I’m not sure what to expect, 2 months in Nepal… That’s a long time, right? Well, longest time I’ve spent somewhere other than home. Am I nervous? Yes, sure, I’m nervous, who wouldn’t be. I’m aware the culture is going to be like nothing I have experienced before, but this isn’t an issue for me, I’ll adapt, I’ll have too. I’m going to help re-build a community and give back where I can and hopefully restore faith into the individuals that call Nepal their home.
So why Nepal, why volunteering, what’s driving me to do this. In this post, I’ll try to get across my feelings on why I am choosing to volunteer and what I hope to get out of it.
Why Nepal? On Saturday, April 25th 2015 a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. The worst earthquake in this region for more than 80 years, it occurred just north west of the capital, Kathmandu. Just as the locals were coming to terms with the unfortunate natural disaster that just occurred 17 days later a second 7.3 magnitude quake hit on May 12th ultimately causing even more chaos and suffering for those who had managed to survive. 8 million civilians were approximately affected, with the death toll being around 8,700, including around 150 people who were killed during the May 12th quake. At least 22,000 injured, 1.1 million children in need of urgent assistance, 505,000 homes demolished, 279,000 homes damaged; a horrifying tragedy. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia and this damage done by the quake put a strain on its citizens and ecosystem that is still seen today and will be for many years. In addition to the catastrophic events the youth of Nepal are struggling to obtain a proper education due to inadequate resources, geographical areas with poor infrastructure and the lack of well-trained teachers all pose as major challenges with education in Nepal.
Doing the research on Nepal and its ecosystem as well as the numbers associated with the earthquake was an unpleasant task, so I suspect that short paragraph pulling out the key facts was probably an uncomfortable read; however, I hope it has given some context to why I have decided to go to Nepal to help.
There are countless reasons to volunteer, ranging from very personal goals to intercultural. In these two months, I hope to provide service and assistance to those in real need of help. My 2 months will be split; 1 month on construction and renovation and 1 month on a childcare project, both of which I will go into more detail in later posts once I’m in Nepal. As a volunteer, I’m mindful I don’t have the language skills, technical skills, time, cultural knowledge, or other resources needed to create lasting change in the community on my own, though if everyone had this mindset changes wouldn’t happen and lives wouldn't be impacted for the better. I’m volunteering with IVHQ who send thousands of volunteers overseas each year and together, as a team, long lasting changes are slowly happening.
Why volunteering? I want to learn, not only about the culture but about myself. I hope to learn how different other cultures can be, and how humanity exists within another culture, from this I would like to mature as an individual with intercultural skills that can be used around the globe. Removing myself from the culture I am currently in and placing me into a less fortunate one I hope will show me what I value truly and what emotions I hold for certain issues after seeing them first hand.
I leave on October 6th and plan to document my time via my writing, so watch this space if you’re interested in seeing how things progress in Nepal.