Kathmandu is a myriad of experiences: it’s dusty and beautiful, chaotic and serene, all at once. But one thing is definite: you’ll never discover all of it if you head here as just a tourist.
Come as an international volunteer, however, and you’ll get to discover the city’s secrets, learn its culture, and experience something so much more than a holiday.
Hannah, from Perth, Australia, is two months into a three-month research volunteer opportunity with UK-based charity Street Child, and she can’t believe how quickly her time in Nepal’s capital city has flown by.
Take on a Role with Street Child and Visit a Country as More Than Just a Tourist!
An Interview With Hannah
‘It can take a little while to settle into Kathmandu life, the dust and chaotic nature of the city can be a bit much at first,’ Hannah told us.
‘But you’ll quickly find that there is a lot to love here, from spending weekends exploring the temples of Kathmandu Valley, to enjoying an after-work sunset with a Gorkha [Nepali beer] in hand on a rooftop in Patan.
‘Plus, having the opportunity to escape the city and head for a short trek in the Annapurna Massif mountain range was incredible, and something I would encourage everyone to do.’
Working With Street Child
Before applying to work with Street Child, Hannah already had experience working on content creation and small-scale research projects with human rights organisations in Australia and Kenya.
But, with an academic background in Sociology and International Relations, she was looking to apply her skills to a larger international context.
‘I chose to volunteer with Street Child as they offered just that, a chance to contribute to meaningful and interesting work, collaborate with a local team and gain valuable insight into the development sector from the ground,’ she adds.
Hannah has been working alongside local staff on a large-scale research project investigating the education opportunities currently available for Musahar communities in the Terai region.
Why Volunteer?
Musahars are the most politically-marginalised, economically-exploited and socially-ostracised people in Nepal.
As such, their access to education is severely restricted. Street Child is conducting this research to work with the community to develop a better alternative.
‘Being involved in this project has been truly fascinating, humbling and, at times, incredibly challenging,’ adds Hannah.
‘Spending time in the extremely hot and humid, but beautiful, Terai region was all of these things at once. Work in the field is full of surprises, and changing conditions mean you need to be prepared and adaptable.
‘As a foreign volunteer you are sometimes limited in your capacity to communicate, and having to rely on a translator can seem like a constraint. But it is all part of the experience and coming up with creative ways to work around barriers is part of the fun.
‘I feel really fortunate to have contributed to this project throughout its various stages. Working alongside the local team and getting to them is the process has been a huge bonus and definitely a highlight of my experience!’
Volunteer in Other Countries
Nepal isn’t the only country you can visit with Street Child. You can also make a valuable contribution in Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone or Liberia. As well as research opportunities, there are openings for teaching, communications, projects, enterprise and governance.
Volunteers’ backgrounds and ages vary – but they all share the same desire to take on a new, meaningful challenge.
Find out how to join them in a role that’s perfect for you at www.street-child.co.uk/international-volunteering, or email IntVol@street-child.co.uk for more information.
Click to Learn More About Street Child
Street Child is a UK charity that believes every child deserves access to an education that will give them the power to realise a new, hopeful future for themselves.
Set up in 2008, the charity has grown exponentially and now runs projects in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Nepal and Sri Lanka, working alongside local partners.
It focuses on developing a solution that is long-term and sustainable, so people who benefit from the projects are being given a helping hand to take control of their own lives.
Following the devastating earthquakes in Nepal in 2015, Street Child began working in a post-emergency capacity as one of the lead education organisations, helping to rebuild schools that were destroyed and train teachers in disaster preparedness.
Two years on, Street Child is now working on several other projects that focus on delivering schooling that is life-saving, fair, inclusive and sustainable, to some of the country’s most marginalised communities.
In West Africa, after Ebola swept through the region in 2014 and 2015, Street Child began working to ensure the epidemic’s legacy wouldn’t be a generation of children with no education and no future.
Among other projects in Sierra Leone and Liberia, the charity runs a Livelihoods Scheme that offers grants and training to help parents start and run their own businesses – allowing them to make enough money to keep their children in education.
