Experience a village life while being part of the community in Gandaki, Nepal

Infos

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  Description

  Namaste! My name is Shamser, and I am the principal of an academy in my village of Gaunshahar, located in a beautiful part of northwestern Nepal on top of a hill with stunning panoramic views of the Himalayas, including Machapuchare (Fishtail Mountain), Annapurna, Manaslu, Baudha Himal, Himalchuli, and many more beautiful peaks.
  
  Our village, Gaunshahar, also has important historical and cultural significance in Nepal. It is connected to the origins of the former royal family of Nepal and is home to ancient temples and an old royal palace, giving visitors a unique opportunity to experience both the natural beauty and rich history of the region.
  
  Volunteers will stay at our family homestay near the school and become part of our daily family life in the village.
  
  I live together with my wife, Kalpana Thapa, and our 8-year-old son. We enjoy welcoming people from different cultures and creating a warm, respectful, and friendly environment for volunteers.
  
  Staying with our family gives volunteers the opportunity to experience authentic Nepali village life, local traditions, home-cooked meals, and daily community activities while supporting the school project.
  
  The homestay is simple but comfortable, with beautiful surroundings, peaceful nature, and Himalayan views. We hope volunteers will feel at home and become part of our extended family during their stay .
  
  I opened my first school in Gaunshahar in 2015, with the ambition to offer a free and non-violent education to the children of my local community:
  - Free because most families of my district are poor and often cannot pay for their children's education, leading to a high drop-out rate. This is why we offer all children school fees, uniforms, books, stationary and meals.
  - Non-violent because the educational system in Nepal is still often based on the traditional hitting system, with 80% of Nepali children educated with physical punishment and violent discipline, leading to physical and psychological trauma.
  
  This is the first free non-violent school ever open in Nepal, and this educational project led me to be selected as top 50 finalists of the Global Teacher Prize in 2019 (which is similar to Nobel Prize for teachers).
  
  Additionally I opened four schools in my district, in 2015 and 2022, and those four schools altogether welcome over 400 children from age 3 to 14. In 2021, we also started to run a school bus to allow children from remote villages to attend school. All children from the area are welcomed irrespective of cast and disabilities, and we have expansion ambitions as the demand for our school coming from all the surrounding villages gets bigger every year: this is why we need your help!
  
  The school is located around one hour from Besisahar, the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit trek.
  
  We welcome any type of help, from teaching to building, painting or cooking: you can see more details and our current projects in the "Help" section!
  
  We ask volunteers to help 3 hours per day, 5 days a week.
  
  Should volunteers work 3 hours per day, 5 days a week, they will receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner (Dhal Bhat).
  
  To ensure the sustainability of our meal services, we kindly request an optional contribution of $5 USD per day to help cover food costs during your stay.
  
  The fee is completely optional and Workawayers have the possibility to buy and cook their own food, if they wish.
  
  Volunteers will be hosted in Gaunshahar and will support activities at the school in Gaunshahar, Lamjung.
  
  Please note that during exam & holiday times the above mentioned work will change to activities that we cannot complete during school times, such as painting, constructions , agriculture & general maintenance. During these times we are still very much in need of the help of volunteers but don't want you to be disappointed if there is no teaching opportunities. The upcoming holiday/exam dates are as follows:
  
  Final exams 19th March - 27 March 2026
  1st April 2026 to 18th April 2026
  ( School Holidays for new school year )
  
  July 8th to 15th July 2026 (First Term Exam)
  16th July to 27th July 2026 (Summer Vacation)
  5th October 2026 to 12th October 2026 (Second Term Exam)
  
  October 13th to 25th 2026, October Festival Holidays ( Dashain Festival, Greatest Festival of Hindu )
  
  November 8th -12th 2026, November Festival holidays (Light festival/ Brother sister Festival)
  21st December to 29th December 2026 (Third Term Exam)
  
  30th December 2026 to 1st January 2027 (Summer Vacation)
  24th March 2027 to 31st March (Final Exam)
  1st April 2027 to 16th April 2027 ( New Academic Session Vacation )
  
  During exam and vacation periods we need more help here= as requires ongoing help with classroom construction, painting, gardening, mural drawing and other building projects.
  
  - New gardening chapter
  As the newest project for Chiti we are starting a ecofriendly garden.
  We will plant lemon trees and big trees for future use, but also to give the kids and understanding of how agriculture works.
  We think its very important that kids understand where and how food is made.
  We will also grow a kitchen garden with spices and vegtabels to use for in the kitches to give our food the most local and authentic taste.
  We call upon all voulteers how has a heart for the green garden, who wants to make a difference in the small local commutnities. This garden is not only gonna feed the kids, but also start a wave of insperation to the local villagers, who migrates to the city to have more instant income. By inspiring the villagers to grow there own garden and have that as a way of life, will keep the small mountain villages alive.
  
  The future vision of our Ecogarden project is to have a wide variety of trees, plants and vegtables. Next on the list is to grow our own coffee bean trees.
  
  If any of the above speaks your name, let it be a reason for you to come and ejoy our amazing school, village and garden.
  
