Hosting NGO
VIN (Volunteers Initiative Nepal)
Contact person
Dinesh Khatiwada, General Secretary dinesh@volunteeringnepal.org Tel: 977-9851100350
Project Place
Jitpurphedi Village Development Committee, Kathmandu
Remark for Period
3 months participation from 02/01, 05/01, 08/01 and 11/01 is possible. Open to 1-2 months participation if the places are not full at 2 months before the starting date.
Background
Local/ social situation/ needs for the project
Learning starts from right at birth. The first six years of a child’s life are crucial. During these years, a child’s brain is maturing at a rapid rate. Children are developing the language and social skills to interact with others. They are learning about the world and everything in it. Appropriate early childhood education supports brain development, while giving young children a head start for life.
In 2000, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child outlined how countries can protect children’s rights in early childhood. Early childhood education is also an obligation under international and regional education frameworks. The Education for All (EFA) goals, adopted in Dakar, provided a clear framework for quality early childhood programs. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2 emphasizes equal access to primary education for every boy and girl. Early intervention helps children to enter school at the right age, to stay there for longer and to improve their learning outcomes.
Child care: early childhood education project fosters a congenial learning environment for children aged 3-6 to develop motor, mental, social and emotional skills. In Nepal, little effort is made by the government and various other sectors, to nurture and promote the overall intellectual and physical wellbeing of the young. A healthy childhood is the vital foundation of a functional future working force.
Although the government of Nepal has, upon several occasions, encouraged early childhood development centers (ECD) to set up in communities, due to the scattered nature of rural villages, institutions such as local schools, become near to inaccessible for the local people. As a result, most children spend their early years at home, without any play material, acquiring no communicative or social skill. What we hear is “encouragement” from a seemingly confident government, but what we see is a lack of required facility to put that encouragement for ideals into effect. While some regions in Nepal may appear to uphold efficient early childhood development centres, when digging beyond that exterior, one can be sure to find unqualified teachers, in classrooms that are far from child friendly and resourceful. VIN therefore aims to equip school based early childhood development centres and for the first time in Nepal, provide an efficient means of education for the young children. We train ECD teachers to make their classes joyful and creative for children.
Name and description of the local host
VIN now supports over 40 early childhood education centers based in schools and communities. These centers have purposefully been set up in the impoverished / disadvantaged communities, which have often been shadowed during times of development effort. District Education Office, Kathmandu and Okhaldhunga, Villagae Development Committees and local community based and private schools are our partners. More than half of the Nepalese children do not have a chance to attend early childhood programs that provide a chance to improve the language, cognitive, social and pre-literacy skills that are the foundations for lifelong learning.
Aims and expected impact of the project
Enhance children’s cognitive growth and social, emotional, behavioral development increasing overall academic performance
- Provide children the early learning foundations necessary for success in primary and secondary school
- Free older siblings from tending younger siblings allowing them to attend school regularly
- Allow caregivers to work by providing a safe learning environment for their young children
- Raise caregivers’ awareness of how early education can help their children
- Help communities, especially the women, to work together for the benefit of their children
Main voluntary work
Assist local teachers in their daily roles/ Teach children different motor and kinesthetic skills/ Play games and rhymes with children/ Provide child care support/ Create resources for the children/ Take children on excursions/ Make campaign to the community and request the people to send their children to the center/ Develop different teaching child friendly materials in the center/ Paint the class rooms and decorate it/ Do a variety of other activities.
Approximate working hours: 5 hours x 5 days (weekdays) in a week (can be changeable)
Accommodation
Type of building: The host family identify by VIN in the working site in a simple building.
- Sleeping: Sharing with other vols.
- Meals: Cooked by vols. & locals
- How and how long to go to work: 10-25 minutes’ walk from their family.
- Smoking: Only outside building
- Internet access: In working site internet is not available. It is available in half an hour travel by public vehicle. They can also use internet in VIN’s office which is in 40 minutes distance by public bus. VIN will provide them the local SIM cards to use in their phone.
- Any other points: The volunteers should come with their sleeping bags and personal use materials like laptops, camera and other cream, towels, etc.
Location
VIN has been implementing its programs in the Jitpur community of Kathmandu District, which is only about 10 km away from main ring road of Kathmandu. About 95% people are Hindus. However, people are open minded and accept people of all religion.There are mixed castes within the communities. Dalit (otherwise known as ‘untouchables’) and Balami (a mongoloid tribe) seem to be particularly marginalized. There ere are more than 550 women following income-generation activities facilitated by VIN. The community area is very beautiful surrounded by woods, hills and fields.
Nepal has a typical monsoonal climate, with a dry season from October to May and a wet season from June to September. The main monsoon is from mid-June to September, and the very best times to visit are Autumn (September to November) and Spring (March to May). Kathmandu is not as cold as many people think. Even in the winter months (December to February) the day time temperature in the sunshine can reach a pleasant 20 degrees, but night-times can fall to near freezing. In the summer the temperatures in Kathmandu climb to 30 degrees and above. For detail, please visit https://www.volunteersinitiativenepal.org/faq/
Terminal
- Nearest international airport: Tribhuwan International Airport. VIN’s staff will pick the vols. up.
- Transportation from the capital or other major city: VIN arranges the hotel/ accommodation, food and transportation to go to the project. The flight detail should be sent in 2 weeks prior.
Other activities
The volunteers will be involving in different local festivals and events with their host families. They also can go for sightseeing around Kathmandu valley and outside Kathmandu like Chitwan Jungle Safire, Pokhara, Lumbini in their own costs. VIN can organize these visits if they are interested.
Qualification for volunteers
- Required: Speaking English and motivation to contribute for marginalized communities
- Required: The educational background and love children are welcomed.
Attraction for volunteers
The volunteers will get chance to work with children, women and community people. They can develop the construction skills, presentation, communication and so many other skills.
The volunteers will be working with VIN’s community staffs especially doctors and Women Empowerment program officer. They can learn the community development process of the organization.
Financial condition
- Participation fee to the host NGO: 900 Euro for 3 months (300 Euro per month)
- 720 Euro for 3 months (240 Euro per month) for those coming from less expensive countries where the annual GDP per capita is less than 10,000 US$.
Meetings
- On arrival training: For a week at the beginning. It will be conducted at VIN office.
- Special care during Project: VIN coordinator will visit twice on the first week and every two weeks to the project or the family. Besides, we make phone calls, text message/ email (where available) regularly. VIN’s local staffs will be always available in the community/ project site.
- Evaluation meeting: Monthly at VIN office. We conduct written evaluation every month to the working site and final written and oral evaluation and send it to Partner NGOs with pictures.
Other remarks
Open to Non-Asian if the places are not full at 2 months before the starting date.
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