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Construction and Renovation Volunteer Project in Nepal

Construction and Renovation Volunteer Project in Nepal

Interested in building a better future as a Construction and Renovation volunteer in Nepal? International Volunteer HQ’s Construction and Renovation project enables volunteers to assist with a wide range of building and maintenance activities in locations around Nepal. Volunteers gain experience in construction and renovation while providing help with improvements and upgrades to local infrastructure and facilities that will make a tangible, lasting impact on the community.

Highlights:
  • Programs start every first and third Monday of the month
  • Affordable fees from AU$521 for 1 week
  • Includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner, airport pick up, orientation and 24/7 support
  • Help get vital community facilities built or improved

  • Discover Nepal’s mind-blowing natural beauty

  • Stay with a local family for a unique experience of Nepali life

Key information

Improve infrastructure for the community
Various locations in Nepal
Homestay accommodation
Volunteers aged 16+ and families
Fully hosted experience from AU$521 for 1 week
Durations from 1 - 12 weeks
Poon Hill Trek and other add-ons available
Up to 5 hours volunteering a day

This program is ideal for:

Fit and active volunteers who are willing to get their hands dirty and get involved in a number of different tasks according to local priorities. You’ll be working with qualified local staff so no experience is required. You will need to bring or buy workboots and gloves suitable for physical labour.
Who is this program suited to?

What to expect and how you'll make an impact

In Nepal, many community services and infrastructure projects tend to be under-resourced and difficult to complete on a limited budget. Volunteers can provide vital help to get these projects finished so the community can make use of them as quickly as possible.

As a Construction and Renovation volunteers you will help with projects in schools, community learning centres, childcare centres, other educational facilities and on infrastructure projects in the areas in and around Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan. Volunteer tasks can include:

  • Building
  • Renovating
  • Painting
  • Restoration
  • Carpentry
  • Landscaping
  • Stone paving

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 if your placement is based outside of Kathmandu, you will travel to your placement location on Tuesday after the orientation. As such, your volunteer placement would run from Wednesday - Friday.

Contributes to United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Contributes to United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

As job losses escalate as a result of Covid-19, it is estimated that nearly half of the global workforce is at risk of losing their livelihoods. We must improve access to jobs, decent work conditions and community services in order to achieve peace, sustainable economic growth and a better quality of life for all.

Why do Construction and Renovation volunteering in Nepal with IVHQ?

As a volunteer builder or labourer in Nepal you’ll be adding value to the local community, while also developing personally and professionally by:

  • Improving and upgrading local infrastructure and facilities
  • Contributing to local initiatives that support the community
  • Developing your communication skills
  • Gaining construction and renovation experience
  • Immersing yourself in Nepali culture
  • Adventuring in the Himalayan region

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.

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What recent volunteers said about their IVHQ experience

BP
Brittany Pantin
15 Feb 2024

The volunteer program was better than expected and I had high expectations haha! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming! The school I was placed at was a close walk from the homestay and the teachers and principals were very helpful, so helpful in fact the principal helped paint the walls in a full dress suit!! Everything from start to finish was amazing and made me definitely want to come back to Nepal!

I’m currently on the Everest trek and my guide is very knowledgeable and friendly. I’m so grateful to have him as a guide and looking forward to the rest of my trip!

...
DP
Daniel Page
14 Feb 2024

The home stay was terrific love the family and accommodation! Being able to help others along with getting immersed in another culture is just amazing.

...
JM
Jack Mehmet
11 Oct 2023

The main impact I feel is a total recalibration of many of the scales I use to judge success and stress in life. I am far more grateful for the society/country/time I have been lucky enough to be born into by mere chance, but also better recognise which aspects of my home life are not as important as I thought so am able to let go of unnecessary/meaningless worries.

The best single piece of advice I can give is to approach the experience with zero preconceptions/expectations, good or bad, even down to things about the other volunteers who are likely coming from similarly developed countries to you. Challenges are certain, from the climate/heat, physicality of the work, personalities of others, insect bites, lack of sleep, etc. but approaching them one at a time with a positive "see the path not the obstacles" mentality is key to enjoying the experience. For me there were some genuinely hard days, but that's good, it's essentially the point, there's no other way to truly understand and realise that this is someone else's life and day to day reality, they don't get to go home in a few weeks like you do, so you can make it.

