Get involved in School and Orphanage Recovery and Restoration Project
  • Contribute to the school/orphanage recovery efforts in Kathmandu and the rural areas
  • Show your love to the earthquake affected children by your involvement and action
  • Expand the horizons of your knowledge and skills by working with the local community

A massive earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, 2015. Measured 7.8 magnitude, the earthquake caused enormous destruction in Kathmandu, the capital city, and many other districts in the rural areas. The impacts of the earthquake have been huge and destructive. It has wiped out entire villages in the rural areas, and the death toll is expected to rise up to tens of thousands. Equally a large number of people are injured. Many children have suddenly lost their parents to earthquake and have become homeless.

Among the destroyed buildings are hundreds of schools and orphanages in Kathmandu and the nearby hilly regions. It has put thousands of students across the country in a bleak situation with no certainty about their education. Orphans, most specifically, have become more vulnerable.

With an aim to recover damages and restore normalcy in the lives of vulnerable children as early as possible, Global Crossroad has launched School and Orphanage Recovery and Restoration Project. The project will be a small but important step in the direction of giving a better future and education to the children.

What Volunteers will Do

#

Volunteers can make a tangible impact in the lives of children in Nepal in the present circumstance. Beginning of such projects would, first and foremost, create an environment of hope and optimism among the local communities and help develop a sense of security and confidence among the children.

As a volunteer, you will take an initiative in recovering and rebuilding the orphanages in Kathmandu and other areas near to Kathmandu. As for reconstructing the damaged or destroyed schools, your project site would be either in Kathmandu or the neighboring districts like Lalitpur, Kavre, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok etc. Your project will require you to carry out physically demanding works like clearing debris from the construction area, carrying heavy construction materials like bricks, stones, cement, rods, wooden frames etc. You will also involve in masonry works like mixing cement, digging ground, repairing damages or building new structures.

Your project will be of collaborative nature, and you will work together with the concerned school/orphanage management/staff, skilled labors, local communities and fellow volunteers from around the world. With your work, you will make a lasting impact on the lives of many disaster-stricken children and help them begin a new life ahead. Your small act of kindness will have a huge significance for the children in need of your help. A right action taken at the right time makes all the difference in the lives of the children of formative age, so we would encourage you to be creative in your work and share your ideas to make it more efficient.

Skills/Qualification

There are no fixed sets of skills or qualifications required of the volunteers. A person physically able to make contributions and with a strong drive to improve the living conditions of the earthquake-affected children in Nepal can be a volunteer to this project. All you are to possess is love for the children and a strong desire to make a difference in their lives.

Dates and Fees

Global Crossroad is one of the world’s most trusted volunteer organizations that offer highly affordable volunteer opportunities. Volunteers pay a small fee in order to contribute to the operational costs of Global Crossroad. The fee, which is used in office expenses, staff, advertisement, coordination etc., is meant to be for sharing the burden. Volunteers pay $299 as a registration fee, of which $50 is directly allocated to the project.

The fee for a two-week program is $499, and it covers volunteer’s pickup from and drop-off to the airport, accommodation either with the host family or a rented room or a tent, depending on the circumstances. It also covers three meals a day, daily transportation to and from the project site and support/supervision for 24/7. Volunteers pay this fee ($499) directly to Global Crossroad’s Nepal office. Please note that this fee does not cover international flights, personal expenses on drinks and beverages and visa processing fees.

Appeal for a Special Donation

It takes a substantial amount of money to recover, reconstruct, and renovate the damaged or demolished schools and orphanage. Construction materials like cement, rod, bricks, wood etc. are expensive to buy, and the devastated communities are not in a position to afford these expenses. These are precisely the reasons why volunteering has an important role to play in the affected areas.

Hence, Global Crossroad appeals the volunteers to make a special donation of $200 to help the project purchase the construction materials. This donation will be vital for the operation of the project and to accomplish its goals For raising funds for this donation, you can create a donation page on gofundme.com. Global Crossroad will make a donation of $50 each person per week.

Global Crossroad Rebuilding Earthquake-destroyed School/Orphanage Project will be operating until the goals are achieved. The project will begin on the following dates.

  • June 1 – June 14
  • June 15- June 28
  • June 29 – July 12
  • July 13 – July 26
  • July 27 – August 09
  • August 10 – August 23
  • August 24 – September 06
  • September 07 – September 20
  • September 21 – October 04
  • October 26 – November 09
  • November 16 – November 29
  • November 30 – December 13

Daily Itinerary

Day 01: Upon arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, volunteers will be picked up from the airport and will be transferred to the designated hotel or accommodation. They will take their time for refreshment and rest. Later, they will be given a welcome dinner in which they will get to know their colleagues and project staffs.

Day 2: Volunteers will attend an orientation and learn the important facts about Nepal, its people and their cultures, safety tips, the project location and activities. Then, the volunteers will visit the project site, where they will meet the local people, school management, and teachers.

