Description

Working towards women's empowerment enables you to support women in their pursuit of healthy and sustainable livelihoods. Women's groups provide a forum for issues such as family health, women's rights, and access to resources, income generation, and other challenges women face in their daily lives. Volunteers have the opportunity to exchange ideas, collaborate in ongoing projects, teach basic English skills, help with small businesses, and be a positive role model. You can also provide support in many other ways, depending on your skills and interests and the needs of the local community.

* VIN has the following key programmes to empower the local women:
- Education (Literacy) and awareness
- Saving and credit (micro-credit)
- Income generative skills training
- Women's health
- Teaching English Language for young women

VIN runs women education classes in much needy communities. VIN has trained over 200 women in literacy classes in 2009, which are taught by other local women and overseen by the women's programme expert to help everyone learn to a good standard. Women need to be able to speak good English to access career options through the internet, through authentic materials in the English language and because companies prefer to employ people with good spoken English.

The women then receive skills-orientated training so that they can generate some income through projects such as vegetable farming (organic and non organic), livestock, incense making, candle making, dry food making.

They have regular meetings and save some money every month in their saving-credit groups. The women are also given training in organic agriculture to help the organic movement, which is labour intensive and to give people a chance to meet, talk, learn and exchange views with others in the movement.

VIN will be indebted to any volunteers with experience in this area. The forage development project aims to save women time by having grass closer to hand to feed their animals, which is their major source of income

* Roles of Volunteers:
- Work with VIN's local staff to train women
- Help women's groups for account keeping
- Work with women in their farm
- Awareness raising activities
- Women's rights
- Women's health issues
- Life skills, e.g. leaderships skills, decision making, communication, problem solving, coping with stress
- Teach English language to young women
- Develop small grant proposals to fund women's empowerment programs
- Research for funding agencies and raise funds for local projects
- Help explore possible market for women's products
- Research and case studies on women's programs

So VIN invites all interested national and international volunteers to be part of our women's development programmes. Come with expertise and help women learn or come with no expertise and learn together. Your small effort can make a big difference to women in the most marginalized communities!!! We do however request our volunteers to be flexible! It takes time for you to learn about the local women before you start your actual work and you need patience for that. Working in the community is not like a computer program, which is preset; you click and it works. You will be working with women of a totally different culture and lifestyle. Your steps will work slowly but SURELY!

Volunteer with VIN in the womens development programme, teach women to be literate, skilled and empowered. Let's help women to leave their homes and experience the outer world!

Qualifications

Anybody who is interested to work for women development programmes can participate

Intern Types

• English as a Second Language
• Human Rights
• Women's Studies
• Psychology
• Social Work

Languages

• English
• Nepali

Cost in US$:

Starting at EUR 220 for a week

Program Fees Include:

- Transportation: Pick up from the airport;
- Pre-service (e.g. Nepali language and culture, health talk, program orientation, e.g. teacher training -TEFL tips);
- One day sight seeing around Kathmandu, world heritage sites, (e.g. Patan Darbur Square, Pashupatinath, Baudhanath Stupa, Swoyambhunath Stuple);
- Accommodation and Food during program induction in a budget hotel (VIN has set menu);
- Accommodation and food during placement with a host family / hostel (Nepali standard 2 to 3 meals a day);
- Administrative charge;
- Stationeries during program induction;
- Transportation to the project site;
- 24 hours emergency support;
- Regular follow up support / visit (1-2 week interval) by VIN's staffs;
- Support for local staff and volunteers;
- Support for ongoing VIN's established projects in the community;
- Online / off line program advertisement
- free wireless internet at our office

* For more details please visit our website.

Experience Required

yes

Not a constraint. We provide trainings

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

Anybody with great motivation to work with women, children, youths and teachers can apply for VIN volunteering programmes

Age Range

there is no age bar 18+

This Program is open to

American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 3-7

Application Process Involves

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Resume
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 week

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network

Volunteers Initiative Nepal's Mission Statement

Our mission is to empower marginalized communities, with a focus on women and children, through enhanced education programmes and whole community training to achieve democracy and raise economic productivity.

Year Founded

2005

Volunteers Initiative Nepal is a No based organization. We do not require our participants to be of the same faith. Our volunteers will not be involved in religious proselytizing.