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Childcare Volunteer Project in Nepal - Kathmandu

Childcare Volunteer Project in Nepal - Kathmandu

Excited to be a Childcare volunteer in Nepal? International Volunteer HQ’s enables volunteers to assist with early childhood education in centres in and around Kathmandu. Volunteers gain childcare experience while helping to provide a nurturing environment where young children can learn, grow and play with others their own age. This helps develop young brains and foster an appetite for later learning and continuing education.

Highlights:
  • Programs start every first and third Monday of the month
  • Affordable fees from AU$441 for 1 week
  • Includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner, airport pick up, orientation and 24/7 support
  • Help with education and games to create a nurturing environment

  • Discover Nepal’s breathtaking mountains

  • Stay with a local family and experience daily life in Nepal

Key information

Provide a safe space for children to learn
Based in childcare centres
Homestay accommodation
Volunteers aged 16+ and families
Fully hosted experience from AU$441 for 1 week
Durations from 1 - 12 weeks
Everest Base Camp and other activities available
Up to 5 hours volunteering a day

This program is ideal for:

Energetic volunteers who want to look after and entertain lively, active children. You’ll be working closely with placement staff so no experience in childcare is required.
Who is this program suited to?

What to expect and how you'll make an impact

Childcare centres are active and fun places where children first get exposure to formal education and structured play with others. They can be an important part of early childhood education and allow parents to return to work. Many centres around Kathmandu are seeking volunteer assistance in order to better provide this nurturing environment.

As a Childcare volunteer you’ll assist in centres in different areas in Kathmandu, including both in the city and in the surrounding hills. The specific tasks of each volunteer vary depending on the particular centre in which you’re placed. In general, you can expect to help with:

  • Structured games and lessons
  • Caring for children
  • Entertaining and playing with children
  • Helping with feeding and mealtimes
  • Light renovation work

If you’re after a challenging and rewarding volunteering experience, then our Kathmandu Childcare placements are for you.

Please be aware that on the Childcare project, volunteers may experience a language barrier; but this will be dependent on the school you are placed in. This has certainly not hindered past volunteers, but should be worth noting for your preparations.

To note: if you are looking to join this project for a 1 week duration, it is important to be aware that there is a 2 day orientation and as such, your volunteer placement would run from Wednesday - Friday.

Contributes to United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #4: Quality Education

Contributes to United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #4: Quality Education

More than half of all children and teens do not meet minimum proficiency standards in reading and mathematics. Quality education provides an opportunity to learn and grow in a safe environment and is key to preventing poverty, securing long-term employment and improving quality of life.

Why do Childcare volunteering in Kathmandu with IVHQ?

When you volunteer with Children in Nepal you’ll be adding value to the local community, while also developing personally and professionally by:

  • Supporting the education and care of young children
  • Helping students develop life skills in a safe place
  • Developing your communication skills
  • Gaining childcare experience
  • Immersing yourself in Nepali culture
  • Exploring Nepal’s mountainous landscapes

Volunteer requirements

  • Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to participate in this program
  • Volunteers aged 16-18 are required to provide IVHQ with parental consent in order to participate on the program, and may be asked to provide additional documentation to the local team
  • All volunteers aged 13+ are required to provide a criminal background check to IVHQ prior to departure. Those aged 13-17, if unable to obtain a criminal background check, can provide two character reference letters instead
  • All volunteers are required to have adequate volunteer travel insurance
  • All volunteers must speak fluent English.
Are you eligible to volunteer?

Submit a free application so we can confirm your eligibility and check availability for your preferred dates.

Apply For Free

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What recent volunteers said about their IVHQ experience

MH
Max Huang
29 Feb 2024

It was a very unforgettable experience. Helping people and teach them English makes me feel happy!

...
JH
Jiayiran Huang
16 Jan 2024

Very detailed and helpful. IVHQ reduced my anxiety to do my voluntary work in a new place. The local team was very supportive! They made me feel at home and brought me the best experience!

My first experience in IVHQ opened a new door in my life! I will definitely recommend it to my friends! Good work! IVHQ!