Day 3: After taking breakfast, volunteers will leave for the project. They will have a brief meeting with the local community activists and the school staff and discuss about how to organize the work. Then, volunteers will be assigned with their jobs and responsibilities. As the project is focused on recovering and rebuilding, the jobs and responsibilities will involve a significant amount of labor-intensive woks like removing debris, carrying construction materials, and carrying out recovery/rebuilding works together will the skilled labors etc.

Day 04 - 05: In these days, volunteers will carry out their project further. Their construction works will include preparing mortar by mixing cement, sand, and water. They will perform the manual works like setting up structures with bricks, mortar, rods, and wooden frames. They will also water the plastered walls and level the grounds.

Day 06 – 07: Volunteers will get a break during these two days. In these days, they be able to explore the cultural and natural wonders of Nepal. They can hike or travel to the popular destinations in Kathmandu and the nearby location. Popular destinations of rich natural beauty like Nagarkot, Chitwan National Park, Bandipur and Pokhara within some hours’ travel distance from Kathmandu. Despite the earthquake, the valley of Kathmandu still offers a lot of attractions with traditional costume and culture and art and architecture. Volunteers can also visit the historical site in Lumbin, where Lord Buddha was born.
Although Global Culture’s Nepal office does not operate any excursion activities, still, it can help volunteers with their interests and plans. Volunteers are requested to talk with our experienced coordinator in Nepal office to get advice and to organize their travel plans.

Day 08 - 12: After the break, volunteer will return to the project sits and will continue with their projects. By this time the construction work will be mostly complete, so most the remaining work will involve furnishing and decorating. Volunteers will plant trees in the gardens, fix fences, level the playground and paint murals on the walls. Children will find it exciting to begin their days in the renovated and remodeled homes and schools. Volunteers will be able to spend a few hours each day with the children and conduct sport and learning activities.

Day 13: The project will formally conclude on this day, and there will be a farewell dinner to mark successful conclusion of the project and to express gratitude to the volunteers for their contributions. On this day there will be a discussion about and assessment on the project as well as about the future plans. Volunteers will get information about how they can know about the progress of the projects and how they can support the projects further to sustain.

Day 14: On this day, volunteers will be dropped off at the airport if they have planned to leave on this particular day. Volunteers, who have plans to stay in Nepal and explore the country, can seek our help with their plans. We will try to provide airport drop off service as per their flights.

Please note that this itinerary is subject to changes and modifications depending on the needs and circumstances. We will have a discussion with the volunteers about the itinerary prior to beginning of the projects, and they will get a notification in advance in case changes and adjustments are applied.

Daily Schedule:

7.30: Get up
8:00- Have breakfast
8:30- Leave for the project location
9:00 – 12:00 – Begin project work
12.00 – 2.00 – Break for lunch and rest
2.00 – 4.00 – Resume project work
4:00 - .4:30 – Tea break
4.30 – 6:00 – Resume project work
6.00 – Return to the shelter
7.00 – Have dinner

Accommodation:

The kind of accommodation depends on the location of the project and the facilities available. Volunteers will either stay with a host family or live in a hostel nearby the project site during the project time. It is important to note that earthquake has not damaged all the houses in Kathmandu. Many houses a perfectly safe to live, and Global Volunteers will arrange accommodation after the safety check.

The case is different in the rural areas around Kathmandu. Earthquake has damaged and demolished most of the houses in the rural areas—especially, in Lalitpur, Dhading, Kavre, Nuwakot destrics—and most of the houses are not safe to take shelter. In this case we will manage safe accommodation in the cities close by. It may require volunteers to live in a single house. Global Volunteers will arrange a van for the volunteers to travel to the project site.

The safety, comfort, and wellbeing of the volunteers is our top priority, so, no matter where they stay, volunteers will get a simple and safe accommodation.

Volunteers might want to bring seeping beds and pillows for comfort and convenience, but these items are not the requirement. These items can also be bought in Kathmandu and other major cities.

Food

Global Volunteers Nepal office will provide 3 meals to the volunteers each day—i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It will be a simple and healthy Nepali meal, consisting of rice, vegetables, lentil soup, and pickle, common among the local people. Volunteers will be served meat once every week. For the different taste, volunteers will also get noodles, chow mein, and other varieties of western food. In the case of home stay, volunteers will get meals from the host family, and if the volunteers are living in a rented house, Global Crossroad will hire a cook. Nepalese people offer tea for showing hospitality, and you are likely to get more than one time a day.

