people & places: responsible & ethical volunteering, tourism and travel

Volunteers will be welcomed with any of the following skills and experience:

any experience of working with children or young people will be well-used
English speakers to help and support chidren and staff - without English, children cannot pass their exams
teachers in all subjects who could work with 14-19 year olds in classes or in smaller groups
TEFL / EFL / TESL experience would be especially welcome
computer and IT skills

Please note - the work does not require you to 'teach' in the formal sense, but involves more in the way of team-work with local staff, informal skills transfer and teaching by example.

The Project

Founded and run by Uttam Sanjel, a visionary and philanthropist, this is an enlightened project. Uttam’s goal is to open a school in every one of Nepal’s 75 districts – and he has already founded several, which collectively offer care and education to about 15,000 of Nepal’s children.

Many of the 5,000 children who rely on Samata Schools are listed as Domestic Labour or Factory Labour – left by their parents to be housed with a family while working on household chores or in carpet weaving factories, for example – in return for bed and board. Rural families in particular may need to send children to the city to work because they can’t afford to keep their children at home. Although some 5,000 depend on the schools, there will normally be about 3,000 pupils there at any one time, because many are either at work or on an occasional visit to their home village. Some children are orphans or have been separated from their families during the political upheavals, and for them, Samata is their only home.

Uttam’s priority is to provide a safe and harmonious environment for the children. The schools pay special attention to their cultural and spiritual development, with emphasis on learning about Nepal and its needs, the importance of honesty and harmony, caring for others and living in peace in the world. The schools also encourage children to develop their social and life skills. Many children stress their ambitions to become doctors, nurses, social workers and teachers, wanting to make their own contribution and repay the debt they feel they owe for their education.

Samata provides their only opportunity to gain a School Leaver Certificate (SLC), without which their job prospects are severely curtailed. Many also rely on the schools for a handful of rice at lunchtime and the most basic of medical care.

The schools has been built from scratch and are totally funded by charitable donations, and token fees (of a few pounds a year) from parents who can afford to pay. Uttam improves and adds facilities and buildings whenever funds are available, and recent volunteers have worked with the children to create small garden beds to enhance the surroundings.

The central assembly and play area is unsurfaced ground, surrounded by bamboo and plaster buildings which house the staff room, kitchen, dormitory, library and classrooms – all of which are rudimentary, small and dark. The classrooms have minimal table space for the children and are extremely crowded. One school has computers and it is hoped the other two will have them soon - as and when funds allow.

According to the Nepalese curriculum, lessons should be held in English, although teachers’ own lack of skill and confidence in the language makes this an ideal rather than a reality. Therefore, broader use of the English language in the schools is one of the primary goals of this project – English is the single most important educational tool a Nepalese child can have. Without it, they cannot take public exams and the SLC, or even consider applying for a job in tourism or communications.

English offers some children a passport to a future – language can be taught through basic arts and crafts, creative writing, life-skills and associated conversation, as well as through demonstrating modern teaching methods in classroom lessons.

A long term goal is to enable local staff to gain enough confidence to involve the children in their own learning and replace the current prevalence of 'chalk-and-talk'.

Context

Despite its natural beauty, rich and varied spirituality and culture, Nepal is among the world’s poorest countries economically. One and a half million people live in the urban sprawl of Kathmandu, giving the capital the aspect of a human mechanised anthill, yet there are pockets of calm in hotel gardens, little courtyards off busy alleyways and of course an abundance of architectural treasures.

Charming and dignified, Nepalese people from the mountains and the outer villages live side by side in social and religious harmony in this bustling capital city, and single foreigners of either gender can feel safe and secure in streets and squares of Kathmandu.

The Nepalese have traditionally relied on agriculture and weaving for their livelihoods, but poor harvests and machine-made goods are limiting their ability to survive. Tourism is the most profitable source of income, but this too has been threatened by extensive media coverage of very localised problems.

"The key to all our endevours is cooperation between volunteers, teachers and children. The small efforts done in a respectful way do have results even if we do not distinguish them at the time."

"What the school provides for the children is pretty amazing, and having the opportunity to learn about this and see it in practice is something I'm very grateful for. The kids and staff at the school were a delight to work with - they not only need the support of volunteers, but they also deserve it."