...
HC
Harpreet Kaur Chohan
10 Jan 2024

The biggest thing was how much time I was able to spend with virtual strangers and hearing about their lives. It was such fun and don't think I've been exposed to that in a different experience especially given that they were all fellow "do gooders".

...
MM
Mahathi Mitra
14 Jun 2023

From the team that picked me up from the airport and took me to sightsee in and around Thamel, to the homestay owners, everybody made sure that I never felt uncomfortable and that I had the most pleasant experience ever. The meals were so delicious! They were even better than the ones I eat at home, if I might add : )

I could never choose one such favorite moment because I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment I spent in Nepal! When I was working with the little kids and heard about how the Montessori school was founded from the owner, I realised how privileged I'd been all along and I also learnt not to complain about the little things in life.

This was my first time travelling abroad, all alone! If I can do it at a rather young age, you can too. Don't be scared because it's a life-changing experience, especially with IVHQ where you get to immerse yourself into a new culture entirely while still being safe.

...
MT
Mavis Tan
31 Jan 2023

My program manager, was very swift with her replies to my enquiries. The program guide was very insightful as well. It provided sufficient information that was needed before the trip.

I am very grateful with the support and efficiency the local team provided.

Living with a local family really exceeded my travelling experience in Nepal. I was welcomed so warmly by the host family. Throughout my stay, I was not only accompanied by fellow volunteers but also got to spend time with the host family. Living at the homestay gave me a sense of security. Having my meals covered by the family was such as blessing. Living with the locals really gave me the best experience I could ever ask for.

Meeting people from all over the world and being able to hear their stories and experiences had the biggest impact on me. Having conversations with friendly strangers made me see again that the world is beautiful, and we are never walking journeys alone.

Fear is very common especially if you are a sole female volunteer. I took that step of faith and courage to see the world with my own eyes, experience adventures for myself and I have never regretted taking that step. I pray that for you (whoever it may be) as well, that as you take this step for yourself, you'll get beautiful experiences as a gift to you.

...
CC
Claire Corbel
03 Jun 2021

IVHQ is an incredible organisation that truly goes the extra mile for every volunteer. They provided me with the guidance, resources, tips and training a first-time traveller like me needed. Even once I was in Nepal, any queries or concerns I had were promptly addressed, and I always felt like I could contact a local member of the team if I needed. IVHQ is my number one recommendation, they have been absolutely fantastic and wonderfully supportive during every stage of the process!

...

To read all reviews, visit our reviews page.

Academic course credit through International Volunteer HQ and Intern Abroad HQ.

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Volunteer Abroad in Nepal with IVHQ

Location

Land-locked in the middle of South Asia, Nepal is known for its astonishing alpine scenery and breathtaking mountainscapes. But this diverse country offers much more than its remarkable natural environment. Among Nepal’s 28 million people, there are more than 100 different ethnic groups speaking as many languages and following a large number of religious and cultural traditions. It also faces the challenges associated with a history of civil war, natural disasters, political corruption and a lack of resources and infrastructure to support its population.

Volunteers can have a meaningful impact on Nepalese communities by providing assistance with a wide range of activities that help make life, and the future, better for local people. IVHQ has a number of volunteer projects in Nepal. Some are located on the outskirts of the capital city of Kathmandu in rural and urban areas, while others are in Chitwan 150 kilometres away, in the middle of Terrai - a flat fertile plain that borders India and stretches right across Southern Nepal. Pokhara is located in mid-western Nepal and is a popular tourist destination, renowned for its amazing mountain views.

Arrival and orientation

The program orientation begins on the first and third Monday of each month, and volunteers need to arrive in Kathmandu on the Sunday before orientation.

After you have registered for the program, please book your flights to arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) in Kathmandu. Your airport pick-up is included in your Program Fee.

When you arrive, you will be greeted at the airport by a member of the local team and transported to the volunteer accommodation in Kathmandu. Your accommodation is covered by your Program Fee and includes the night before your program orientation.

