Dear Matrika, I wanted to thank you very much for your help in buying the best gifts. Today, I met my students and shared the Indian sweets with them. That was the most AMAZING thing I have ever eaten. Light and fluffy with spices, yet not too sweet. Thank you for choosing that. Next time, I should buy more! I was so impressed by the taste. I haven't tried my tea yet, but I am sure it will be just as amazing. My gifts from Dhukuti have been a major hit. Thank you for introducing that amazing store. Most of all though, I wanted to thank you for your hospitality at your home. I had such an amazing time with your family. Please send my regards to your children and your wife. Your wife is an amazing cook! Your children are a delight. Your daughter even gave me a beautiful hair clip, which I will cherish. Lastly, thank you for taking me and Randall to the airport. It was such a nice ending to my trip. I had a nice flight except there must have been at least 5-6 (screaming) babies on the plane from Kathmandu to Dhaka. In any case, I hope to stay at your cottage/resort next time. I think that you have excellent taste, so you will be able to design it very well. I am looking forward to seeing it soon. Send me photos! With appreciation,

John and I volunteered with VSSN for 2 months, and we have had a fascinating and rewarding experience. We helped to finish a wall-construction project at Chapagaon health centre, and taught at a local government secondary school. We stayed with Ram Krishna, the manager of the primary health-care centre, and were able to see the great benefits that the centre brings to the community. We were really impressed by Ram's commitment to the local people, and his ambitions to keep developing health-care in the area. We also enjoyed our stay with his family, who made us feel completely at home. After this, we stayed with another lovely family in Bhaktapur, and taught English at a local private secondary school. It was very interesting to have experience of both types of schools. Although the Shree Udaya Kharka school in Chapagoan faces lots of challenges: limited funds, problems with children's attendance; we thought that the standard of education was good, and the children's enthusiasm made the teaching enjoyable. We had a similarly good experience teaching at the Little World School in Bhaktapur, and were made to feel very welcome by the teachers at both schools. All in all, we are very pleased that we chose to volunteer through VSSN. The language lessons taught by the lovely Pramila were very useful, and it was good to have some guidance regarding cultural differences. Matrika and Badri have been great hosts, and we have always felt very supported by them, and impressed by the development work that VSSN is doing.

I was searching for a volunteer program that helps improve the education in a developing Asian country and found the Teaching in Schools and Orphanages program of VSSN a big match with my original expectation. So came my 12-day visit to Nepal with my friend Nan in July 2009, which turned out to be a nice and unforgettable experience.

For the first two days we stayed in the Millennium Hotel in Kathmandu. We studied basic Nepalese in the morning and visited some famous touring sites in the afternoons, some of them being world heritage.

On the third day we were taken to a village called Chapagaun where we lived with a local family and taught in Emerald Secondary English School. Our host family was very hospitable and we had nice communications in simple Nepali and English. It was also fun to learn eating with our right hand rather than chopsticks in accordance with the Nepalese tradition. At school we taught students of class 5 and 6. Different from the students we saw in a government school, children in this school were very active and eager to learn. They were especially kean to know about other countries in the world, and to us they showed special interest on China. So we decided to teach them Chinese history and culture, which made interesting classes to them. Our topics ranged from the Great Wall, Terra Cotta Soldiers, to Confucius, Chinese medical treatment, Chinese characters, etc. While teaching them we also learnt the Nepalese cultures and traditions from them.

During breaks we talked with the principal, a nice and well-educated man. From him we learnt how hard it is to provide good education to kids in Nepal under the unstable political status and with disturbance from the government. It is good to see that there are some people making their hard effort in the hope of shaping the children a good future. In China there are also many poor kids who struggle for education, but at least the 9-year compulsory education policy generally makes an unchallengeable and nationally exercised guarantee for Chinese kids to receive basic education. It is only after our visit to Nepal had we realized how hard and crucial good education can be.

Time passed fast and we both felt not having stayed in Nepal enough at the end of our stay. It is a nice country with rich and mysterious religious culture and tradition, worth visiting for tour. But more importantly, it is a country that demands more international help. I'm looking forward to go there again for a hand.

