Through volunteering in Nepal I have gained so much self-confidence and resilience I don't think I could have achieved without IVHQ.
Childcare Volunteer Project in Nepal - Pokhara
Purpose
Provide a safe space for children to learn
Start dates
Programs start every first and third Monday of the month
Duration
Choose from 1-12 weeks
Volunteer hours
Up to 5 hours a day
Age
Volunteers aged 16+ and families
Accommodation
Homestay
Who is going?
Group video calls
Once you have secured your place, join regular video calls to meet your Program Manager and other volunteers before your trip.
This program is ideal for:
Volunteers with an interest in caring for and entertaining lively, active children. This project is well set-up and structured so is a great fit for first-time volunteers and those with no prior experience in childcare.
Project details
Young at heart and want to be a Childcare volunteer in Nepal? International Volunteer HQ’s Childcare project empowers volunteers to assist in early childhood education in the beautiful Nepalese city of Pokhara. Volunteers gain childcare experience while contributing to the local community by offering extra fun, educational activities and care for young children.
What to expect and how you'll make an impact
The tourist city of Pokhara is popular with visitors to Nepal and has been well supported by past Childcare volunteers. This means centers are well funded and set up, which enables volunteers to continue to make a difference in an organized environment.
As a Childcare volunteer you will bring enthusiasm and creativity to the project in order to brighten up the days of the children and advance their English language skills by engaging them in fun and educational activities. You’re encouraged to arrive with your own initiatives and ideas of activities to arrange for the children. Your tasks will vary depending on your placement, but in general you can expect to assist with:
- Teaching
- General life skills
- Health education
- Games
- Activities
- Drawing and painting
- Day-to-day running of the center
Volunteers who want additional work outside the childcare center also have the option to take part in nearby before and after school classes with local children.
Please be aware that on the Childcare project, volunteers may experience a language barrier; but this will be dependent on the school you are placed in. This has certainly not hindered past volunteers, but should be worth noting for your preparations.
Please keep in mind that there are two major festivals in Nepal and during these times there won’t be volunteer work available; but accommodation and all other services of the program will be available. The dates impacted are:
- 10th to 15th of October 2024 (Dashain Festival)
- 31st of October to 4th of November 2024 (Tihar Festival)
- 29th of September to 4th of October 2025 (Dashain Festival)
- 20th to 24th of October 2025 (Tihar Festival)
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 you will travel to Pokhara (where this project is based) on Tuesday after the orientation. As such, your placement would run from Wednesday - Friday.
Why do Childcare volunteering in Pokhara with IVHQ?
When you volunteer with children in Nepal you’ll be adding value to the local community, while also developing personally and professionally by:
- Providing care and attention to local children
- Helping students develop life skills in a safe place
- Developing your communication skills
- Gaining childcare experience
- Immersing yourself in Nepali culture
- Discovering the diversity of Nepal
Volunteer requirements
- Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to participate in this program
- Volunteers aged 16 or 17 on their program start date are required to provide IVHQ with parental consent in order to participate on the program, and may be asked to provide additional document 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.
Not sure which program to join?
Get personalized recommendations >
Who is going?
Group video calls
Once you have secured your place, join regular video calls to meet your Program Manager and other volunteers before your trip.
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Exploring Chitwan during an IVHQ weekend
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Exploring Chitwan during an IVHQ weekend
What recent volunteers said about their IVHQ experience
SP
Shruthika Palvannan
12 Sep 2024
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TL
Thais Lindo
16 May 2024
The team is always trying their best to answer all our questions and make the process easier for volunteers. I will be volunteering with IVHQ again. The local team are nice people always willing to help in everything we needed. They are all lovely people. No complains! It is priceless to see how happy people are just to receive us. It was a blessing for me to receive their hospitality and willingness to accept what I had to give, as well as to share their life’s and time with me. I will always be grateful for this experience. My advice to other volunteers is that volunteering is a great experience, but we must be able to understand boundaries, have respect, be able to adapt to cultural differences, and try our best. So have an open mind and heart makes all difference. Be willing to serve and give without expecting anything back, makes the experience fulfilling and unforgettable. Being open, kind, eager to help, and ready to listen can make a big impact in ourselves, others, and their communities.
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JH
Jaden Hlushak
20 Dec 2023
Do it! You wont regret it.
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NH
Nikita Hegde
02 Oct 2023
It was an incredible and smooth experience (albeit short), and I will be doing at least one program every year from now on. Everyone from the local team to my host family were so warm, welcoming and helpful — I'm so grateful people like you all exist. Thank you for doing what you're doing.
Thanks to my IVHQ Program Manager once again for being the soldier behind the scenes. Their email responses and guidance made it all effortless.
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PG
Priscilla Gaetani
18 Aug 2023
The local team cared about me all the time! They're really nice, welcoming and kind. It has been an amazing experience.
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AT
Amber Taylor
05 Apr 2023
The guidance was very helpful and all my questions were thoroughly answered by IVHQ. The local support team checked in with us throughout the time volunteering.
I volunteered at a child care centre in Pokhara. The teachers were so kind and welcoming. I felt like I made connections with many of the kids. We learned lots about the Nepalese culture from volunteering. I felt an impact made on my life and hopefully I made a small impact on others lives through the connections that were made during this process.
