Volunteer travel holidays in Nepal

In Nepal’s 2015 earthquake over 8,000 people were killed and more than 23,000 people injured. Approximately 450,000 houses collapsed, 300,000 houses cracked and over 5,000 schools were destroyed. For years afterwards the country suffered. It remains vulnerable and unprepared for subsequent earthquakes. Our holidays take you to small communities that were affected by the quake, and you can see how income from your and other tourism visits has helped communities build back – and prepare for the future, too.

Some schools in Nepal have very large class sizes and struggle to get the teaching resources needed to give children the best learning experience. if you have teaching experience or are happy to help as an assistant teacher, you can join lessons and help with classroom control, and assist children with their learning. Our teaching volunteering opportunities will never put you in a classroom alone; you will either be team teaching with a qualified teacher, or assisting, and volunteers will be subject to DBS or police checks before they start. Our teaching roles work alongside Nepalese teachers and you’ll stay in a guest house run by a local family – giving you insight into Nepalese life, as well as possible new friends for life.

“Volunteering in Nepal is really great for families,” says Ridhi Patel, from our partner for volunteering holidays in Nepal, Volunteering Journeys, “The families just love the programmes, because the children thrive. They love the interaction with local children and the local communities love working with entire families too. We have had children as young as five on our trips; obviously they are not working, but just seeing kids in other parts of the world and playing with them.

“It’s teenagers who take a lot back, because this is a stepping stone for them to understand what volunteering is, and then they hopefully grow up to do more.” It might not seem the most obvious place to bring your children but Nepal is fundamentally a family-led society. Stay in Kathmandu with a host family, volunteer as teaching assistants in a school and enjoy guided trips to the natural adventure playground of Pokhara for ziplining, hiking at sunrise or even trek to Everest Base Camp.

Because Nepal attracts adventure travellers, it is not surprising that you can combine hiking and helping. Instead of acclimatising pre-trek by chilling, looking at the mountains in awe and drinking a lot of tea, get stuck in with a volunteering project. Our trekking and volunteering holidays might start with three or so days of volunteering activities, and then end with a multi-day trek in the Annapurna region. Even if it’s the mountains that are calling you to Nepal, let the massive tasks in need urgent of attention upstage the massif for a while.