A short-term volunteer trip to Nepal as a woman with IVHQ (1)

*This volunteer activity was written based on the experience I went to in September 2019, before COVID-19.

Have you heard of the word volunteer trip, voluntrip?
Although I am hungry for experiences abroad, it was a word that resonated with me as I was tired of simple sightseeing.
I liked the concept of doing what someone needs while traveling.​

In Korea, KOICA or religious organizations often carry out overseas volunteer activities.
It was not easy for an office worker like me, who can only take a week off, to approach because most of the programs involve long-term activities of more than four weeks.

I wondered if overseas organizations would have more options, so when I searched in English, I saw a variety of organizations.
Then, for some reason, I took a closer look at the trustworthy International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ).
There were more options for short-term volunteer work of 1-2 weeks than other places.

 

https://www.volunteerhq.org/

 

Areas where you can choose to volunteer at IVHQ

From my experience, IVHQ is a central organization that networks with NGOs in the above regions,
When a volunteer selects a region and proceeds with the program, the NGO in the actual region sets up a host house and sends the volunteers to the NGOs in the region that need help.
In the case of Nepal, which I have visited, IVHQ and Nepal's 'The vertical ascent intertnational travel office' (or company?) have a primary relationship,
The vertical ascent.... This was a system that sent volunteers to each small, needy group.​

After a long search period, the country I chose was Nepal, and the program was a one-week 'Child Care' program.
For my first overseas volunteer trip, it was difficult to take a vacation of more than a week, so I chose Nepal as my destination while choosing a region in Asia.

https://www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-in-nepal/

Volunteer in Nepal with IVHQ - #1 Rated Programs & Lowest Fees

 

Before leaving Nepal, there was a lot of fear, but thinking about it now, the conclusion was a good choice... The photo shows volunteers who stayed at the same host house and Patan Durbar Square, which we visited over the weekend.

 

There are also various types of volunteer programs. In addition to Child Care, which I participated in,

NGO Support
: A British couple who lived in the same host house was on this program, and they told a new NGO in Kathmandu how to promote digitally.

Sustainable Agriculture
: This program is not located in Kathmandu, the capital city, but is conducted in suburban areas such as Pokhara and Chitwan. The program coordinator told those who participated in this program not to expect anything special about the accommodation facilities.

Medical Elective: It seems to be literally a medical service, but no one participated in this service in the round I went to.

Women's Education : Nepal does not yet have very high human rights for women. It is to teach women who have not been able to go to school properly.

Special Needs Care: Caring for children with disabilities.

Construction and Renovation: Building schools, local children's centers, etc.

 

Depending on the program, in addition to the capital, Kathmandu, you can also choose Pokhara and Chitwan, which are famous among backpackers for their beautiful nature.

I chose the 'Kathmandu' program because the period was short, volunteer work was my first time, and I was burdened with issues such as traveling distance in Nepal, which I was visiting for the first time.

​

After completing the Nepal program registration, IVHQ informs you to go through various procedures.

1. There are training courses to go through on the IVHQ website

(Nepal is such a country, what you have to do will be these things, the documents to prepare for entry are like this)

2. There are documents to be submitted.

(Criminal record inquiry - In the case of Korea, this cannot be downloaded or submitted, so it is replaced with two letters of recommendation / Overseas travel insurance number, etc.)

3. Finally, who is the contact person before arrival, who is the local coordinator, and contact information are shared.

​It's a rather cumbersome procedure, but for some reason, after going through these procedures, I became more trustworthy.​

After completing these procedures, all that was left was to go to Nepal.

But after that, for some reason, I was afraid.

Is there any Korean who has been to volunteer work through IVHQ or an overseas organization?

If you look at IVHQ's Facebook page, YouTube, Facebook group, etc., there are various examples, but I was scared because there was no one around who had gone on a trip like this.

​

But now that I've been there, I've come to the conclusion that all of that was for nothing.

In the next article, I will share what I did and the environment I lived in.

​

Lastly, a photo of the daycare center where I volunteered!

                                            Balbalika Montessori. It was a small nursery.

 
* In fact, when you say volunteer trip, you might think you can travel at a cheap price, but it's not really like that.

In my case, after choosing a country and program, I paid about 300,000 won for the 'registration fee', and after that, I paid about 400,000 won for the 'program fee (costs paid to the host family, donations to organizations, etc.)'. This fee includes the cost of lodging and meals from the orientation period to the actual volunteering period, and the cost of pick-up from the airport on the day of arrival. - The longer the service period, the higher the cost of the program.

​

In addition, since there are many places where you need to get vaccinated, additional costs are incurred (in the case of Nepal, antimalarial drugs, vaccinations against typhoid fever, measles, hepatitis A, etc.), and overseas travel insurance costs are separately charged. 

And the most important cost, the flight fee is also separate. There is a separate service that makes flight reservations at IVHQ, but strangely, the cost is too expensive, so I booked a separate flight with Interpark Airlines.