Volunteering Program at KEEP
KEEP is always in search of capable volunteers, and greatly appreciates the interest and commitment of those aspiring individuals who are willing to use their skills to help the communities and people of Nepal.
Since our establishment in 1992, KEEP has provided a platform for many international visitors to volunteer in numerous community development programs as well as its other projects.
Current Project Information:
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at KEEP! We offer two possible ways for
Volunteering: individually or as a group. We have the following ways that you may donate your valued time KEEP offers to possibilities:
- Teaching the English Language Course (ELC) to guides and porters in July-August and December-January.
- Teaching in a rural school of Nepal
- Working at KEEP helping with administrative tasks or writing proposal/reports
- Volunteering at an orphanage
- Working with other NGO’s
- Working with a trekking/travel agency
Before starting your volunteering, you need to go through the following criterion;
Minimum Criteria:
- Prepared to cover travelling expenses to Nepal and room and board. KEEP can help to organise this at volunteer rates
- Independently arrange for necessary visas, inoculations, insurance, etc. (A Tourist Visa allows a maximum of 150 days’ stay per calendar year, and is the only type of visa available)
- Fluency in written and spoken English
Note: Volunteers are charged a placement fee as per the following time basis:
A. KEEP Placement Charge
- 1 week- 4 week = $ 50
- 4 week-8 week = $ 100
- 8 week and more = $ 150
(The charge covers the cost of your orientation program, ID cards, and general administration and includes an annual KEEP membership)
B. Fill out KEEP Volunteering Form with the attached photo
(For more information please inquire at [email protected])
Volunteer Stories
Maya Reid
I began work at the Dharmasthali Ilaka Health Post on 7th December 2015 having arrived at my homestay family in Manamaiju the previous day.
The day started at around 10 and finished at about 2:30. As I was not a qualified nurse or doctor my roles were limited to observing the other staff at work and assisting them where I could. There was however quite a lot of fascinating reading materials including an annual report and an analysis of the healthcare and relevant socioeconomic challenges of the local population. Even though I couldn’t contribute in a hands-on way, it was really interesting to see how healthcare is delivered in Nepal and witness the Nepali practitioner: patient relationship.
I was placed with a local homestay family, the mother of wife worked at the health post at the dispensary. They were incredibly hospitable and fed me very well, a proper taste of Nepali! The children, Pooja and Aashish spoke brilliant English and were loads of fun too, helping me settle into the family routine, telling me about the surrounding area and generally providing me with raucous entertainment. I think they were as interested in me and my home culture as I was in them and theres!
The health Post responsibilities were 6 days a week but gave me loads of time in the afternoons to walk around and explore the hills and villages surrounding Dharmasthali. This area was very badly affected in the April 2015 earthquake and there are many donated tents and temporary shelters. Aashish and Pooja worked at the health post in the days after the earthquake struck and told me about the multitude of people coming to them with wounds from the quake and stories of lost relatives and destroyed houses. It was incredibly challenging for them but they both felt that the value of their contribution massively outweighed the challenge posed by seeing the injuries and hearing the stories. This shows how important this little health post is and how crucial health facilities are to remote communities. As well as the vital role that volunteering can play here.
It would have been great to have a more hands-on role but I appreciate that since I am not qualified this would have been inadvisable and irresponsible. I would encourage future volunteers to consider shorter stays, like mine, if they are not qualified healthcare professionals since observing is all you will be able to do. However, it is still a wonderful insight into Nepali life and culture and totally worth doing!
I was also given the opportunity to visit and teach at a local school that works charitably to deliver free education, uniforms and school materials to local children.
The principal of this establishment, Bimala Basnet, obviously does a lot within the community as I got to attend a charity picnic with her and she also headed the meeting of the FCHV’s. I am thoroughly grateful to her for letting me see the school, as well as to her husband Kulbir who was keen to show me the local sights, taking me on his scooter to Ichangu Narayan and the White Gompa.
Thank you so much Rakshya and KEEP for helping me organize this, especially as it was so last minute. I wish I could stay for longer and would urge any future volunteers with KEEP (they offer a lot of different projects!) to stay for as long as they can, you learn so much more and will make some really good friends, as I did in just 2 weeks, but I know longer time would have deepened and strengthened this friendship.
