Nepal

Finally, we can reveal our starting point: Nepal!

As our guide defines it “Nepal is a little country sandwiched between India and Tibet that hosts the world’s major peaks and featured by breathtaking scenarios”.
Honestly speaking, both of us have always been attracted by this mysterious destination, especially from a naturalistic point of view. Everyone has at least seen 1 movie settled in Nepal (…Vale maybe 10), most of the time related to some mountain tragedy, and dreamed to be among those giants.
In our research for the magic starting point, even the cultural aspect made is part! We wanted to experience firsthand the hospitality and kindness of Nepali people, discover if in the country where Buddha was born the main religion is Buddhism or not, and check if the flower power vibe that attracted here thousand of hippies in the ’60 is still livable.
Albeit these were really good reasons to select the first country, the main thing that pushed us to book the one-way ticket for Kathmandu was that we thought it would have been the perfect place for doing our volunteering experience. As most of you know, Nepal was badly devastated by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in April 2015. As most of the time happens, the media and the NGOs usually focus their attention when the tragedy takes place. Charity marathons occupy the TV breaks and everyone is moved by compassion and starts to donate in order to“”save the poor people in need” (both of us included). But really soon, way too soon, the tragedy is easily forgotten and the attention is captured once again by “local corruption, football buying campaign or which Hollywood star just got married”.
Unfortunately, even if more than two years have passed, Nepal is still a country in total reconstruction that is struggling to go back to the normal routine.

Volunteering in Nepal

Once the starting point was clear the following step meant looking for an NGO where realize the volunteering. Most of our friends thought that this would have been an easy task…..WRONG!
As soon as you Google “volunteering Nepal”  there are thousands of results with really nice programs that make you think you are exactly the person they are looking for! And then, once you reached the pinnacle of happiness, the trick appears: “This program will cost you ONLY 500$ a month!”
…now let`s make this clear: I have to pay for my flight, and my VISA, offer my work for free and I have to pay?
The main problem isn’t connected to giving the money, but to who will actually receive the money? From recent research, it emerged that only in Kathmandu there are 500 orphanages. Most of the time kids are exploited and subjected to abuse and, of course, the money you give won’t certainly go to the kids.
After seeing thousands of Google results we decided to follow 2 criteria for our research:
1) it must not be a paid volunteer;
2) it has to be outside Kathmandu (to experience the real Nepal).
After months and months of research and after contacting nearly 50 organizations (from the biggest to the local ones) and receiving negative answers, we ran into an Italian blog (https://www.facebook.com/groups/aiutiamoilnepal) managed by Roberto, an Italian teacher who lived 15 years in Nepal. After explaining to him which kind of volunteering we were looking for, he recommended us a German organization named “Walk Along e. v” (http://www.walk-along.org) The NGO was founded in 2009 by Valentina, a German Italian woman, after her own experience in the little village of Karmidanda, in the northern part of Nepal (more details in the Karmidanda section). The organization is pretty small but since the beginning, there was a special feeling and after few conversations on Skype we decided: “LET’S GO TO KARMIDANDA!”.

Tips for volunteering in Nepal

We volunteered in Nepal in 2017 and it was an amazing experience for us. We are still in touch with the family who host us and the people of the village and we have created a special bond with the country. That said, volunteering is becoming more and more popular and there are different reasons that push people to do this experience. The most important thing to keep in mind is that YOU WILL NOT SAVE ANYONE, YOU ARE NOT GOD, and NOTHING WILL CHANGE AFTER YOUR EXPERIENCE.
These reflections have been made after our experience since we must be honest, volunteering is a pretty selfish thing (especially if you don’t have any specific competencies that will represent an additional value to local communities or organizations).
On the other side, you will have the chance to discover a new culture, help local people (especially if you do homestay), and understand how we take loads of things for granted.
If you would like to volunteer with the two organizations mentioned above please feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to give you the needed information and explain to you how life in the village is. If you would like to look for volunteering experiences, please ask yourself these questions:

• Is the organization I am going to volunteer with an official NGO? You can find the list here
• What am I actually gonna do as a volunteer? Do I have any skill that can be helpful (please do not get involved in construction or any other activity that can be potentially dangerous not only for you but especially for locals)
• If I have to pay a certain quote, to whom are my money going to?
• Will I follow any training before going on the field?
• Will I have any coordinator on site?

Visa

Obtaining a Nepali Visa is pretty easy since it is issued on arrival at Kathmandu airport or at the different overland entry points. Even if we took part in a volunteering project, we decided to use the tourist visa. In the last years, especially after the earthquake, the government decided to release a volunteering visa for the cost of 100$. The idea was to have control of the flow of volunteering coming into the country but, from our point of view, it is just another way to receive money. In any case, check with your organization if they require it since the process will take longer.
If you are flying, like we did, once you will arrive at the main hall you need to fill up the entry form. Afterward, if you already have a passport-size picture, keep walking straight and queue up for the payment, otherwise on your left side you will find a machine where you can take the picture.

Visa’s fees (August 2023)

• 30$ (15 days)
• 50$ (30 days)
• 125 $ (90 days)

Once paid you need to go to the officer, on your right side, who will stick your visa (it occupies half page).
Another curious thing that you will experience at the airport is that,  after recollecting the backpack, the officer will ask you for the fly tag (the paper that usually companies stick in you bag) and plane ticket in order to review if the luggage you just recollected is your!(we found this system really efficient)

If you haven’t steel someone else bag…keep straight and…WELCOME TO NEPAL!