| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 25-Mar-01 11:44 AM
> From: Rajendra Mulmi
> Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001 4:11 PM
> Subject: [NAYAN] Volunteering in Nuwakot
>
>
> Is anybody interested in volunteering in Nuwakot??
>
> There is an opportunity for short term volunteers
> 2-3 months in Nuwakot.
>
> The work will primarily include teaching in a
> community run primary school. Apart from that, the
> volunteer is open to work in community development
> activities too. There are some women group projects,
> drinking water and sanitation projects, where the
> volunteer can give work and learn.
>
> The work will be based in a village 15 minutes from
> Trishuli (dist. headquater of Nuwakot). The
> food/accommodation will be covered and a very small
> pocket money will be given.
>
> This will be suitable for young people, who have
> just completed their SLC or Intermediate level and
> are looking for an exposure or experience.
>
> If anybody is interested please give me a call or
> email me. And also you can pass this information on
> to anyone who might be interetested.
>
> Rajendra Mulmi
> rmulmi@infoclub.com.np
>
>
|
| Hom Raj |
Posted
on 25-Mar-01 02:44 PM
YES!!! This is great idea! Let's create a culture of volunteerism in Nepal! Maybe that will give us some clue about what it means to help others, not just thinking the most prestigious thing is to sit on our butts in a kurchima basne jagir. This would be REALLY GREAT for some young people who do not have exposure to things other than Kathmandu or grew up in privilege without any knowledge of the real Nepal. It would be even better if we could send people to the boondocks of Western Nepal Terai, or to east Nepal three days walk from a road, and let the energy flow for meaningful things!
There are a few things Nepal must take seriously: creation of a culture that respects work; creation of a culture that promotes reading; creation of a culture of doing rather than talking; creation of a culture where volunteerism is respected and given credit; and creation of a culture of respecting ALL people, regardless of their birth, socioeconomic status, or locus.
Hom Raj
|
| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 26-Mar-01 02:33 AM
yes, its a great idea indeed.
I guess, young urban nepalese can benifit a great deal from this. And, to Mr. Mulmi, good luck.
BTW, what about staring somethinmg like Teach for Nepal, making college students, recent graduates go to villages and teach for a year/6 months?
Trai
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 26-Mar-01 03:09 PM
Generally, there are several volunteers available who go to work
there for free, in fact , pay for going to those villages. People
,specially rookies, don't go to village to get paid, and
volunteers are also not supposed to get paid for what they did.
As a person, who have seen several volunteer organizations in
different nations, I was shocked to find out that the volunteers
are paid for going to Lamjung.
If people can proivide security assurances, I am sure I can
forward this information to some of my friends who run such
volunteer organizations, and they will get people there for free,
not only for free, but I am sure the volunteers will pay a small
amount for staying there.
|
| Hom Raj |
Posted
on 26-Mar-01 07:35 PM
Biswo-jee, Are you talking about volunteer organizations made up of Nepali people, or foreigners? Certainly a lot of foreigners pay to volunteer in Nepal, but I haven't heard of Nepali kids volunteering at all, whether for pay or without pay, except in the case of a few US-educated Nepalis who want to do something useful and maybe get experience. But that's actually a different sort of thing. What would interest me would be to encourage, on a widespread basis, urban kids to get an experience of the way most people really live.
Actually, Peace Corps and AmeriCorps volunteers are all paid. It is very much a pittance, just a living allowance, really, but it enables them to be willing to make such a commitment. There are also other incentives--in the case of Peace Corps, preference for government jobs, a readjustment allowance, and grad school preferences, I believe. With AmeriCorps, there is some sort of school loan repayment. Another reason why Peace Corps volunteers gaid paid is that it id the organizations philosophy that you should not be s burden on people, by staying and eating for free. You are there to help, not to eat up the stuff of those who don't have.
Speaking theoretically, I think it would be impossible to get ANY Nepalis (unless they're both rich and idealistic) from an urban area to go to a village without a living allowance. or without prospect for future benefit. A lot of urban Nepalis seem to have a real allergy to village life, except in some vague romantic sort of way. (Of course a living allowance in a village is pretty darned minimal.)
I'm not sure what US volunteer organizations you mean; I know there are lots, and many are probably very good. But some US "volunteer" or "semester in Nepal" organizations actually seem to rip off US kids, in my opinion, by way overcharging them for "village home stays." I'm NOT saying all organizations, and I don't know much
Security assurances is definitely the big issues these days, of course. Not only for foreigners, but for Nepalis. Anyway, tell me ... do you think Nepali young people have a strong volunteer spirit? Would there be a benefit to encouraging this?