Supervision/ Team Leader

The school/orphanage reconstruction and renovation project will be led by team leaders from IFRE Nepal office. Depending up on the size of the team, IFRE Nepal office will assign one or two leaders to the group. The group leader will stay with the group throughout the project period (24/7). He/she will be there 24/7 to help you in language translation, job allocation, and to solve any issues that may arise during project time. The team leaders will work as a liaison between volunteers, local people, and school administration. He/she is there to help volunteers, to facilitate the work, supervise room/food and other safety issues. And to make your stay rewarding and memorable.

A highly experienced team leader of Global Volunteers Nepal office will lead the School and Orphanage Recovery and Restoration Project. Considering the size of the team, one or two leaders will get involved with each team. The team leader(s) will be responsible to supervise the project and provide help to the volunteers 24/7. He/she will help volunteers with language translation, project coordination, job allocation and will facilitate communication and cooperation between the local people, school administration, and the volunteers. Also, he/she will resolve any issue that might arise during the project.

Global Volunteers wants to translate every volunteer’s zeal, passion, and enthusiasm to do some remarkable work for the sake of the disadvantaged children into the real actions. As envisioned by our volunteers, it also wants these actions to have long-lasting and transformative impacts in the lives of the children in their formative age. Our team leaders are both experienced and capable to mobilize their team to achieve these goals as well as to make the stay of our volunteers in Nepal pleasant and memorable.

Work Areas


School Reconstruction (Dhading, Kavre, Lalitpur, Sindhpalchock)

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake, that rocked Kathmandu and its neighboring districts on April 25, has caused a huge damage in Nepal, leaving deep scars in Nepali society. The biggest earthquake to hit the country in 80 years has destroyed many important historical monuments in Kathmandu and flattened entire villages in the neighboring districts around the capital. The cost of the total damage is expected to amount in many billions. It is going to be a huge cost to a country that already had widespread poverty and shaky economic conditions. The human cost of the earthquake and its impacts are immeasurable. Thousands have lost their lives, thousands have been injured, and many more have suddenly become homeless.

While the entire country has suffered the impacts of earthquake, children in particular are bearing the brunt to the greater extent which, in case of lacking right actions at the right time, is going to have long-term consequences to the entire country. As reports arrive from the remote rural areas, the damage of the public school infrastructures appears to be shocking. Thousands of schools are reduced into ruble and many others have sustained big impacts, requiring thorough recovery and restoration efforts. According to UN OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), more than 16,000 public and private schools have been damaged, which is nearly half of the country’s total schools.

Schools in the affected areas—specifically, in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Sindhupalchok, Kavre, Dhading and Gorkha—are closed for until an unknown date. According to UNICEF, nearly 1 million students’ education is in jeopardy due to earthquake destruction. If there is no international support from aid organizations and volunteers to renovate, restore, and reconstruct the damaged or destroyed schools, it would take years to get students back to school and to resume their normal learning activities. This may have an adverse effect to their lives and to the society in the long run.

Taking these grim realities into consideration, Global Crossroad has organized School and Orphanage Recovery and Restoration Project in Dhading, Kavre, Lalitpur and Sindhpalchock districts. We understand that we would be able to carry out only a handful of projects in certain locations in the affected areas, but we take it as our responsibility to make some difference the way we can. Volunteers joining their hands from around the world will have a major role to play for the success of this project.


Orphanages Reconstruction (around Kathmandu)

One of the heart-wrenching facts about the earthquake and its consequences is that it has left many children homeless who were already left as orphans. The life they had pieced together and the hopes they had cherished for their lives have gain shattered. Moreover, there are many children who have lost their parents to earthquake and require an immediate support.

Global Volunteer has introduced Orphanage Reconstruction Project in and around Kathmandu with an aim to reduce the damage to the minimum by recovering, rebuilding and restoring the damaged and destroyed orphanages as early as possible. As orphans are the most vulnerable children and are likely to suffer more than anybody else, they require a complete attention and supporting hands.

Our Orphanage Reconstruction Project is working to working to identify the orphanage facilities that require a prompt help. Once the project begins, we will mobilize our volunteers to the prioritized locations and help orphanages to repair the damages. We will allocate more of our resources and volunteer workforce to the orphanages that need complete recovery/reconstruction efforts.

After earthquake, many orphans in Kathmandu are living in the temporary shelters which lack very basic facilities like safe drinking water, toilets/bathrooms, and a place to sleep. Many children are shocked and the feeling of insecurity is a common experience among them. Working with the volunteers, Global Crossroad aims to restore their happy home as well as their hope and confidence to a better and brighter future.

At this moment, Nepal is grappling with the unimagined challenges. Providing a safe life and a secure future to the orphans and school children is one of the biggest challenges. The gravity of the situation demands swift actions, but the Nepalese government and communities have limited resources and are overwhelmed. At this crucial juncture international communities have the responsibility of stepping in and taking actions to save thousands of children from the brink of another disaster. It is the disaster homelessness, hopelessness, and lack of education can cause. It is time to show you care about the world and the wellbeing of the children. It is time to take action.