If you are travelling in Nepal prior to your volunteer program, we can arrange for you to be picked up at a prearranged destination in Kathmandu on the day before your program orientation.

Orientation is hosted by our Nepal team in Kathmandu and runs over the course of two days. Orientation begins on the morning of your chosen start date and covers everything you need to know for your volunteer program in Nepal – an introduction to Nepal, Nepalese customs, language training details, rules and expectations, safety, travel opportunities in Nepal, and an introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to visit local temples, sample authentic Nepali food, meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socialising.

If you are placed in Pokhara or Chitwan, you will travel to your placement location on Tuesday afternoon and you will begin work on Wednesday. If you are located in Kathmandu, you will begin work on Wednesday.

Volunteer schedule example

First Day:

On your first day of volunteering, you will be escorted to your placement by a local coordinator and introduced to the placement staff you will be working with.

Weekdays:

While a volunteer daily schedule will vary depending on the specific placement, a typical day is as follows:

7:30 AM Breakfast at the homestay.
8:00 AM Volunteers leave home and travel to their placements. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break.
2:00 - 5:00 PM Work at the placement usually ends. Volunteers are free to travel back to the volunteer house, go sightseeing, or do some shopping.
7:00 - 9:00 PM Dinner at the homestay.

Weekends:

During the weekends, volunteers have spare time and usually relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and Nepal. Known for being home to the world’s tallest mountain, Mt Everest, Nepal is an adventurer’s paradise. It has a vast selection of exceptional hikes in the Himalayas with arresting views in every direction, white-water rafting, canyon swings, paragliding and scenic flights. It also has a rich multicultural heritage and a huge collection of temples, pagodas, shrines, carvings and ancient architecture, not to mention an astonishing array of wildlife and an interesting cuisine influenced by its many ethnic groups and cultures.

Accommodation and WiFi

On arrival in Nepal, volunteers stay in a local hotel in Kathmandu for their two-day orientation.

Volunteers are then accommodated together in homestays and hosted by local families who have been approved by our program staff. We give your host family a fee for your support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with a host family, providing you with a unique opportunity to learn about the Nepalese way of life, meet local people, try traditional food and speak the local language - especially when host families in Nepal tend to have limited English.

Living is basic but comfortable and most homestays have electricity and running water, with the exception of some rural homestays which are without these conveniences during the dry season. Western toilets can be found at your home stays but please keep in mind that Squat toilets are still the norm in parts of Nepal; so you might find these at your placement and during activities, treks, etc. Volunteers can also expect low-pressure showers that are generally not heated, however, this is refreshing after a day in the heat.

You can expect to share a room with one to three other volunteers and bedrooms have single beds and bunk beds with bedding provided. It is recommended volunteers bring their own sleeping bag and mosquito nets for any trips away.

WiFi is available in most of the volunteer homestays, however those based in Chitwan should expect to walk to a nearby cafe for internet access. If you would like to keep connected during your stay, we recommend bringing an unlocked mobile phone and purchasing a local SIM card when you arrive in Nepal.

Meals

The staple meal for most Nepali families is dal bhat, which consists of lentil soup (dal), rice (bhat) and vegetables in curry (tarkari) and/or meat (masu) with a side of pickle/sauce (achar).

Food in Nepal is heavily influenced by the country’s Indian and Tibetan neighbours and includes plenty of curries, breads and potato-based dishes. Volunteers are served two meals per day at their homestay and can purchase additional food to supplement this if they wish.

Bottled water is readily available in Nepal and volunteers should budget approximately AU$8 per week for two litres a day. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know when you apply for the program so we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but there is a need to be flexible.