Volunteering is such a wonderful thing to do when you travel, there’s no better way to give back to the people who are opening their country and communities to you. And KEEP has such a brilliant ethos and made it all so easy for me that there is no excuse!
Thank you KEEP, thank you Dharmasthali!
Maya Reid
Scotland
Daniel Jeang
Hi, my name is Daniel and I volunteered at KEEP last year while I was traveling in Nepal. It was an important time for the country during which many were struggling after the April earthquake. I knew I wanted to contribute in some way while I was there so I searched for an organization that was helping in the most pertinent ways. KEEP was one such NGO that did so much work that directly impacted the Nepali people, and so I jumped at the chance to volunteer with them. The dedicated and fun team at the head office in Kathmandu were great colleagues and mentors, and I learned a lot with the opportunities I got from my time there. I was able to attend big functions, help run an ELC class for tourism professionals, help edit and write project proposals and newsletters, and enjoy amazing lunches and milk teas every day at the office! Despite all the cool things I did in Nepal (the Himalayas, dal bhat, etc.), funnily enough, my most memorable moments at the end of my 5 months were from the time I spent doing meaningful work with KEEP. Thank you to everyone there!
Daniel Jeang
Canada
Paul J. Ostrowski,
There has never been a better time to volunteer in Nepal than the present. This is due, in no small part, to the recent earthquake disaster. The Nepali people are strong and positive, but there is still much rebuilding to be done. Your help right now during this critical time is more valuable than ever.
I came here for the first time in 2011, looked around, and decided to do something to contribute to this magnificent place. I have been volunteering in the Porter’s Clothing Bank and assisting with teaching in the English Language training course. The experience I have gained through doing these activities have greatly enriched my understanding and experience of Nepal. There is no better way to immerse yourself into this great culture than to become actively involved in the support of its people.
I’ll leave you with a quote that very closely reflects my feelings about this incomparable land and people:
“To me, your country seems the richest and most beautiful in the world. True riches are a matter of the beauty of people’s hearts, and the people of Nepal possess incomparably beautiful hearts”. (Daisaku Ikeda)
Paul J. Ostrowski,
USA
John Loudon
“I worked for Kathmandu Environmental Education Project from June-July 2015. It was an incredible experience working with the wonderful members of KEEP. During my time there, I assisted in writing grant applications to organizations in order to provide aid for victims of the two major earthquakes that hit in the months of April and May. In addition, I assisted in other office activities, such as translating and formatting newsletters.
John Loudon - USA
Sabrina Segundo
My experience as a Volunteering worker with KEEP was wonderful and enriching. I had the opportunity to live with a Nepali family for 3 weeks and teach English in a Primary school in Dharmasthali. Being introduced into the Nepali family was one of the most life changing for me, in the meantime I got and amazing feeling spending time teaching English and playing with all the kids.
I have to thanks Rakshya for her warm welcome to Nepal and for giving me this oportunista and made me felt secure from the first moment.
Kind regards
Sabrina Segundo
Spain
Nicole Clay and Blair Oliver
After trekking to Annapurna Base Camp and visiting various regions around Nepal in our month long holiday, we decided to spend our last week in Nepal volunteering in an effort to give back to this amazing country. We did quite a bit of research online and eventually found KEEP which showed great initiatives for helping porters and environmental awareness. These were important to us as we had an amazing guide on our trek and the beautiful scenery we encountered was inspiring. We were greeted very warmly by Rakshya, D.B and the crew who were delighted that we wanted to help. Discussing the short term needs of the organization it was decided that our computer skills could be put to use and after looking at many other organizations online we went about redesigning their web page, in order to streamline and simplify it. Although we aren’t IT specialists, having an understanding and an outside view of what KEEP’s goal were, gave us the ability to provide insights into the user’s thoughts. We also helped change their eNewsletter to coincide with the changes from the website. We worked closely with KEEP’s IT consultant, Norbu Lama who supported us throughout the process. It was such a pleasure to volunteer at KEEP and we looked forward to working with everyone in the office each day that it really didn’t feel like work at all.
Thank you for the amazing effort by everyone at KEEP and the initiatives run.
Nicole Clay and Blair Oliver
Australia