Volunteering Abroad!

Volunteers’ Responsibilities

By volunteering in Nepal Himalayan, you will be working in the monastery where you will teach English to the monks. As a volunteer, you will enjoy the project because you will find the monks extremely enthusiastic about learning from an international volunteer.

You will conduct 2 to 3 classes per day, each 45 minutes to an hour. The monks range from the age of 5 to 17. Some monks understand and can speak few words of English whereas some won’t have any knowledge of English.

The class will be divided according to their level of English. You may have to conduct kindergarten level to class once, and a class for grade 2 to 4. There will be a resident Lopon (a master) who will be assisting you.

The Lopon will be able to communicate with you well in English. Depending on your individual interests and skills, and on the needs of the local staff, your daily activities involve, but are not limited to:

• Teaching English to the young monks
• Helping students to improve their Basic English and conversational skills
• Supporting recreational and artistic activities focused on educational learning
• Organizing and developing activities that encourage learning
• Converse about the culture back home and ask about their childhood and life as a monk
• Assist with administration
• Organize games, drawing, singing, dancing and other creative educational and extra-curricular activities

How You Can Make a Difference

The Buddhist monks need teachers who are fluent to teach them English, so that they can better able communicate their teachings in the future. For monks who leave the monastery, having a good grasp of the English language would mean better jobs for their livelihood too.

Teaching English to Buddhist monks is a terrific opportunity for volunteers interested in Buddhism. In the monasteries, you will have plenty of occasions to take part in meditation, rituals, prayers, and songs with the Buddhist monks.

You’ll enjoy the work as the monks are very well behave and extremely eager to learn from international volunteer. Whether you enjoy teaching, interested in Buddhism, or love great mountain views, this is the project for you!

Skills and Qualifications

There are no specific qualifications needed to join our Buddhist monks project in Nepal beyond a fluency in English. However, your understanding of the Nepali culture and language can help improve the experience for you and the monks.

Consider enrolling in our one-week Language & Cultural Immersion program. Volunteer teachers should have strong English fluency, both written and verbal, although no previous teaching experience is required. Volunteers should have a love for teaching, English and conversation.

Volunteers should also be enthusiastic, reliable, flexible, patient and strive to be good role models for the students. It is extremely important to note that monks are highly respected figures and follow strict and exemplary life rules. Only volunteers with serious discipline can join this project.

Project Location

This project is located in the Everest region of Nepal. Nepal is a country of matchless beauty. On the northern borders of Nepal, the majestic mountains of the Himalayas draw visitors in the thousands every year.

As you travel south from there, you’ll pass countless snow-fed rivers, deep ravines and gorges, green valleys and a gorgeous panorama of overlapping hills. Nepal eventually ends on the flat plains that border India. In these varied terrains, countless ethnic groups thrive with their multitude of languages and unique cultures.

The Everest region or known locally as Khumbu region, is the most popular trekking region in Nepal. You will find Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, in this region. There are also many high Himalayans peaks of over 6 thousand meters or over dotting the landscape.

The region starts from the altitude of 2600 meters and the nearest motorable road is 7 days away. Volunteers will fly to Lukla, which is about 20 minutes by flight from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. From Lukla, volunteers will make their way on foot to the project site. The Everest is home to Sherpas, who have lived for centuries attending cattle, farming vegetables or trading with Tibet and the low lands of Nepal.

Today, with the arrival of tourists, Sherpas have seen their lives transformed. Many of them now enjoy a steady stream of good income working as porters, guides, climbers and many have opened lodges, hotels and tea houses.

But for those Sherpas who aren’t involved in tourism industry or whose houses aren’t in the tourist trail, including other ethnic groups who have migrated to Everest region, life is still a hard toil with very little hope for a better future. Their children, their only hope for a better future, attend schools that aren’t well funded and many continue to have no motivation to continue their studies.

With New Hope’s Nepal Himalayan program you can now experience such spectacular sceneries and also learn about the local Sherpa community. We encourage you to join this program. You will not only observe this most beautiful part of the world but also gain a unique volunteer abroad experience.