I stayed in the homestay with Krishna and his family and honestly it was amazing. They were so lovely and welcoming and made us feel safe and at home. The food was great, we were provided with filtered drinking water, a clean room, a door lock and a bathroom. We had many fun experiences with our host family. We danced, did henna, went shopping, looked through old books and were even invited to a wedding. The meals were delicious and you could tell effort was put into them. We would have dal bhat, curry’s and chutneys for lunch and dinner each day. For breakfast we were given toast, oats and eggs that were available to us at all times if we were hungry.
I loved playing and having fun with the kids each day. I really enjoyed attending a wedding we were invited to, exploring the area with other volunteers and I also loved our dance nights with the host family. This was my first experience leaving my family and going off on my own, as I am 16 years old, so I learnt how to be more independent and grew as a person. I felt so peaceful and happy during the volunteering and at the home stay. Staying with the host family and working at a preschool is a completely different experience than just staying in a hotel, it allows you to really experience and learn a different culture and a new way of life.
I would definitely recommend volunteering with this organization, is ethical, a good price and shows good support. If you go into the experience with the right frame of mind you will likely find there is little to complain about. My friend and I really loved the whole experience. We are both 16 year old girls who volunteered in a Pokhara child care centre and this was the first time we went off on our own and it didn’t feel stressful at all. This is a great way to immerse yourself in a different culture and learn about the world.
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To read all reviews, visit our reviews page.
Academic course credit
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 creditRecommended online TEFL course
Recommended online TEFL course
We encourage volunteers on IVHQ’s Teaching and Childcare projects to come prepared by completing some relevant training, such as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course. Although formal teaching qualifications are not required on these projects as volunteers are supported by local staff, taking a TEFL course enables you to gain more from the experience. Visit our Online TEFL Course page to learn how to gain an internationally recognized TEFL certification at a discounted rate.
Get TEFL certified onlineLocation
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 traveling 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 socializing.
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 CA$7 per week for two liters 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.
Typical volunteer bedroom during orientation
Typical volunteer bedroom during orientation
Typical volunteer dining area during orientation
Typical volunteer bathroom during orientation
Typical volunteer bathroom during orientation
Typical homestay in Kathmandu
Typical volunteer kitchen in Kathmandu
Typical volunteer bedroom in Kathmandu
Typical volunteer living room in Kathmandu
Volunteer homestay hosts in Kathmandu
Typical homestay in Chitwan
Typical volunteer dining room in Chitwan
Volunteer homestay host in Chitwan
Typical volunteer bedroom in Chitwan
Volunteer host cooking dinner in Chitwan
Volunteers enjoying dinner in Chitwan
Typical homestay in Pohkara
Typical view from volunteer house in Pohkara
Typical volunteer bedroom in Pohkara
Typical volunteer living room in Pohkara
Volunteer homestay host in Pohkara
Typical volunteer bedroom in Pohkara
Volunteers enjoying dinner in Pohkara
Typical volunteer breakfast
Typical volunteer lunch
Typical volunteer lunch
Typical volunteer Dinner
Typical volunteer Dinner
Pricing
Secure your place for just US$299 (approximately CA$440), pay your Program Fee later.
Spots are limited. For a Registration Fee of just US$299 (approximately CA$440) you secure your spot and unlock all our preparation and training tools.
You don't need to worry about paying your Program Fee until you get closer to your start date.
Duration |
Program FeeDue 30 days before you start, or within 48 hours if you register inside of 30 days. Covers the cost of hosting you.
|
|---|---|
| 1 week | $285 Equivalent to $41/day |
| 2 weeks | $415 Equivalent to $30/day |
| 3 weeks | $545 Equivalent to $26/day |
| 4 weeks | $675 Equivalent to $24/day |
| 5 weeks | $805 Equivalent to $23/day |
| 6 weeks | $935 Equivalent to $22/day |
| 8 weeks | $1,175 Equivalent to $21/day |
| 10 weeks | $1,415 Equivalent to $20/day |
| 12 weeks | $1,655 Equivalent to $20/day |
- All programs attract a Registration Fee of US$299 (approximately CA$440) in addition to the Program Fee. This covers all pre-departure support services.
- A 5% international banking fee is added at point of payment.
- Recommended spending money: Volunteers in Nepal generally find US$45 per week to be sufficient for expenses, such as lunches, transportation and local tours & activities.
- Daily breakfast and dinners
- Airport pick-up
- Accommodation
- 24/7 in-country support
- In-country program orientation
- Pre-departure support from your Program Manager
- Personalized 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.
- Daily lunches
- Transport to and from your placement each day
- Return to the airport when your program finishes
- Flights
- Visa (if required), travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, criminal background check.
- Personal spending money for snacks, laundry, public transportation, drinks and leisure activities during your free time.
Popular add-ons & experiences in Pokhara
Take your volunteer experience to the next level with these popular add-ons and experiences. Explore your options below and learn how to book them once you've been accepted onto the IVHQ Pokhara program.
Chitwan Jungle Safari (2 nights/3 days)
Embark on an unforgettable jungle safari to witness Nepal’s captivating wildlife in its natural habitat.
CA$275
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.
CA$2174
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.
CA$776
Check what's required to visit Nepal
Safety and support
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.
Essential country information
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.
Apply to check if you're eligible!
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