Volunteer Society Nepal

A note about this presentation:• This is just a framework – feel free to change it in any way• Please also get in touch with VSN for more information needed.

Also the website is full of information including videos if you would like to show your audience those.

• Make it relevant to your audience:• Compare their situation to that of people you are helping in Nepal• Think of connections they have with the placement you are doing• Think about what they will be most interested to find out about• How will they be inspired to donate money?

• It will get better the more you personalise it so think about:• What do you want to achieve on your placement?• How much money you need to raise?• Do you have any personal connections/ reasons for doing the work you are doing?

Contents Page

• Why I have asked you here today• A bit about Nepal• Who are Volunteer Society Nepal?• How I will help?• Where your donation and support will go

My trip in Nepal

(you to complete)

• When are you going• What are you going to do there?• Why do you need support?

A bit about Nepal

Nepal has three terrains: Jungle, hills and mountains.

Nepal is the size of Florida and contains 23 million people.

Nepal shares its borders with The People’s Republic of China (Tibet) and India.

Nepal is home to…– The world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest (8848m)– An immense jungle full of rhinos, elephants and tigers– A unique blend of Buddhism and Hinduism– Over 90 different dialects– Thousands of Tibetan refugees– The toughest soldiers in the world; The Ghurkas

A bit about Nepal

One of the world’s poorest countries…– Average annual income of $240– 42% of the population are unemployed– 47% of the population are illiterate– There are only 2.5 doctors to 100,000 inhabitants– 56% of children are malnourished – Kathmandu’s streets are home to 15,000 orphans

A bit about Nepal

• Ripped apart by civil war from 1996-2006• 14,000 Nepali people died during the 10 year conflict• 100,000 people were displaced• Over 15,000 children were left parentless

• Since 2006 Nepal has been a Republic but…• There has never been a stable government• A constitution is still being drafted• Political strikes are a regular occurrence disrupting roads, schools, universities and other

services• Infrastructure, education, employment and health services remain crippled by a lack of

organised government

A bit about Nepal

• Nepal is one of the world’s most popular trekking centers in the world– Foreigners are highly respected throughout Nepal – During the 10 years civil war and since 2006 not 1 tourist has been

injured or killed as a result of political turmoil

A bit about Nepal

A word from the founders…

Tej Shrestha

Sagundha Shrestha

During the decade long civil war from 1995, Nepal’s fragile economy was shattered. Already poor families now had even bleaker opportunities for a decent livelihood. This merely compounded the issues associated with Nepal’s long history of caste discrimination and social marginalization, which causes immense disparities within society.

At the height of the conflict in 2004 we gathered a team of Nepalese development workers, including social activists and ex-overseas and national volunteers because we believed we could combat the prevalent shortages of Education, Health and Women’s Rights in Nepal.

Who Are VSN?

An organisation based in Nepal run by Nepali people to get international volunteers to contribute to the development of their country. They run, finance and provide helping hands to projects throughout Nepal in:

Who Are VSN?

• In the following section we run through all the main projects we work on with an outline of what we do…

• Please remove the slides that are not relevant and add in anything you think is particularly relevant/motivating for your audience

Select the slides you want

Why volunteer in an orphanage?– The high mortality rate for mothers during childbirth, as well

as the short life expectancy in general, leaves thousands of children without parents each year

– As a result, most of these needy children are » deprived of education» find work as child labourers» get into the hands of child traffickers» become beggars

Orphanages provide these children with shelter, food, education, love and most

importantly, hope.

How Will I Help?

What will I do in the orphanage– Act as an older sibling to the children– Help them with their homework– Introduce new games and arts and crafts to the children– Teach them English– Help to make the orphanage feel like a home

How Will I Help?

Why volunteer in a school?– Unfortunately, for most children in Nepal the quality of

education received is very poor, if received at all– Problems encountered are:

» Unaffordable resources» Untrained teachers» Lack of building space» Lack of furniture» Overcrowding

VSN has set up their own school to provide good quality education to the local community. They

also place much needed financial and personnel aid in government schools.

How Will I Help?

What will I do at the school?– Teach children from 4–16 years old English. Good English

will increase their job opportunities when they leave school– Introduce new teaching methods to the classroom– Teach the children about the world beyond Nepal– Buy or create new much needed resources for the school

How Will I Help?