The most recent country that Street Child has begun working in is Sri Lanka, where the focus is on designing and implementing projects that will enable out-of-school children to access education.
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- Kathmandu is a myriad of experiences, but you’ll never discover all of it if you head here as just a tourist. Why not come as an international volunteer.
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- Kathmandu is a myriad of experiences, but you’ll never discover all of it if you head here as just a tourist. Why not come as an international volunteer.
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13 Comments
Hi Meg,
I like this idea.
In Kathmandu itself – not outside of town – I saw quite a bit of street kids getting high off of whiffing spray cans. I felt for them, and then, got a little annoyed when one of them bit my arm. But I did ultimately have compassion for the young man after the incident.
Helping folks from a place of empowerment rocks. Good energy for all people involved.
Thanks for sharing.
Ryan
Street Child sound like a wonderful organization. Hannah sounds like she’s having a great time. I’m sure working/living through a translator is probably a big adjustment, but worth all the wok. Plus, like she said, the mountains are there for a getaway! Good luck on your last month, Hannah!
Would really love to do such work in future sometime. Im sure the memories would be priceless, not to mention the good work you’d get to put in.
I think it takes a lot of character strength to volunteer on a longer term basis like this but I can see that the flipside to that is a hugely rewarding experience because of the opportunity to truly help, and to take on board new skills and experiences too.
This is truly inspiring. Travel with a purpose. We need to highlight these kinds of travel stories a bit more. It shows that you can travel, but also make a positive contribution to the charity or organization of your choice.
I can gather that this is a great experience for Hannah and that everyone associated with this charity will benefit, including the charity itself and especially the children.
What an interesting experience. My daughter went on a student exchange but I know her company also does volunteer exchanges. Street Child sounds like a great program, I’ll hand it on to her to look at as I know she’s interested in a gap year once she turns 18. Hannah sounds like she is having a fascinating time. How does Gorkha differ from other beers in terms of taste? And it must be great for her to be able to apply her sociology skills in such a diverse context.
What a great organization and kudos to people like Hannah who volunteer in places like Katmandu. I’ve heard stories of the chaos of the city, so I can only imagine the difficulty of adjusting to life in Katmandu while also dedicating time and energy to Street Child. It is quite inspirational to see people taking the time to help others. Thanks for sharing Hannah’s story!
I believe that being a volunteer abroad is an experience that everyone should live in their life and especially for such a kind cause. A friend of mine visited Nepal recently and was surprised of the beauty of the landscapes and the friendliness of the people. The only thing that would haven given me second thoughts about this initiative is how hard it would be for me to live under such harsh conditions..
What a wonderful interview. It is so awesome to read about people, like Hannah, who are out there making a different for those communities that have been forgotten. I particularly love that she is involved in research in an area she is skilled in. Also I had never heard of Street Child before this so it’d interesting to look into it further. More specifically to understand if all the volunteer programs they offer are actually helpful to the communities they are involved in. I have read much too often in the past few months of the negativity and debate behind “voluntourism”. So it’d be amazing to know of organisations like this that are really in for the good of the people.
What a fascinating story. How is it possible that in the 21st century there are still people with access to education severely restricted? Good that there are people like Hannah and the association behind that try to help somehow. And it is also good that people like you use her little virtual space to tell us about it.
Good to read!
Wonderful interview with a great organization and kudos to people like Hannah.
Nepal must be pretty amazing if you have some feelings over it.
Hi there,
as far I know, volonteering in Nepal is actually an illegal activity.
There will be some good organizations, but there is a lot of bad things too going on, but basically it is illegal by law.
Why no one says nothing about this fact and that this all is part of corrupt people in the government and private sector playing mafia like system at the expense of the (few) street children to whom cater so many NGO’s.
This is of course my statement, but I am living here since decades and have seen o any practical o visible impact of the millions spend here in the name of developement or betterment. Sorry, but all does not make it legal, whatever you may say, and probaly you already know that.