  Many thanks for your interest, and please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Bénévolat

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Enseignement

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Films et télé

  

  Bénévolat

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Musique

  

  Langues

  

  Jardinage

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée

  

  Nature

  

  Montagne
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  My village Gaunshahar is very beautiful with a lot of himalayan peaks. The small palace and courtyard still hosts traditional festivals that attract many people from all around many times a year. Gaunshahar is 4km uphill from Besishahar which is a larger town with more accommodations, shops, and restaurants.
  
  During your time here you will get a strong sense of Nepali village life, and there are many activities you can engage in, including hiking, short walks in the nearby villages, or taking tea with the locals. If you are interested in longer treks, we can help you organize trips around Lamjung. In addition, Besisahar is one of the starting places of the Annapurna Circuit Trek, and the necessary permits can be purchased in next town.
  
  The surrounding mountains and the tranquility of our village create a perfect setting for yoga and meditation. If you like, we can also give you some Nepali lessons, so that that you can be acquainted with Nepali culture, history and language. Sometimes we have campfires, and I can give you a tour of the village where you can try our local wine. We can also teach volunteers to cook Nepali food, such as Dal Bhat and organic local curry for breakfast or dinner.
  
  If you like, I can also give each volunteer a certificate at the end of your stay, to use for future volunteering or when searching for a job.

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  Association caritative

  Cet hôte est une association caritative déclarée dans son pays et recherche des bénévoles pour l'aider dans ses projets.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  We welcome any help you can give!
  
  Previous volunteers have participated in many different ways. Most commonly, people who visit help out at the school by assisting teachers, teaching classes, and running creative activities in the library. However, volunteer involvement is not limited to that. In the past, volunteers have designed, planned and acquired materials for projects to improve the infrastructure of the school, like painting projects, rebuilding old paths and gates and improving the electrical wiring. Other volunteer occupations have included teacher training initiatives, helping with grant writing and building our equine therapy program for our three students with Down Syndrome. Social media and photography are other useful skills volunteers have provided.
  
  We have many projects ongoing and we always welcome any new ideas that volunteers can bring. Don’t worry if you think you might not have any relevant skills, there are many ways to help in the school and the children will appreciate your efforts and support.
  
  We ask volunteers to give 3 hours help a day, 5 days a week (Saturday and Sunday is off in Nepal), in any way you can. The rest of the day is yours! We are particularly looking for people who are interested in staying for long periods of time to become more integrated with the school, however we are still very happy to have people visit for any amount of time.
  
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  Current PROJECTS
  
  - Construction: we are currently building new classrooms in the School in Chiti and we need a lot of volunteers to help digging,moving sand, bricks plastering etc. We also need volunteers to help with an upcoming painting project at the School.
  
  - Computer Lab: We are starting a computer lab with four new laptops and will need volunteers to help teach computer literacy and computer skills to the children.
  
  - Gardening: we are starting a gardening project to teach the children about agriculture, horticulture and science. The items produced from the garden will also be used in the cooking classes. This project is at very early stage and we would need volunteers with gardening knowledge to kick it off! Please ask Shamser if this interests you.
  
  - Cooking classes: a kitchen is being added to the school to teach the children about hygiene, nutrition and cooking. We are interested in having volunteers sponsor this project and consider offering to teach the preparation of a dish from their country. We are excited about this activity as it will not only provide good meals for the children, it will expose them to a broad view of food and also provide an opportunity to teach English in an active setting. We expect to have six children at a time participate in the cooking classes which will take place on Saturday afternoons for 2 hours. (Saturday and Sunday is usually a school day off so the children will attend school for only this event on those days.) If volunteers are interested in learning how to cook Nepali cuisine, arrangements can be made on request.
  
  We have many projects going and ideas to make our schools better. We especially appreciate volunteers who are prepared to take initiative and bring their unique skill set to our workaway.

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  Langues parlées

  Anglais: Courant
  Hindi: Courant
  Nepali: Courant

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  Hébergement

  At the school, we have several rooms in the school next to the school building that are available for volunteers to stay in, It is advised to bring your own toilet paper
  
  we can easily accommodate vegetarian diets. Please note that the served food is basic (we generally have Dal Bhat for breakfast and dinner, and lunch can vary depending on the school menu), however you are able to stock up on extra items from Besisahar. Next to our house, you can also find several shops where you can buy snacks, drinks and other items (such as toilet paper and water).

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  Autres infos...

  From Kathmandu to Besisashar
  
  From Pokhara to Besisashar
  
  
  From Besishahar to Gaunshahar
  
  You can either take the bus, tuk tuk , shared jeep or walk up the to the village. Walking up to Gaunshahar is quite steep and would take at least 2 hours so we recommend taking the bus/shared jeep. The first transport leaves around 2.00 pm from Besishahar & the last transport leaves around 5:00pm so it's best to arrive before this time. Otherwise the only way up will be to pay for a private jeep which will cost around 2000. In any case, please inform me of the timing of your arrival at least 2 days in advance, so that I can supervise if necessary.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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