Community Development Placements

Nepal - Community Development, exciting new placements available: Kathmandu, the Himalayan foothills and Chitwan jungle

Recent visits to Pastor David have resulted in a range of volunteering opportunities opening up which are described below.

• IT Teacher.  This would be a great placement for a GAP year student with IT skills or an IT teacher.  The teenagers at Pastor David's Katmandu Children's Home would benefit greatly from IT skills so that they could do college work on a computer, learn computer repairs for job opportunities and software skills such as book keeping would also be very useful.
• Destitute Young Adults, Katmandu.  One of Pastor David’s projects is a ministry to destitute young adults. He would welcome volunteer help as he provides meals for them and plans to establish a drop-in centre for them.
• Agriculture.  Volunteers with an interest in agriculture could assist local Katmandu Christians on their ‘city farm’ plots, with the Chitwan jungle community where there is incredibly fertile soil and subsistence farming with the Himalayan foothills community.
• Community Development, Himalayan foothills, Pastor David is helping a Christian community rebuild and recover from the 2015 earthquake. His prayers and faith have resulted in recently established links with the Leprosy Mission, who are reaching out to those who have suffered from leprosy and alcohol addiction, enabling them to access medical facilities in Kathmandu. Volunteers able to minister in the area of Christian discipleship would be most welcome as this group of about thirty seek to establish their own church building. A placement in this village would also give opportunities for some trekking and exploring with trainee pastor Eshan, who is helping to rebuild his village and knows the hills and all the trails.
• Teaching.  Volunteers interested in assisting local teachers could spend time at the nearby secondary school in Katmandu and at the Chitwan community primary school.
• Chitwan.  Pastor David’s father, who has a remarkable personal testimony of healing from leprosy and establishing a strong Christian presence in the area, lives in another village near the jungle and border with India. He offers volunteers a chance to join the village community, learn about traditional farming, enjoy some jungle treks, help in the village school and experience the genuine hospitality of the local people.
• Environment Postgraduate Opportunities, Chitwan.  For someone who is studying (or has studied) environmental science, ecology, natural resource management etc, there is an opportunity for an internship with the National Nature Reserve Authority.

These placement opportunities have all been further developed by the Christians Abroad Nepal Field Officer with our Nepal partner Pastor David.

Our placements are generally offered all year round – but perhaps avoiding the monsoon months of July and August - and can last from one to three months. Home-stay accommodation is basic but perfectly adequate and hospitality is exceptionally warm.

Volunteers can be of any age from eighteen years upward, and work programs are based on whatever skills and interests the volunteer can offer. Volunteers can go alone, with a friend or even in a small group.

Christians Abroad offers a support package for all our placements which consists of managing the practical arrangements such as flights, insurance and visas and has a preparation course to help volunteers get the most out of their time abroad.

The overall cost is made up of travel to the placement, any vaccinations deemed necessary, a charge for accommodation and the Christians Abroad administration charge plus personal spending money. Most placements will be around £2500.

Application forms are available to download on the ‘Volunteering’ Page of this website.

Christianity is a minority faith in Nepal which has a majority Hindu population. There are also smaller populations of Buddhists and Christians, both Protestant and Catholic.  Participation in the twice daily devotions in the home is not obligatory but volunteers should be sympathetic to the Christian faith.

There is no malaria in Kathmandu but during the monsoon time in country areas of Nepal a volunteer would need malaria medicine.

Good internet access is available at the Katmandu Children's Home and there are internet cafes around the city.  There is limited internet access in the Himalayan foothills and Chitwan jungle communities.

Kathmandu is rich in cultural history. Sightseeing would be funded by the volunteers themselves.

A recent volunteer writes: "David Prasain and his wife Mariyah are very generous people and they are working very hard to provide for the children and they´re doing it with a smile on their face. I think of the experience every day and it has changed me in an extremely positive way as my understanding for poverty and charity has been broadened to an extent of which only few things are capable of doing."

Please note the summary Document can be downloaded and feel free to contact Christians Abroad for further information and to devise placement opportunities that would best suit your volunteer vocational requirements.