help2educate

Email is the best way to stay in contact with family and friends back  home. There are thousands of cyber cafes in Kathmandu and there is a  high probability that you will find an internet connection in your  village.

You  can also phone home from various places in Nepal but it is costly. Unfortunately, you cannot phone home using your host family, school or project but you can phone home using the Little Gems Hostel skype phone should you need it.

If you have brought your mobile phone we will give you a  Mero Mobile SIM card so that you can make and receive phone calls in  Nepal. You will have to purchase a top up card to phone home;again it is expensive. You can also receive phone calls at your host school,  hostel and (often) family from family and friends.

We will  also email your chosen emergency contact (normally a family member) to confirm  that you have arrived safely.

Yes. We will take you directly to your host family from the airport. We  will also take you back to the airport when you leave.

Your host school, hostel, project and family have been carefully selected and  have been trained on what to do in an emergency. If you fall ill, they  will know where to go to get the best medical treatment and they will  take you there immediately. Our representative in Nepal, Puspanjali Rai, is on hand 24 hours  a day to provide support to volunteers in emergencies.

In the case of an emergency she will be contacted by your host school, project, hostel and  family or whoever takes you for treatment. She will also inform you family should anything go wrong.

This depends on you and what you decide to do. Although food and lodging is included whilst you are volunteering in Nepal   we recommend that you bring enough money to cover any travel you would like to do, any gifts you want to buy for family and friends, eating out and about, buying any extra necessities that you need and contingency funds should you   overspend. We recommend that you include this in your planning before going to Nepal.

Volunteers need to arrange their own VISA arrangements.A VISA can be obtained on arrival or at your local Nepali Embassy. More information can be found on the Nepal Tourism Board's website http://www.welcomenepal.com/brand/travel_general.asp#a

You  will be debriefed before you leave Nepal. It will be your opportunity  to give your feedback to Help to Educate and to write in your thoughts  in our voluntary diary. In England, we will also ask you if you can  write a 500 word article about your experiences so that future  volunteers can learn about what you have achieved.

Who do I  turn to if I have a problem about my work or about the placement itself whilst in Nepal?
You can turn to your host family, school and hostel but your main point  of contact will be your supervisor in Nepal, Puspanjali Rai. If you have any problems about your work, your  placement, your living conditions or any other problem then she will be there to support you and help resolve any issues.

Whilst  in Nepal: You will not be asked for a donation or for any financial or material support. Our partner schools, hostels and host families have agreed  that that it is inappropriate for them to ask you for a donation or for  any further financial / material assistance because you are already  giving so much to helping them. It is also against the terms of their  contract with us to do so.

On your return: As part of your debriefing, we may ask you if you are interested in  sponsoring a child or contributing on a regular basis towards our projects in NEpal. You will also be asked if you are interested in supporting  the charity in some other capacity. There is no pressure to do so and  we will not pester you to do so.

Your host family are paid for allowing you to eat and live in their  home. They have been carefully selected and trained to make sure that  you are living in clean, safe and hygienic lodging whilst you are in  Nepal.

We will not be able to answer this question until a few months before  you leave for Nepal. You should be ready for both eventualities. You  could find yourself volunteering on your own or with several other volunteers depending on how many volunteers we have when you are in  Nepal and depending on where your skills are used

Yes, you can extend yourvolunteering placement whilst you are in Nepal. If you need to extend your flight then we can help you look into extending your flight. We cannot guarantee that you will be successful in  extending your flight because it depends on what ticket you have. If  you would like to extend your voluntary placement in Nepal then please  contact Help to Educate in Nepal.

You  will be living with a carefully chosen host family. We cannot give you  any further details until your application has been accepted and we have received your donation.

We like think so but we strongly recommend that you seek   independent travel advice before deciding to volunteer in Nepal. At the time of writing, all of our previous volunteers have had a trouble free experience volunteering in Nepal. However, we are not qualified to offer travel advice and it is a condition on your application form that you agree to seek and follow independent travel advice before travelling to Nepal.

British citizens can contact the Foreign Office Travel Advice on 020 7238 4503/4 or can visit their websites www.fco.gov.uk and www.britain.gov.np. The Nepal Tourism Board has set up a hotline for travel advice to Nepal on +977-1-4225709. Please remember that this telephone number is an international dialling code and is not free of charge.

Normally yes but you may already have had them if you have travelled to Asia before. Either way, we strongly advise that you seek   professional medical advice before you decide to go to Nepal.  .  It is a   condition on your application form and condition of acceptance that you agree to   and have sought professional medical advice before travelling to Nepal. We recommend that you visit your local GP for this   advice. For British citizens, The British Department for Health also offers health advice for travellers on their website http://www.dh.gov.uk but please do not seek medical advice just from the internet and we strongly recommend you speak to your GP or a suitably qualified professional.

Yes. It is a condition on your application form and condition of acceptance that you agree to research and take out comprehensive travel insurance for the entire duration that you are volunteering in Nepal.

We are not a travel operator and we are not suitably qualified and equipped to prepare travel packages for volunteers. In our experience, volunteers also tend to get better value for money when they hunt around and carry out their own research whilst companies that do provide travel and volunteer tend to offer less value for money.

We must receive your donation before you leave your home country. You can donate through our justgiving.com page but please make sure you add the reference : Volunteer: First Name, Last Name  (e.g. Volunteer: Sarah Smith)

We cannot refund your initialk £50 donation but we  can, in certain circumstances refund the remainder of your donation.

If you decide not to go to Nepal:  We will refund 100% of your donation minus the cost of doing so (this  is the cost of transferring the funds to your bank account) and your initial £50 donation. For  example, if you are volunteering for 1 month then we will refund £800 and deduct the costs of transferring the money to your bank account.

