Nepal - Empowering Women in Kathmandu

My most memorable experience at this program was helping women to read, write and speak in English was overall a memorable experience. They were so happy and grateful for everything we were doing for them.

It has been a great experience and I found exactly what I was looking from this experience. The people there are amazing and the staff is very supportive. In terms of daily organisation of the activities would be great if there would be a program to follow (to avoid repetition of the same topics by the volunteers) and a methodology to use, same for all. This will allow the students to have even more effective, linear and continuous approach to the study.

Going to Nepal to volunteer, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. What I got was much more than I could have hoped for. The staff was so friendly and I loved getting to meet other volunteers from around the world. The women were so sweet and willing to learn. I would definitely recommend to a friend.

Sometimes I hear the common saying, "Oh, life's about the people you're with!" I'd usually just nod and mumble at this, as if it was too obvious or unnecessary of a statement. But if I've learned anything from my time in Nepal, nothing is more accurate. From the moment I stepped off the plane in Kathmandu, I was greeted by smiling faces and warm-hearted people, asking me about my flight, if I was hungry, and if I liked it there so far. Immediately I felt out of place (as expected). Nepal was completely new to me, yet still it did not take long to feel right at home (making it impossible to leave). From the friendly staff to my fellow volunteers, from the women I taught to the children I visited at the orphanage, there was only love and smiles. The kindness in people radiated through them and I found myself smiling too, constantly, and genuinely meaning it. Through the Women's Empowerment program, I taught English to women in the mornings and in the afternoons I went to an orphanage/disabled home for children. Each day I woke up excited to get to work. I loved getting to know the women and finding new ways to teach the language. The children at the orphanage were also so enthusiastic and sweet, greeting us with a hearty, "Namaste!" each day. We played games and helped them with their homework, and I was very impressed with what they were learning. Sometimes, it was difficult to help them with their "computer studies" class because I did not know all the parts to a computer! Happily, they taught me the basics. Volunteering abroad is not just meant for the people of the cultures you visit, nor should it be. It is not about being a "savior" to a foreign society; this is the wrong mindset. Instead, it should be treated as a learning experience for yourself, and as long as you're open to the new culture, it will be undoubtedly a powerful, beautiful, and rewarding chapter in your life. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who made my experience in Nepal so unforgettable. Now that I've left, I am counting down the days until I can go back...

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