Services provided under CDN Nepal:
We help the program participants arranging the following activities.
- Air ticketing
- Tibet tour
- Mountain Biking
- Rock Climbing
- Rafting & Kayaking
- Canyoning
- Bungy Jumping & Swing
- Mountain flight and so on
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Volunteer Nepal !
Introduction
The Kingdom of Nepal, situated in the lap of the central Himalayas, is a country of amazing extremes, not only from the plains of the Terai to the top of Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest), but also among the many ethnic groups which have made Nepal their home. Blessed with an incredible diversity of natural beauty and cultures, Nepal offers magnificent landscapes, colorful people, timeless rituals and traditions, and a distinct array of architectural styles. Those who choose to visit and explore Nepal will find much to enjoy in this country. Nepal's ancient history, flora and fauna, varied terrain, warmly hospitable people and their cultures are its greatest attractions. This is what brings people from all over the world to Nepal to discover a unique way of life.
Cultural Destination Nepal (CDN Nepal) is an organization which was established to introduce program participants to Nepal's diverse geographical and cultural environment by fostering a deeper understanding of cultural similarities and differences through experiential learning in Nepal. This organization is dedicated to the promotion of worldwide understanding of Nepal's culture through its program, Volunteer Nepal!. This volunteer program is designed for people who wish to learn about Nepalese culture and customs by living as a member of a host family and engaging in volunteer work in various fields.During Volunteer Nepal!, participants will join in family activities and responsibilities. By partaking in the program, it is hoped that participants will experience personal growth as well as open communication channels between different countries and cultures.
Program Goals:
We believe that service to humanity is one of the most worthwhile experiences a person can have.
- The main goal of this program is to provide volunteer service opportunities for people who are genuinely interested in learning about a new and different community while contributing their time and skills to benefit worthwhile community service throughout Nepal.
- Another goal is to help those who are looking for a specific opportunity to reach out to people and community groups in need of their skills.
- Furthermore, we want to offer opportunities for those who are interested in experiencing the differences among the cultural aspects of urban, semi-urban, and rural life in Nepal.
Program participants will develop new skills, confidence and perspective which will help them create a different way of viewing the world.
Program Details:
Throughout Volunteer Nepal!, participants will be involved in a number of different activities designed to prepare them for their volunteer work and to provide them opportunities to more fully experience life in Nepal.
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Orientation Phase (two weeks)
In the first part of the orientation phase, participants will be given an introduction to the program's schedule, health care, cultural and social "Dos" & "Don'ts", and interactions with the Nepalese host family. This is a "Pre-Service Training" program. During this phase the participants will begin to learn about Nepal, its cultures and customs, Nepali language, and community interaction skills. Meanwhile, the participants will stay with the Nepalese family to reinforce their new language and culture. The orientation phase provides participants the necessary preparation for their volunteer work experience and the knowledge needed to deal with their host organizations and host communities.
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Homestay
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During the orientation phase participants will stay with, and become a member of a Nepalese host family, sharing in family activities and responsibilities. Host families are selected because they want to share their own culture and to learn about others. By living with a Nepalese family, participants will have the unique opportunity to connect on a personal level with its people and culture. Staying with a Nepali family provides an excellent opportunity to use ones new language, skills and to learn more about Nepalese culture. Within a home stay situation, learning by doing provides the best reinforcement of language and cross-culture skills learned in classroom situation.
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Nepali Language Training
CDN Nepal has designed comprehensive language courses based on participants' immediate needs in order to impart standard communicative Nepali language and cultural information. During the orientation phase, participants will be taught basic communication skills in spoken Nepali by professional language trainers. We believe in providing participants with ample opportunities to learn through their individual experiences and preferences, a process, which will be furthered by the homestay experience. The ultimate goal of our program design is to help participants achieve basic skills in Nepali language and culture in a limited span of time. The participants will have many opportunities to use and improve their new language with their host family and throughout the program.
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Cultural Orientation Tour
As an additional introduction to Nepalese culture and history, there will be a tour of various historic cities in the Kathmandu Valley. An orientation tour also will be arranged to include sightseeing and places with which participants should be familiar such as the Immigration Office, the Post Office, Banks, Health Clinics, and other facilities available in Kathmandu.
- Hiking (Day trip)
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CDN Nepal will arrange a one-day trip (hiking) beyond the urban milieu of the Kathmandu Valley. There's a wealth of artistic culture and nature waiting to be discovered. Ensconced amidst the lush green serenity, magnificent monuments stand as specimens of traditional Nepali workmanship.
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Lectures (4 to 5 topics)
During the orientation phase participants will be given lectures on religion, culture, history, politics, geography, necessary health precautions, women in Nepal, and various other topics that explain the diversity of Nepali life. Plus, participants can express an interest or a need for additional information.
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Volunteering Phase (1 to 3 months)
The volunteering phase is the most important as well as the most challenging phase of the whole program. In this phase, participants will work at their placement site as according to their skills and interests and the needs of the host organization. We will place the participants according to their desired living situation (rural, semi-urban, and urban), and they will live with a local Nepali family. In the meantime, the participants will learn more about themselves and what they are capable of doing.
Urban: City, with modern facilities (email, fax, and phone facilities, public transportation, variety of modern shops and restaurants, etc.), and modern families.
Semi-urban: Small town, limited facilities (phone and pharmacies available), more traditional families and communities.
Rural: Village, very limited facilities (electricity and public phone may be available), very traditional & conservative families and communities.
