New volunteering placement in Nepal!

Volunteer East has a new partner in Nepal - a school that has educated Tibetan refugees over the years and currently educated locals and refugees as a private school, yet without the high fees that most private schools ask for in Nepal.

Brother Chhewang, one of the school leaders, tells us a little more about the school: 'Vajrayana school was founded in 1991 by the brothers Chhewang and Tshering sherpa and registered as a charity in 2000. The school focuses on English, Tibetan and Nepali language training and has recently introduced computer tutorials. It serves the Tibetan and Nepali communities living in Boudha. The school is well established and has very good reputation in the local area.

Historically, most of the school's student were refugees from Tibet who would seek assistance from the many Buddhist monasteries and Tibetan citizen situated in Boudha. meanwhile the political situation in China/ Tibet has changed and not many Tibetans can leave
their country. If they do, they now tend to go straight to Dharamsala, India, where His Holiness Dali Lama lives.

State schooling in Nepal is of doubtable quality, hence, the market for private education and tuition in this country is huge and fees are expensive. Vajrayana school focuses on offering education opportunities to those student who can't afford to pay mainstream prices for education from private sector.
Many students of vajrayana school's students have had little exposure to formal schooling. The school's students include Tibetan refugees and Himalayan Sherpas from throughout Nepal, Tibet and India. They are Buddhist monks and nuns, women, children and so on...

Students learn 'real' English from native speakers who conduct formal classes. Students learning from native speakers easily improve their pronunciation and conversation skills. Teachers are recruited mainly from United kingdom,United state, Australia or Denmark.'

So... Volunteer East is now looking for teachers for the school! If you, or anyone you know, is interested, please get in touch a tiija@volunteereast.org.uk

More information on the school can be found here: http://www.vajrayanaschool.org.np

Weekly stall for selling products from placement sites

Volunteer East is starting up a weekly stall at the University of London in order to raise funds for project sites by selling their local products. Such products include: bags and bead jewelry from Uganda; mandala paintings and small purses from Nepal; and scarves from India.

The stall will be at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) every Wednesday 11am-5pm, starting tomorrow. It will be in the Students' Union, Junior Common Room.

If you are around SOAS, or anywhere close by, come by!

All money goes directly to the placement sites without any admin fees.

Our priority is to raise funds for the Uganda site since they have had a malaria epidemic recently. They need money for medicine and for transporting those affected to the hospital. So far,6 children and 4 teachers have been hospitalised.

News from the placement sites

There has been exciting improvements in our placement sites where locals are starting to build their own social enterprises and to generate a sustainable income through such activities. Below you can read more on the improvement in our Uganda and India sites.

In Uganda, the locals have developed an innovative hammock project:

http://www.bunabumali.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=16:stitch-uganda-together&Itemid=2

In South India, they are running a community radio:

http://www.kolam.ch/leed-en/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=36&Itemid=65

Fever Malaria in Uganda - donations needed for helping those affected

A couple of teachers who teach the orphans in Uganda have gotten ill with a severe form of malaria. They are in the local hospital receiving treatment at the moment. Six of the children that attend the school at the project site have also been diagnosed with malaria. They have also been admitted to hospital. It is not clear as of yet who else in the project site has contracted the illness.

The project site is in great need of donations! They need money for medicine and for transporting the sick to the hospital. Please donate on the following site: http://www.bunabumali.org/

Every pound would really be of great help!!

Specific needs in placement sites

Autumn has come and brought new dilemmas to each of our partnership sites abroad. Please read through the specific requirements for each place and let us know if you can help:

1. Nepal: Summer months are the busiest time for volunteering and so the orphanage in Kathmandu Valley was flooded with people over the summer. Now that autumn and winter are coming, the staff over there are worried about the workload that is likely to face them when there are no extra pairs of hands around. If you or anyone you know is interested in going over to volunteer even for a short time, do get in touch!

2. India: The placement site in India is also in need of volunteers. They would, in particular, need people with expertise on development, economics and business, as they would need people to go over and help them with making their project more self-sustained.

3. Uganda: The placement site in Uganda has received many volunteers but is now in need of finances. They have been hit badly by weather changes and illnesses, which means that they crops and the regular work force are not bringing in as much money as hoped. One very good way to help them is by sponsoring a child. See their site for more details: http://www.bunabumali.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=27:sponsor-a-child&Itemid=45

Handicrafts from Uganda placement site

Our placement site in Uganda is trying to generate funds through selling their own handicrafts. They have made some beautiful bracelets and necklaces. Here is the link so you can see photos:

http://bunambale.blogspot.com/

We are bringing some of them to London and will be selling them on our weekly stall. If anyone is interested in buying some, do get in touch!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to travel in Nepal, South India and Uganda?

The political situation in Nepal is much more stable nowadays and so it is much safer for people to travel in Nepal. If you ask the Nepali, they say that they are safe and have reached freedom now that the politicians are not fighting anymore and there is no turmoil within the country. There are also many westerners travelling in Nepal nowadays. The locals are used to seeing foreigners in their country, which creates a safer atmosphere for exploring Nepal. In general, the Nepali are very friendly, welcoming and hospitable.

Likewise, the security situation in South India is fine. The project placement site is situated around the biggest slums of India, yet there is a high level of respect for foreigners and so the rate of crime is low. Foreigners are seen as individuals who have come to help the locals and so they are warmly welcomed by all.

The placement site in Uganda is in a small rural village. The crime rate in the area is very low. The locals are used to foreign volunteers who have been going there for the past years. Everyone can easily adjust to the site and do not need to fear for their safety.

Which vaccinations should I take before travelling to Nepal, South India or Uganda?

You should check with your doctor before travelling to any of the destinations. Malaria tablets are recommended if you are intending to travel to the more rural areas of any of the countries.

How do volunteering project sites get funded in Nepal, South India and Uganda?

The Government in all the countries is virtually non-existent. Local nor their projects do not receive any funding within the country. There is a heave reliance on funding from overseas. Therefore, a number of project sites have introduced so-called volunteering placement fees, as they see this as the only way to generate a sustainable income for their placement site. All the money nevertheless goes towards the project itself and volunteers can themselves see what the money is used for.

Are the children in orphanages in Nepal, South India and Uganda really orphaned?

The children in all the orphanages are orphaned. Most often, their parents will have died of disease. In Nepal, malaria is a big killer and in Uganda the prevalence of HIV is high. The land that belonged to the parents is passed on to the children, but they are kept in the orphanage till their reach the age of 18 and have the skills and knowledge to look after the land.

Is it difficult to find clean water for drinking and bathing?

Always drink bottled water. If you run out of bottled water, you can boil the water that the locals drink, bottle it and let it chill before drinking. Water-born diseases are common in all the countries and so, in order to avoid illnesses such as Hepatitis E, be careful!

For bathing purposes, water from the local wells is clean enough and good for the purpose. If you wish, you can boil the water before bathing in it or brushing your teeth in it.