Nepal Volunteer Profile
Deborah Cross
Deb Cross (32 years old from Australia) is on a 6 month overseas trip having a break from life at home in Australia. Deb found IVHQ on Google and thought the prices were great. She is currently volunteering with IVHQ in Nepal for 3 weeks. When Deb arrived in Kathmandu, she was picked up at the airport and taken to the guest house which has lovely sunny rooms in the Thamel area. Our local representatives came to meet with her. The next day she began her orientation which takes the volunteers through a Nepali lesson and culture briefing. Deb said “this was very helpful when I first arrived as it can be overwhelming!” She was taken on a city tour and to visit a temple and then out for a traditional Nepali dinner to learn how to eat with her hands! After 2 days of orientation Deb was taken to her host families place in Gokharna is a small village about 45 minutes drive out of Kathmandu city. “My host family is great, very friendly and relaxed. I feel at home there!” Deb is placed in the Disabled Rehabilitation Centre in Gokharna. She walks 30 minutes to the DRC each day for work along a muddy track. Her day starts by waking early at 6.30am by the various noises around the village and then has breakfast and leaves for work at 7:30am. She starts work at 8am and the things she has been doing here are helping the kids with study for their exams, playing card games, playing soccer, chatting with the older girls to help with their English and teaching the children manners! She goes home for lunch and helps herself to leftovers from dinner the night before. At 4pm she goes back for a couple of hours as the older kids are returning from school. She has dinner with her host family at 8pm, “the host mother makes the best rotti!”
Deb says the children are very independent with their hygiene routine and the older kids help the younger children. The children do not complain; they have a set routine. They all go to school, some of them walk there and some take the bus depending on which school they are at. A teacher aid comes to assist the children after school with their homework.
Some current projects that are happening there are fundraising to buy a washing machine for the DRC and hiring a regular cleaner for the toilets. Deb says that buying supplies from the local stores is best as it is much cheaper from home and you are supporting the local community and this is what IVHQ recommends!! There is an internet café 2 minutes from where Deb lives which is great for keeping in touch with family and friends at home. She also read the IVHQ information booklet and found this very helpful! Deb would recommend coming for a longer time frame as she feels she is just starting to build a relationship with the locals and children, but she is very happy with her Nepal volunteering experience!