What will I do at the school?– Run a training program for Nepali teachers who have had no

teacher training– Introduce new teaching methods to enliven schooling

Establish behaviour management systems in the school– Buy or create much needed resources for the school

How Will I Help?

Why volunteer in a health institution?– Health care is inadequate throughout Nepal due to the

following cultural, economic and social problems:» The rapid movement of people to Kathmandu to seek

better financial opportunities has left much of the city’s public health infrastructure desperately oversubscribed

» For many people in Nepal seeing a doctor for themselves and their children is not an affordable option

» In rural areas health facilities are also in short supply due to poor transportation links and lack of funds

» Traditional sectors of the population remain suspicious or uneducated about Western health services

VSN has established their own health clinic in Kathmandu, a health camp that moves around the country and placing volunteers and giving funds to

other clinics and hospitals where extra help is needed.

How Will I Help?

What will I do at the health clinic?– Carry out basic health checks for the local community– Train local Nepali health clinic workers in practices they do not

understand– Provide basic first aid and sanitation training for the local

community through schools, women’s groups and youth clubs– Provide or fundraise for new medicines and equipment for the

clinic where needed

How Will I Help?

Why volunteer in a women’s group?– Women are still a long way from social liberation in Nepal

» They are kept illiterate, increasing their financial dependency» They are unaware of basic human rights» They have no access to legal support» If from a low caste, they are subjected to a lifetime of heavy

labour» Their duties in the home (without modern appliances)

means they see very little of the outside world

VSN has established and supports women’s groups throughout Nepal, providing education in

basic human rights and legal matters and skill training to encourage financial independence.

How Will I Help?

What will I do at the women’s groups?– Provide English language lessons to the women to build

their confidence– Hold meetings with the women to discuss what skills they

want to learn– Organise skill training programs for the women– Help the women market and sell their products

How Will I Help?

Why volunteer in construction?– Most of the schools in Nepal are badly constructed buildings with

not enough space for their pupils– Many rural and landless communities lack very basic facilities– Orphans often live in cramped conditions– The following shortages are commonplace:

» No drinking water. No desks. Open toilets. No enclosed classrooms. No playgrounds. No libraries. No blackboards. No running water. No cooking facilities. Leaking roofs. Not enough beds. No bathroom facilities. No private space. No homeliness.

VSN identifies infrastructure needs throughout Nepal and places volunteers and hugely improve

people’s daily lives.

How Will I Help?

What manual labour will I do?– Be part of a team of local builders creating new classrooms for a

school/building a toilet block– Buy the materials and build a dining room for an orphanage– Paint the children’s bedrooms in the orphanage to make it feel

more homely– Create a play area and garden for the children at the orphanage

How Will I Help?

Why volunteer in a special needs group?– Most of the disabled individuals in Nepal are ignored and

neglected, seen as a shame on their family and often locked up in dark rooms out of sight. Their lives are void of love, understanding or opportunity

» Deprived of education» Forced to beg by their families» Treated as outcasts » Offered no independence

Rehabilitation centers provide disabled children with education, support and hope for

a better future.

How Will I Help?

What work will I do in rehabilitation centers?– Work alongside Nepali carers from 9am–5pm every day– Organise day trips for the children, taking them into a world

outside the center they never get to see– Teach the children English– Introduce the use of new games, technology and resources

to the center

How Will I Help?

(Complete this section according to your fundraising needs)

• I am not asking you to fund my trip to Nepal but I would like to raise some money to go directly to the project I am working on.

• Out of $xxxx that it costs to travel and volunteer in Nepal xx% will go towards my living costs whilst I am volunteering and xx% directly to the project I am working on.

• NB to fill in figures see the fees breakdown page on the website

Why we need you help?

• In Nepal the following amounts of money can provide a world of difference to people’s lives…

$ Buys50 1 weeks worth of rice and vegetables

for 25 children

100 Sports equipment for the children: A table tennis table, badminton net, balls, bats, football etc.

500 A new toilet with shower, water tank and solar water heater

1000 Solar panels to provide electricity when the power is cut off every night

Why we need you help?

• I would also like to raise $xxxx to take/send/buy the following items for the project:– Books– Clothes– Playground equipment– Sports equipment– Medical supplies

• Any extra money raised will go directly to the project

Why we need you help?

From myself and everyone in Nepal...From myself and everyone in Nepal...

A Big Thank You!

• ‘Ctrl M’ to add more slides to the presentation…

Further Information