...
AD
Aaron Downey
07 Dec 2022

Only good comments about IVHQ, the step by step guide helped me prepare for my first solo trip and eased my nerves somewhat! I was travelling solo and outside of Europe for the first time so I was super nervous, but IVHQ were always there to check in on me and make sure I was prepared for the amazing experience that lay ahead.

The local team were very helpful in making sure I had a comfortable experience - the whole team were there to help me settle in, arrange trips, arrange my amazing homestay, and just genuine amazing people. My host family were also amazing, they made me feel at home from the moment I was picked up at the bus station in Pokhara - anything I needed help with, they would always be there to offer support. The house was so clean, breakfast and dinner every day was so tasty! It was a great way to truly get a feel for the Nepali culture. My Nepali family made me feel like I was back home!

Volunteering really opened my eyes, the staff and workers in the community were so amazing, so helpful and so appreciative! I loved everything about it! My favourite moment was the whole Nepali Journey! From meeting super amazing Nepalese people, to learning their culture, to meeting other volunteers and even making a best friend for life, to helping out at the local community school, and just embracing such a beautiful country with special views! But if I had to pick one moment I am grateful for, it was the appreciation the principal and school teachers showed for us - the principal offered to take my friend and I out for dinner one evening after school and she even invited us to her house the next day for dinner, where we ate dinner, met her family and just had such a Nepalese style experience. It was so so wholesome and one day I will come back to Nepal to make even more amazing memories!!!

How I live back home is so different to how people live in Nepal. It was defiantly a culture shock but a good culture shock - I loved everything about Nepal, from meeting the local people, to learning their way of living, to tasting their food and to just having fun. The children at the local school were just always happy, friendly, chatty and so interested in my background. I will 110% come back to Nepal again one day, soon I hope!! Can't wait for the next part of my volunteering journey!

I was so hesitant myself at the start but then I just went ahead and booked it! It was my first time leaving Europe and first time travelling solo but I had the most amazing time of my life. I have gained so much experience and loved the local culture. You will meet very like minded people who are also solo travelling and volunteering. You will make friends for life just like I did. So just go for it, the journey never ends!!

...
VV
Via Visser
10 May 2022

This was an amazing program that became an impactful learning experience for me. The labor can be hard and strenuous sometimes due to the general lack of machinery with construction sites in Nepal; however, it gave me a new perspective and mindset afterward. My homestay was very welcoming and clean, the first thing they said to me on my arrival was that I was now one of their family members and to make myself completely at home. If you choose this Construction program in Nepal, my advice is this: come with a good attitude and a willingness to work hard. You'll build a great community with those around you and leave with life-long memories. Goodluck!

...
NA
Noah Allen
10 May 2022

This was a life changing experience! I will admit I was a little apprehensive but I am so glad I went. I loved my host family, the food and the culture! It was awesome getting to work on a job site with the locals and getting to make good friends with them - everyone was so friendly. Getting to know the kids at the school was also such a privilege. It is so important to do things out of your comfort zone and the pay off is huge. I learned so many valuable things!

...

To read all reviews, visit our reviews page.

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

Academic course credit

Gain course credit from your college or university and meet your academic requirements when completing a volunteer abroad program with International Volunteer HQ!

Learn about course credit
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$520 Equivalent to AU$74/day
2 weeks AU$809 Equivalent to AU$58/day
3 weeks AU$1097 Equivalent to AU$52/day
4 weeks AU$1386 Equivalent to AU$50/day
5 weeks AU$1674 Equivalent to AU$48/day
6 weeks AU$1962 Equivalent to AU$47/day
8 weeks AU$2507 Equivalent to AU$45/day
10 weeks AU$3052 Equivalent to AU$44/day
12 weeks AU$3597 Equivalent to AU$43/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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