My two-month experience at the SJSK-Nepal
by Daniel Rohn
The Internet is filled with dubious offers or agencies who primarily want to enrich them-selves and show no social aid for non-profit organizations. For this reason I left out the very expensive step through agencies and started my own research of needy organizations in Nepal. It´s easy to search for private organizations as the SJSK-Nepal on Facebook for example. Also you can easily classify whether this is a serious offer or not. You can save a lot of money by going on your own. This money can be used to improve the situation in the family later. Moreover it is an advantage for private organizations if they can communicate with the volunteers directly and not through agencies. In this case 100% of the money for food and accommodation, airport pick-up etc. goes to the institution and not in the pocket of profit-motivated agencies.
I've learned a lot from other volunteers who came to Nepal by agencies and paid a lot of money for their stay. They have basically paid almost three times more than I did, but the private organization is only able to cover one third of their costs, because the agencies took more than half of the money in their own pockets. Therefore the helpfulness of the volunteers as well as the need for the private organizations got lost.
My advice: Make your own way to search for private and needy organizations and contact them directly without detours through the agencies. This ensures that your money get to people who need it most.
My contact to the SJSK-Nepal occurred exactly like that. Sujan was the first who replied to my messages via Facebook. In addition, he was nice from the be-ginning, courteous and with a lot of passion. He as a young student who has to run a children home with 11 children, makes an incredible job. He is not only responsible for the welfare of them kids, also for the long-term continuation of the organization.
He regulates financial matters such as payments of volunteers, donations or other money input via western union. He is also responsible for the children’s school education, he has to organize them school places, buy teaching materials and pay school fees. And by the way he is still an engineering student who also has dreams that he wants to realize in the future.
But now to my experience in the SJSK-Nepal:
I was welcomed very warmly by the whole family, so I could immediately feel home. Especially the children look forward to each new face which entering the doorstep and brings them a small gift. The children are very cheerful and friendly, they laugh insanely much and they are very lively. The days with the family flew by and were dominated by making children ready for school, trying to pack 11 school bags completely (which by the way is an impossible task) and bringing the kids to school. On the way home you can buy purchases for the family, talk to the locals or just rest.
Following you have a lot of leisure, which you can use to explore the surroundings or plan your future travel. I personally spent my time with Sujan, went sightseeing, visited other organizations or helped with domestic work. We built a rabbit hutch out of bam-boo, wire and clay and several pieces of furniture made out of wood. When the children are coming back from school first they want to play with you, then you have to check their homework and play again. In their leisure we went to the local "pool" or tried to teach them German or Chinese for example.
Meals were simple but always delicious. You will get rice three times a day and a side dish. Either there was Curry or just the classic Dhal Bhat. That´s the reason why rice and I are not good friends anymore :) Here I can give one piece of advice again: try everything of the local delicacies, because you don´t know when you have the chance to try them again.
To summarize, it can be said that a stay in a private local family is essential to get a detailed insight into the work of such an organization. And you will meet an amazing warm-hearted family and 11 wonderful and happy kids.
Here are a few points which might be important for you:
1. Nepal is safe
2. Nepal is one of the poorest country on earth, but also the country with the most happiest people worldwide
3. Nepal is partly very dirty, especially for Westerners. Idea for a project in Nepal: Re-cover the awareness for nature which existing from birth. Taking forward the sustaina-ble protection of nature.
4. Arrive with as less as possible expectations, because anyway it will be differently than you think
5. Search for private organizations and not for profit motivated agencies
6. Enter help where it´s needed. So rather go to smaller facilities and offer help
7. Collect donations prior to your departure and use this money locally for necessities
8. Don’t worry about hygiene, diseases or other typical fears
9. Do not try to change the people there and imposition-them the western life style. Rather live according to their standards
10. Eat no rice as long as possible before your departure. You'll get enough rice for the rest of your life
11. Get in contact with non-profit organizations and also offer your help
12. Don´t schedule everything for your stay in Nepal. Just be spontaneous, book your flight and see what awaits you there…