The process of giving and receiving through volunteer work enables the participants to contribute their time and skills while gaining new perspectives about the world. The personal growth experienced during volunteering helps participants develop confidence in their abilities and can help them overcome obstacles and problems later in life.
Normally, placement is provided in schools teaching various subjects such as English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Environment etc and educating the children in various ways. Participants will also be able to engage in outdoor activities, excursions, and acquire general knowledge about the area. They will have the added opportunity to volunteer in other fields at their placement site. We also provide placement in NGO working in women's issues, environment, disabled children and so on. The participant has to have special experience and educational background volunteering in such a field.
The length of the volunteer phase depends on the participant's requested interest, school schedules, and the needs of the host school/organization.
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Trekking - Village Excursion (7 to 10 days)
An additional, exciting experience for participants is the trekking phase. CDN Nepal will arrange a trek through the mountains and villages of Nepal. While trekking, participants will be able to observe the traditional lifestyle of Nepalese families and enjoy fascinating views of beautiful landscapes, snowcapped peaks and Nepal's flora and fauna.
Nepal offers astonishing topographical variation with altitudes ranging from 70 meters to 8848 meters across a width of merely 193 kilometers. Within its limited boundaries, Nepal enjoys a range of climates from alpine to temperate to tropical jungle, in narrow regions determined by its incredible altitude variation. The immensely diverse, undulating topography and the different communities in Nepal combine to produce a magical attraction for the participants. The trekking phase allows the participants to use their language and cultural skills to experience the real Nepal, far beyond what most tourists are able to experience.
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Recreational Phase:
At the end of Volunteer Nepal!, there will be two recreational activities for the participants: a jungle safari, and a white water rafting trip.
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Jungle Safari
CDN Nepal will arrange a safari trip for 2 nights, 3 days near the end of the program. Chitwan National Park is a large area of low, heavily forested hills that border India to the south. The park is a haven for wildlife: the Royal Bengal Tiger, the lumbering yet agile one-horned rhinoceros, leopards, various deer and bear species, wild boars, and over 40 other mammal species. There are also gharial crocodiles in the rivers and over 400 bird species that make the park their home. Elephant rides, a canoe trip and nature walks are available to allow participants to enjoy the wilderness and learn
about the wildlife.
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Rafting
There are numerous fine rivers in Nepal, which offer excellent rafting or canoeing opportunities. Depending on the season, participants can experience gliding on calm, jade-colored waters surrounded by magnificent scenery or rush through roaring white rapids in the care of expert river guides. Either choice provides clean sandy beaches to enjoy lunch and cool, clear pools in which to swim.
During Volunteer Nepal!, participants will have a memorable opportunity to explore and experience Nepal's unique way of life, the natural beauty of this wonderful country, and the warmth of its people. When the participants leave, they will take with them what they learned from and about this Himalayan kingdom, its people, and most importantly themselves. The Nepalese people only at random express their feelings in words, but in their faces a connection will be seen that the planet is not such a big place after all.
"Volunteer Nepal! gave me the platform to take my first steps in a world so similar and so different from my own."
Sean Shodahl
1998 program participant
Program Information:
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Positions available:
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25
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Program duration:
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2 to 4 months
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Age limitation:
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Min. age: 18 yrs
Max. age: 65 yrs
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Qualifications:
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High school Diploma, Volunteers should be flexible, physically fit, and willing to immerse themselves in another culture.
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Language Requirement:
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English
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Program Schedule:
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Commences five times yearly: February, April, June, August and October. Other dates can be arranged on request.
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Food and accommodation:
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Accommodation, two meals (breakfast and dinner) will be provided. Lunch needs to be furnished independently.
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The host family will provide food & accommodation.
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The host organization will provide food & accommodation.
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CDN Nepal will provide food & accommodation.
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CDN Nepal will provide food & accommodation.
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Program Fees:
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- Application fee Euro 50 (non-refundable)
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The program fee is Euro 650 (From 2012 15% extra will be added in the program fee) which includes
- Pre-service training (Orientation Phase):
- 2 weeks of orientation
- Homestay
- Cultural orientation tour (sight seeing)
- Cross-cultural orientation (social behaviors: dos & don'ts)
- Hiking (day trip)
- Lectures on different topics such as
religion, cultures, political system, history,
- Meditation
- Cultural activities
- Yoga introduction
- Volunteering Phase:
- 1 to 3 months of volunteering teaching
and educating the children of different age group at local and private school.
- Teaching to the monks and nuns at the monastery
- Working at local orphanage with orphan kids.
- Working on environment, women and
development, disabled children and so on.
- Village Excursion Phase:
- One week of village excursion at local
villages. Get to experience the typical way of life of typical Nepalese people.
- Service project at the local community
while doing the village excursion.
- Recreational Phase:
- Two nights three days of Jungle safari at Chitawan National Park.
- One day of white water rafting at Trishuli River.
- Food (two meals: breakfast and dinner) and accommodation during the whole program
- Transportation within the country and so on.
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| Not included in the program fee: |
Airfare to and from Nepal, insurance, personal expenses, visa fees, and entrance fees to all the sites and trekking area. |
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Application Deadline:
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Applications have to reach Cultural Destination Nepal 1 & 1/2 months prior to the program commencement date.
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Country Information:
For detailed information about Nepal, its culture, travel information, news and everything else, you can visit the Nepal Home Page
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