Hom Raj.
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 26-Mar-01 08:12 PM
Hom Raj jee:
I think some things are still unclear in original posting. Who
will pay money to volunteers? What the volunteer is expected to
do? Whether the school is private or sarkaari? etc etc.
Volunteering in a third world nation is pretty much a hobby for
a lot of people here, I am not talking about 'semester program'
or others, I am just talking about 'volunteering'. Volunteering
programs don't rip off western kids.Neither are they burden on
local populace. Generally, a person pays three hundred + dollars
as placement fee for two month, and he is given a house to share
with villagers, and food to eat, and probably a project to do
(school to make, to teach, latrine to construct, nursery to
nurture.) I think a lot of people know about this. 300+ dollars
for food/placement is not an expensive or 'big time rip off' ..
These people who go to teach generally would love to teach in
non-profit(sarkaari) schools, as to make sure nobody cashes in
their effort.
I agree Nepalese don't like to work in village. But habits are
generally subjected to change. Nepalese used to be sluggish in
internal tourism too. Now they are big spender(at least in
Chitwan). In summer, when foreigners don't come,Nepalse (can) help
sustain tourism industry. So is the habit of working in village.
And again, we shouldn't force people to work in village like Mao
did in China, not going there is not culpability in itself.
|
| Hom Raj |
Posted
on 26-Mar-01 10:52 PM
Biswo-jee:
A few comments. You wrote:
"I think some things are still unclear in original posting. Who
will pay money to volunteers? What the volunteer is expected to
do? Whether the school is private or sarkaari? etc etc."
Definitely, you are right. We don't know about this particular program; I don't mean to endorse or not endorse it. It's just a jumping off point for some ideas.
"Volunteering programs don't rip off western kids.Neither are they burden on local populace. Generally, a person pays three hundred + dollars as placement fee for two month ... I think a lot of people know about this. 300+ dollars for food/placement is not an expensive or 'big time rip off' .. "
I agree, at least for ones working like you describe. Can you say which programs you're talking about? I don't mind admitting, maybe "a lot of people know about this," but actually I don't. My knowledge is pretty limited, I confess to that, but I don't think there is only one category, "volunteering programs," and everything works like that. Still, that kind of program, with 300+ dollars for placement, sounds good. It probably benefits Western kids a lot and gives them knowledge of how the rest of world lives, while not costing them undue money.
"I agree Nepalese don't like to work in village. But habits are
generally subjected to change ..."
But wouldn't it help if there were programs to encourage this? We spend a lot of time waiting around for SLC results, Intermediate results, etc, that could be put to productive use.
"We shouldn't force people to work in village like Mao
did in China, not going there is not culpability in itself."
No, definitely not forcing people. But creating an incentive would be very positive, I think.
Your thoughts?
Hom Raj
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 26-Mar-01 11:17 PM
"I agree, at least for ones working like you describe. Can you
say which programs you're talking about? I don't mind admitting, maybe "a lot of people know about this," but actually I don't. My knowledge is pretty limited, I confess to that, but I don't think there is only one category, "volunteering programs," and everything works like that. Still, that kind of program, with 300+ dollars for placement, sounds good. It probably benefits Western kids a lot and gives them knowledge of how the rest of world lives, while not costing them undue money. "
Homraj ji, I know at least two organizations placing foreigners
to teach, to make latrines, to make plant growing nursery and to
make schools in remote Nepalese villages. To avoid advertising
here, I shall send you their names in email if you wish.
Of course, we are not supposed to know everything.I think generally volunteering denotes work without any renumeration,
and in this case,volunteering of such sort allows western people
a way to see the world in cheap price and also provides them
with satisfaction that they were serving people.
I agree with you that it will be better for Nepalese young
population to go to their village and see what's happening there.
If such practices helped to foster a feeling of compassion and
philanthropy in them, that would be a great thing for the Nepal
of future. It is so sad to think that Kathmandu of present doesn't
feel any pain when people die of starvation and misery in the
backwaters .There was a news of multiple deaths by diarrhea in
a faraway district somedays ago,and nobody actually cared about,
no newspaper even bothered to write an editorial about helping
those hapless people. We definitely need a better and prosperous
next generation.
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 27-Mar-01 12:19 AM
Again, I am not sure whether 'semester programs' are called
'volunteering'. These are different. Volunteering generally
means what I describe above, although I think I may be wrong.
|
| Hom Raj |
Posted
on 27-Mar-01 09:18 PM
Yes, Biswo, I'd like to learn the names of the organizations you are thinking about. Shoot me an email at homrajacharya@yahoo.com
Hom Raj
|