I was working as an English teacher at one of the monasteries in a town called Bhaktapur not far from Kathmandu. My day consisted of getting up at a civilised hour, around 9.00am and eating breakfast at a leisurely pace before going to an Internet cafe to send and receive emails. I then spent time looking around that amazing town. It is full of temples and other interesting buildings/architecture. The people are also worth a very big mention. They are warm and friendly and always want to help. Because tourists tend to stick to the main thoroughfares, you will find you will be stared at if you venture into the back streets and out-of-the-way places. The whole experience in this town and beyond is really amazing and I found every day a new and fascinating experience. The teaching was to novice monks in the monastery, and this started in the afternoon. In the early evening I taught to local small businessmen and women who were very keen to learn about all things western, apart from English. After some time I felt like a minor celebrity in the town because so many people knew who I was and greeted me as I walked by. All in all, I rate the experience with a gold star and will go back myself in the near future.

Our volunteering experience had three main phases; a construction project plastering a wall, teaching in a government school, and teaching in a private school. I enjoyed the variety of experiences, as well as the chance to see different areas of Nepal from city to village. VSSN provided an excellent introduction to Nepal with cultural and linguistic lessons, which really were superb. I have never enjoyed formal language lessons so much! The support continued throughout our time in Nepal, so we never felt isolated. We stayed with two families, who were hospitable and had fantastic cooking skills. I am a convert to Dahl Bhaat, and plan to export this to England! I was fairly apprehensive about teaching as I had no formal teaching experience. In practice however, I hardly had any problems, and really enjoyed the experience. The children were much more cooperative than I had expected and, I hope, enjoyed the experience as well! If I get the opportunity again, I would love to come back!

People are welcoming, friendly and hospitable and good. Every thing seemed to run like clockwork which is good in this programme. Very comfortable accommodation made most welcome. It's been a great opportunity to be a part of this scheme. We have learned to work together as a team in harmony and to appreciate the cultures and traditions of Nepal. It was a great privilege to visit Nepal and help with the project. I wish you much success in the future, carry on the good work. It was a great team building exercise. This experience will stay with us the rest of our life. 

Hi all! I’m very happy to give you my feedback on my time in Nepal.
The first days in Kathmandu were great. The routine of Nepali classes in the morning and sight seeing in the afternoon helped me a lot to settle down and to feel at ease. Then I was sent to this amazing and beautiful area in the south of the Kathmandu valley where I stayed for 4 months. The family made me feel at home immediately. The food they served was very good and healthy. They made sure I missed nothing. The house in itself had a TV, a bathroom etc…
I volunteered as an assistant in a public school where most of the kids are from deprived households. I helped the teachers with English, Maths and other activities…
Teaching English was a bit challenging (be prepared to have loads of ideas for games, like for example the hangman). I preferred the lessons when I was only assisting the teacher, showing him or her learning methods and the different ways how I learned English myself…
The kids were little monsters at times, but that’s what made me love them even more. They are so lively and have hearts of gold.
Then I and other volunteers bought sport equipments. We played volley ball and badminton with the children. The real fun started at that very moment! I also enjoyed taking part in the numerous religious festivals. I learnt a lot on religions, Asian History and cultures, and was really impressed by the Nepali way of life. The most difficult moment of my volunteering experience was actually to come back to Europe. Both worlds are so different. I felt lost. But now that I’m settled back, I feel really proud to have done it. I gained both confidence and many good memories. I benefited so much from this trip! I hope the kids enjoyed their time with me as much as I enjoyed it with them.
My wish is that more people can discover how incredible volunteering can be or just simply discover Nepal in a real Nepali environment.
Feel free to check the blog I created; it’s kind of a diary where I uploaded photos:
http://www.sjoigneaux.wordpress.com
Don’t be scared, go for it!

