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
Nepal is beautiful in nature and rich in cultural. Over 35% of people is living below the poverty line. Access to proper health and sanitation facilities is often very limited and awareness of correct hygiene practices is low. Only 46% of people has access to toilets, leaving 54% to practice open-air defecation. Coverage among the poor is even lower at around 12%. About 80% of the communicable diseases in Nepal are due to contaminated water and poor sanitation, while some 13,000 children under five die annually of diarrheal disease due to poor hygiene and sanitation. Nepal continues to bear the loss of some 10 billion rupees each year in terms of health expenses. To achieve the sanitation Millennium Development Goal (MDG), Nepal has to ensure 53% toilet coverage by 2015, while the country’s National Goal is to provide basic sanitation facilities to all by 2017. To achieve this National Goal, it requires almost a doubling of the present trend of latrine construction from 148,000 to 320,000 per year (879 per day).
Jitpurphedi community is one of VIN’s project site. A baseline survey conducted by VIN indicated that 26% of the Jitpur Phedi communities are illiterate. Hygiene awareness and access to health and sanitation facilities is also very low, with VIN and community estimates suggesting that around 25% of households do not have access to a permanent toilet and low standards of hygiene contributing to high instances of gastrointestinal and other illnesses.
Name and description of the local host
Jitpurphedi Village Development Committee (VDC), Jitpurphedi Health Post, Local community schools and JitpurphediWomen Agricultural Cooperative
Aims and expected impact of the project
To raise awareness and provide training on correct health and hygiene practices to the people especially to the women and children. With this, the project will help people increase correct health and hygiene practices (e.g. washing their hands with soap water at critical times). Correct health and hygiene practices refer to people will have regular bath, wash hands with soap water before eating or cooking food and after using toilet, brush teeth twice daily after lunch and dinner, use toilets, keep house environment clean and visit health center when they get sick. VIN also intends to achieve “stool-free” (Open Defecation Free) status with each family having access to and being motivated to use a toilet. The implementation is expected to generate a significant improvement in the health and sanitation conditions of the community, observable as a reduction in the occurrence of sickness within the community and an improved quality of life.
Main voluntary work
Conduct Research on health issues Conduct health awareness campaigns targeting children, youth and community women Organize mobile health camps with the coordination of VIN’s Doctor Provide First Aid training to youth, women, children and teachers Construct toilets for the needy family in the community.
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: Vols. with health background
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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