If you decide to come back early for medical reasons and / or emergency reasons: We will refund the number of days that you were unable to complete. For example, if you have made a donation to volunteer for 90 days (3  months) and come home after 60 days then we will refund 1/3 of your  donation minus the cost of doing so (this is the cost of transferring  the funds to your bank account)

If you decide to go home early for compassionate reasons: We will refund the number of days that you were unable to complete. For example, if you have made a donation to volunteer for 90 days (3  months) and come home after 60 days then we will refund 1/3 of your  donation minus the cost of doing so (this is the cost of transferring the funds to your bank account) Please  note that you must contact your supervisor in Nepal, discuss your reasons for  coming home early before doing so. This is so that we can make sure it is for compassionate reasons.

If you decide to go home early  because you do not like Nepal or any other reasons that do not fall into the  above categories -We can not give you a refund.

We  only ask for a donation and a deposit because we want volunteering to be accessible to everyone and benefit as many people as possible. We  believe that the true value of volunteering is not in how much money we can make from a volunteer but how much a volunteer can gain from the experience and how much it can benefit the local community and local projects.

The  cost of volunteering includes support, food, lodging, a school and  hostel to volunteer in, a SIM card for your mobile phone, a Lonely  Planet Guide to Nepal, transfer cost from and to the airport, a free  email address whilst you are in Nepal and a Mountain Flight over  Everest.

Volunteers donate an initial £50 for two reasons. Firstly, we want you to confirm  that you are going to volunteer in Nepal.Secondly, your initial donation  covers the initial cost of arranging for you volunteer in Nepal. As a  result, we cannot refund this part of your donation should you change your mind. However, in  the event that we are unable to arrange for you to volunteer in Nepal  we will refund your £50 donation minus the cost of doing so.

Yes. Just let us know before you go. 

We send out a pre-departure information pack which includes advice on  volunteering in Nepal. This includes a detailed contact sheet, the  name of your hostel, school, and host family and so on. We also  provide a reminder of our Responsible Volunteer policy and a  confirmation letter showing that you we have arranged for you to  volunteer in Nepal. You will receive your pre-departure information  pack 1-2 working days after you have made your donation to the  charity. You will not get your pre-departure information after you  have paid your deposit.

Orientation  and training are given on arrival in Nepal by Help to Educate Nepal. You will be briefed on your responsibilities as a volunteer and on what is culturally acceptable behaviour in the village that you are  volunteering. On arrival, we will show you around your host village,  where we are, where you are volunteering and how you can contact us. We will also show you how to get about and  where you can email home or buy anything that you need.

We  cannot refund any travel costs. We cannot refund the cost of travel  to, and from Nepal. We cannot refund your VISA, your travel insurance  or any other costs involved in your travels. These are costs that you incur as the result of deciding to volunteer with Help to Educate.

Yes. Holidays are on Saturday, Sunday and, depending on the school, half day on Friday mean that  you will get plenty of time to visit places around the Kathmandu  Valley. If you want to travel further afield and for longer -just  notify us in advance of your planned travels. You can also arrange to  travel before you start or at the end of your placement.Just let us  know us know your plans beforehand.

Yes, of course you can. Just ask us to arrange it for you.

It normally takes 2-4 working days after we have received  your application and deposit but can be up to 10 days.

Volunteers are selected in Nepal by our Nepali partner in  consultation with our locally selected schools, hostels and organisations.

The  minimum amount of time we want you to commit to is 18 hours a week from  Monday to Friday. This is just 4 hours a day. We encourage volunteers  to really get involved because it makes the experience all the more  rewarding and enjoyable

It is up to you but we recommend that you volunteer for at a minimum of 2 weeks.

It's never too late to apply! If you can arrange your travel arrangements and donate for the number of months you are volunteering in time -then let us do the rest. 

We  accept applications at any time and we can make arrangements within  days assuming that your application is accepted, your references are  acceptable and that you have paid your fee before you arrive in Nepal.

Yes. We are flexible with the number of weeks that you commit to. You are  after all giving us your time. Just remember that if you go for less  than 4 weeks you will still need to donate for 4 weeks. This is  because our donations are calculated on a monthly basis.

You  can volunteer at any time but beware that schools and hostels tend to  be closed during long festivals such as Dashain (3 weeks) and are not a  great place to start volunteering during the examination periods. If  you are going for longer than 1 month then this might not present a  problem but if you are volunteering for less than 4 weeks, do you  really want spend 2 weeks waiting for a festival to finish? Before  deciding when you want to volunteer, please look at our online calendar.

The answer really depends on you. We do not refuse volunteers because  they have a disability but we strongly recommend that you seek advice  and make your own decision as to whether you can volunteer. We are  unqualified to offer advice and not in a position to offer extra  support because there are no facilities in the villages, schools and  hostels to do so. We select volunteers on the basis that they agree  that they are physically and mentally able to volunteer in Nepal.

Yes and No. You can volunteer in Nepal together but, regrettably, you  cannot volunteer in the same institution and you cannot live in the  same arranged accommodation. This is because we have a responsibility  to respect the cultural and social traditions of Nepal. This is  especially applicable because you will be volunteering in the  countryside.

No. No teaching experience or qualifications are required but  enthusiasm and a willingness to help is essential. It is also important  that you speak English well.

No. We accept volunteers from all over the world.

A reasonable level of education.  We want  enthusiasm, good spoken English and dedication towards helping others.

We only accept volunteers who are older than 18 years old. Applicants  below this age will only be considered if they turn 18 before they depart  for Nepal.

No. It is for  everyone.