Dear Matrika,
Namaste my dear friend!
Sanchaai chha??
Hope all's well with you, your beautiful wife and comedian of a son! Haha!
I'm sorry I didn't write sooner, but it's taken me a full week to deal with the fact that I am no longer in Nepal... I miss your beautiful country sooooo much!!! I cannot thank you enough for giving me the fabulous opportunity to work with VSSN!!! From day one, I felt completely safe and well looked after by not only yourself.. but also Urmila, the lovely language instructor/tour guide, Raj and the boys at Millenium and Mr. Dev the trusty driver!!! Not to mention the hilarious Badri, who I will always remember as the 'lady landmark' guy. Haha.
I am missing my gorgeous Newari family, the Maharjans, in Chapagaun so much!!! I miss speaking Nepali with them.. and learning a bit of the Newari dialect too!!! They treated me like a real family member and they certainly kept me well-fed everyday!!! I have serious cravings for daal, bhaat and thakari!!! Oh and roti too! And veg momo! Oh my gosh and the chiya!!! I miss my cups of chiya daily... I couldn't have asked for a better family to stay with.. not only were they incredibly accommodating, but they were genuinely warm and interested in learning about my background and country, family etc. As far as I'm concerned, they are now a part of my extended family. They are my Nepali connection:)
As for the kids and teaching staff at Emerald English School.. I just don't know where to start. 'JB', the animated and wonderfully caring Principal at Emerald School is doing an amazing job with the school and I felt his passion for reaching out to the needy and teaching the young the necessary skills they'll need to survive in later life. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching English Literature and Grammar to all ages and levels.... all of the classes were super-active and always participated in our lessons:) They were so funny, charming and so engaging... that it's been hard coming back to my teaching job here in Japan, where some of the kids aren't half as active as the Nepali kids!!! I tell you what, these Japanese kids could learn A LOT from the beautiful wee souls in Nepal!!! The teachers were so friendly and extended a helping hand to me outside of school, which was greatly appreciated:) I got to try on the traditional Newari dress and had meals at various teacher's homes. They even bought me gifts, as I celebrated my birthday the day before I left Chapagaun. Please give them all my love next time you visit Emerald School! I will send them emails and photos asap too!!!

Getting to visit a local Orphanage was also a highlight of my time there. The sweet little kids who are learning there, were so adorable and I loved playing with them!!! Here's hoping they'll continue to do well with their studies there:)

All in all, my experiences as a Volunteer in Nepal were above and beyond anything I could've anticipated!!! My time in Chapagaun will forever remain in my heart as one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences ever!!! The warmth, genuine loving nature and unrivalled hospitality of the Nepali people whereever I went will always be appreciated and never be forgotten:)
DHANYABAAD a million times over to your superb professionalism Matrika, the fantastic team at VSSN, and related associations who contribute daily to improving the lives of the Nepali people!!!
NEPAL DHERAI MAN PARCHHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll be back sooner than you think!!! Haha!

Thank you so much for all your help. You and your wonderful program VSSN have enabled me to experience such a beautiful country with such amazing people and fascinating history and culture. I do not know that I can ever thank you enough! I had an amazing time with Ram Krishna's family and also working at the clinic where learned from experiences, I couldn't have had anywhere else.
But it was truly your kindness and paternal help that made the experience so memorable. Thank you for introducing me to Pramila. She was so sweet and helpful (and smart!) not to mention loads of fun. I wish you all the best and I can't wait to see you when I come next time to Nepal (which) hope will be very soon :)! I will be in touch very soon sending pictures etc.
Love and thanks.

Namaste, Kasto chha? Hope you are well! I am doing fine. I have managed to print the pictures out for the host family. The next time you visit Chapagaun, I would be grateful if you could pass these on to the host family. How are the volunteers doing? I hope we can keep in touch about what’s happening with the orphanage and how the children are doing. Did you manage to contact the school asking if the students are interested in volunteering to play with the boys at the orphanage? I hope the response was a positive one; I will also start asking schools over here if they are interested in helping at the orphanage once we think of some project for them. Keep in touch, much love,