Pricing

  • USD
Duration
Program Fee
Due 30 days before you start, or within 48 hours if you register inside of 30 days. Covers the cost of hosting you.
  • USD
1 week AU$440 Equivalent to AU$63/day
2 weeks AU$648 Equivalent to AU$46/day
3 weeks AU$857 Equivalent to AU$41/day
4 weeks AU$1065 Equivalent to AU$38/day
5 weeks AU$1273 Equivalent to AU$36/day
6 weeks AU$1482 Equivalent to AU$35/day
8 weeks AU$1866 Equivalent to AU$33/day
10 weeks AU$2251 Equivalent to AU$32/day
12 weeks AU$2635 Equivalent to AU$31/day
  • Accommodation
  • Breakfast and dinner
  • 24/7 in-country support
  • In-country program orientation
  • Pre-departure support from your Program Manager
  • Airport pick-up
  • Personalised preparation tools, guides and check lists
  • Access to IVHQ’s preferred insurance and flights partners
  • Discounts on travel and tour add-ons
  • Certificate of International Volunteer Service

Learn more about what's included in your IVHQ Registration Fee and Program Fee.

  • All programs attract a Registration Fee of US$329 (approximately AU$528) in addition to the Program Fee. This covers all pre-departure support services. IVHQ fees are priced in USD but you may elect to pay in AUD.
  • A 5% international banking fee is added at point of payment.
  • Additional things to budget for include: Visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, criminal background check, lunches, public transportation to and from your placement each day and return to the airport when your program finishes.
  • Recommended spending money: Volunteers in Nepal generally find US$30 per week to be sufficient for expenses, such as lunches, and local tours and activities.

Free-time experiences & tours in Nepal

Take your volunteer experience to the next level with IVHQ's affordable activity and tour add-ons in Nepal! Explore your options below and learn how to book them once you've been accepted onto the IVHQ Nepal program.

Chitwan Jungle Safari (2 nights/3 days)
Chitwan Jungle Safari (2 nights/3 days)

Embark on an unforgettable jungle safari to witness Nepal’s captivating wildlife in its natural habitat.

AU$288
Everest Base Camp Trek (14 days)
Everest Base Camp Trek (14 days)

This iconic expedition is the most popular trekking route in the Himalayas and is unlike any other in the world.

AU$2367
Hatha Yoga and Meditation Retreat (1 week)
Hatha Yoga and Meditation Retreat (1 week)

Reconnect with tranquility and mindfulness during a rejuvenating one-week yoga and meditation retreat, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the Western world.

AU$842
Everest Base Camp Trek (14 days)
Everest Base Camp Trek (14 days)

This iconic expedition is the most popular trekking route in the Himalayas and is unlike any other in the world.

AU$2367
Hatha Yoga and Meditation Retreat (1 week)
Hatha Yoga and Meditation Retreat (1 week)

Reconnect with tranquility and mindfulness during a rejuvenating one-week yoga and meditation retreat, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the Western world.

AU$842
Chitwan Jungle Safari (2 nights/3 days)
Chitwan Jungle Safari (2 nights/3 days)

Embark on an unforgettable jungle safari to witness Nepal’s captivating wildlife in its natural habitat.

AU$288

Check what's required to visit Nepal

Safety and support with IVHQ

Safety and support

IVHQ follows best practice and industry-leading health and safety procedures, which are regularly reviewed and optimized as part of the B Corporation recertification.

  • All volunteers encouraged to complete our interactive pre-departure training.
  • All local teams trained on best practice volunteer management & First Aid.
  • All IVHQ programs are required to adhere to IVHQ's Risk Management Policy.
  • All volunteers have access to 24/7 in-country support from our local team.
Learn more about IVHQ's safety

Essential country information

Capital Kathmandu
Population 28 million
Languages Nepali
Currency Rupee (NRs.)
Time zone UTC+05:45

Weather and climate: The climate in Nepal varies largely due to the variations in geography across the country. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons with dry weather and moderate temperatures. The Kathmandu Valley and other areas of high altitude experience summer temperatures of up to 28°C (82.4°F) and in winter, temperatures range between 2°C (35.6°F) and 20°C (68°F). The summer temperatures in Chitwan can reach up to 35°C (95°F) and in winter they range between 7°C (44.6°F) and a mild 23°C (73.4°F). The climate in Pokhara is similar to that of the Kathmandu Valley, with slightly warmer temperatures.

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How to get started

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