To apply please fill out the application form and pay the $35.00 fee. Upon receipt your application will be reviewed and you will be contacted by e-mail. The placement fee is best paid just before your departure to Kathmandu. If for any reason your are unable to serve, this fee will be returned to you less the small PayPal transaction fee.
The volunteer is responsible for the following:
1) Airfare or other transportation to and from Kathmandu.
2) Visa fees ($30.00 for 60 days obtained at the airport, $30 per month for each month thereafter). Currently tourists are limited to 5 months in a calendar year. You are recognized as a tourist under the Visa categories while in Nepal. There are also minor airport departure fees when you leave Nepal, generally about $15.00.
3) Insurance if you desire any.
4) Personal trekking, rafting or other adventure activities.
5) Meals outside the Volunteer House.
6) Personal time activities.
7) There is a weekly surcharge of $100 for guided trekking to remote areas for the collection of oral histories, myths, and legends.
8) Any food that you wish to purchase and prepare in the volunteer kitchen in lieu of eating the prepared meals by our staff.
9) Souvenirs and or items you wish to give to Nepalese host families or new friends.
It is not with any scientific accuracy that we may suggest the amount of pocket money one should bring with them, as it depends entirely upon your spending habits. Kathmandu is a little expensive. It is possible not to spend anything; if you desire a lot of pleasure purchases, it might cost you $30 per week.
May 7, 2009
About the Current Strife in Nepal
Nepal has been in a state of civil unrest for the past decade or so. The current situation with the resignation of the Prime Minister will likely have very little effect upon the daily routines of the Nepali people or upon the volunteers serving here. Transportation bundhs (a bundh is when one group or another with a grievance will call for the closing of roads, or schools, or government offices) are a routine way of life in Nepal.
The government has always been working very hard to have tourists and volunteers come to Nepal; the country depends a great deal upon the tourist trade and volunteers serve the people. Tourists have always been made to feel welcomed and secure by the Nepalese people.
The current strife is an internal problem that should be left to the Nepalese people to work out. Not coming to Nepal at this or any time lessens the chance for their eventual rise to peace and prosperity for all.
If you would like to chat with other Volunteer Nepal volunteers please visit our Facebook group.
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