background reading before they come to make sure they are familiar with Nepal’s history, current political and economic situation, and make sure they have maximum impact when they get here.

Internships in the West will be different and include more fundraising project proposal writing, but is still a great way to learn how small grassroots NGOs (Non Government Organisations) work. It is also possible to split interning time between the West and Nepal, ideally we would like to volunteers to commit a minimum of 3 months.

Download more information about volunteering:

Volunteer FAQ

Volunteer Agreement

Is Helambu Project for you?

We don’t want any volunteer. We want you and we want to make sure our program fits you and that we have projects that use your skills, time, and energy in the best possible way. If the positions didn’t seem to fit things you were interested, please contact us and may we can find something for you that will work.

Volunteering for Helambu Project may not be for everyone. Volunteers should have a minimum level of finess, as travel to the village often requires a days walk. While in the village, Volunteers must be comfortable living in a different culture with a host family often without modern amenities. Villagers live traditional lifestyles and spend much time farming, something which volunteers usually love to learn about and help with. The project site is located in the Himalayan foothills and has beautiful views of the mountains and is surrounded by lush forests and nature. If this doesn’t appeal to you, then maybe volunteering with us in a different capacity, as a fundraiser or administrator, may suite you better.

Our volunteers have been amazing people who demonstrate a lot of drive, initiative, creativity, and understanding while working on the project. We like to be flexible and sensitive to volunteers and plans and can accommodate a wide range of volunteer requirements; however, we expect our volunteers to extend the same to us and understand that they will be partially responsible for organizing their own time and using their own ideas when they are in the village.

To read volunteer testimonials or contact a volunteer directly click here.

Read about volunteering in GoMad Nomad travel magazine!

Costs for International Volunteers in Nepal

Unlike so many other organizations in Nepal that charge hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars to volunteer, Helambu Project only asks for a 10,000 NPR (about $150 USD or £100 Sterling) donation that for volunteers staying more than a month and 7,500 NPR ($100/ £70) for volunteers who stay for less than a month. Returning volunteers are not required to pay this fee again. This money is a contribution to funds for field work and
volunteer projects.

On top of this fee, volunteers pay their host family 250 NPR per day they stay in the village. This money covers all costs associated with their food and stay in the village. This money is handed directly to the families they stay with and helps support local families and economies.

We understand that many volunteers have limited funds but still want to contribute. No Problem! Volunteers who fundraise for Helambu Project before they come to Nepal will have the one time volunteering fee waived. This is a great way to contribute to the project before you even arrive and in the past volunteers have been able to use the money they raised to implement amazing projects – such as PMCBS Greenhouse.

For other costs associated with volunteering in Nepal, please download and read the volunteer documents.