STANDARD INFORMATION:
We have been operating in Kavresthali since 2012. It is a very poor village where many different types of work have to be done. We mainly focus on agricultural, social and educational work. It is for those interested in rural village life and everything it includes: farming, traditional culture with very scarce resources, and a life dependent on crops and domestic animals.
Volunteers will be working to establish an organic agriculture farm in Kavresthali village nearby Kathmandu. The work will depend upon the season but will include planting and harvesting different crops. Volunteers will also work to maintain the farm area by cleaning, weeding and watering. This also means caring for the animals (goats, cows, and chickens).
Staying in Kavresthali is a good opportunity to interact with the local community. We continually stress the importance of sharing ones personal ideas and values with the locals, as the locals love hearing directly from you.
We therefore organize an agricultural workshop and give the villagers advice on ways to improve their agricultural practice; in particular working with the local women's group. If you have any skill sets that might be useful for the locals, please share your ideas as they are very much appreciated.
We also organize workshops about women’s rights and women’s issues in rural Nepal. We believe that women of the village benefit a lot from knowing about women’s issues in other countries. The volunteers will share their knowledge with the local people to help the development of the village, as well as to improve the equality and ethical prospects of the villagers.
We also arrange a cultural exchange and home stay program with a typical Nepali family for our volunteers to experience the rich and unique culture for one day in rural Nepal.
Teaching in such subjects as English, Math, or Computer Knowledge is also invaluable in the local school; we normally teach two hours every morning.
Volunteers aren’t expected to partake in each individual task, and will solely invest their energy in their strongsuits.
Location:
The workcamp will take place in Kavresthali village of Kathmandu district, 8km from the center of Kathmandu. The volunteers will be staying in a typical Nepali village where most people work as farmers. The local people are friendly and welcoming. If you walk 10-15 minutes from the camphouse, you can reach a small town where amenities such as banks, shops, post office and internet cafes are available.
Food and Accommodation:
Volunteers will stay together at our newly made camp house. It has got basic toilet and shower facilities. Sleeping mats are provided but volunteers will need to bring a sleeping bag. A (cold) shower will be available at the camp house, but not to the standard of your respective country. You will be served Dal Bhat (a soup of lentil or beans with boiled rice) and Tarkari (cooked vegetables) by the camp leader. This is the staple diet of the Nepalese and most Nepalese people eat it every day. The camp leader will also try to offer some different foods but if you would like to enjoy your native meals, please bring necessary materials. We all take part in the daily routines, so the volunteers will help to prepare meals in turn.
Culture Exchange and Home Stay programme:
The Kavresthali community will arrange a Home Stay program. On this day, they will invite you to the village, serve you food, and introduce you to the Nepalese culture. This is a unique experience to meet and interact with the local people. After the event, it is also possible to stay with a local family for the night.
Meeting Point and Orientation Day:
We meet at the Friendship Foundation Nepal (FFN) office (just next to Pilgrims Guest House in Thamel) at 1PM the day before the project starts for an orientation meeting. All volunteers are requested to participate in the orientation meeting. Here we will give detailed information about our organization, the project, traveling arrangements and Nepalese culture. Any updates on the work and work camp due to sudden political changes will also be stipulated here. Therefore, we will ask that you stay updated before you leave your country at our website: www.theffn.org, or at your local embassy.
Where to stay before the project:
Thamel is a popular place in Kathmandu for travelers, as it is home to several economy hotels and guesthouses. Most of our volunteers stay at Hotel Encounter Nepal in Thamel before the work camp. We are unfortunately not able to pick up all volunteers from the airport due to entrance difficulties at the arrival of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. However, we have made an agreement with the hotel that they will pick up all FFN volunteers from the airport according to your arrival information and offer you a decent economy single room for 10 euro. You are also able to upgrade your room for an extra charge. We can help you to reserve your room in Hotel Encounter Nepal or in any other economy hotels if you prefer to stay anywhere else; Moreover please send us your full arrival information promptly.
WORK CAMP LEADER
NABIN
MASESHWOR
What to Bring:
Seasonal clothes, sleeping bag, working gloves, comfortable footwear, mosquito-net, music player, reading materials or photographs and most of all: GOOD MOTIVATION!
And if our volunteers could bring pencils, pens, books and text-books for the local kids, it would be highly appreciated. These can be bought for a reasonable price in Kathmandu before departure.
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How to travel:
All volunteers travel together from Kathmandu to camp site in Kavrethali by public bus. It normalle takes about 30 minutes to get to Kavrethali. It will be arranged and managed by the FFN. Should anything prevent the volunteer from arriving to Kathmandu before departure for the project, please let us know and we will arrange your transportation accordingly.
Insurance:
FFN will NOT provide any kind of INSURANCE to volunteers during the project period. Please have the necessary insurance to cover your needs BEFORE you arrive. We can assure you that we will make our best effort to create a safe working environment.
Camp Fee:
200 euros. This fee covers the cost of administration, work, food, and accommodation which includes two-way transportation for the volunteer. It also includes a donation to the local community, pocket money for the work camp leader, and contribution to our emergency fund. The camp fee is collected on orientation day. Please pay the camp fee in Nepalese currency according to the current exchange rate. All major international currencies or travelers' cheques and cash are acceptable in Nepalese banks. We ask that all volunteers read the volunteer guideline and contract carefully before paying the camp fee. If you have not received this, please ask your camp leader or the FFN staff who will be at the meeting.
Extra Activities:
On your free day, you can do a one day trek of Kakani (1900+ Mt.) and Shivapuri National Park, sight seeing of Kathmandu valley, visiting Osho Meditation Center (Tapoban) etc. The workcamp village is situated close to Kathmandu and in their free time volunteers will be able to visit a number of UNESCO world heritage sites including the Buddhist temples at Swayumbhunath and Boudnath. A visit to Kathmandu Durbar Square and one of the biggest Hindu temples at Pashupatinath will provide volunteers with a fascinating insight into religious life in Nepal. Nepal also has many important religious and local festivals during the year, and depending on the date of the project it may be possible to participate in the celebration.
How to find Friendship Foundation Nepal (FFN) Office:
FFN is located in Thamel, near Amrit Campus and next to the Pilgrim Guest House on Main Street. You can see our signboard on the left side of the street if you head north. Our office is in on the 2nd floor