Childcare Expedition in South Asia
Discover three South Asian countries, filled with ancient history, cultures and traditions as you contribute to critical child development projects.
Our Impact
Location
Volunteer in Pokhara
Program Information
- Overview
- Project Life
- Project Details
- Your Impact
- What's It like?
- Our Ethics
- What's Included?
- Support & Safety
- The Team
- Dates & Costs
- Parent Info
- Live Base Updates
Overview
Explore Asia to its fullest by travelling to not one, not two but three countries! Experience the exotic cuisine, the rich culture and breath-taking scenic beauty to its fullest while you volunteer with children to help them develop fine motor skills and provide educational support.On this multi country project you will volunteer with children from the local communities, providing an important assistance in their education and early childhood development.
Following the 2015 Nepal Earthquake, our projects adjusted focus to provide disaster relief to those in need. In conjunction with our partners, trucks of supplies and family care packages were taken to some of the most affected areas. Now our projects are focused on initiatives within our local communities, who have needs around education and improving educational facilities.
In Nepal, dependent on your skills and local needs at the time, you will be assisting with sports programs and helping with creative workshops and personal health demonstrations. In India, you will primarily support local education efforts, supporting teachers and other leaders directly or work with their students individually or in groups. Lastly, you will rounding off your trip in Laos, where you will be focusing on teaching English to young children to help improve their English skills and chances of a better education and employment opportunities.
Please note travel between Nepal, India and Laos is not included, but please speak to your Country Expert who will be able to advise you on your options and costs involved.
Highlights
Live in beautiful Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; discover gold domed temples and marvel at the Pak Ou Caves; unleash your adventurous side with white water rafting and mountain trekking trips in Nepal; take it easy and enjoy the beautiful beaches and stunning backwaters found in Kerala, India; work with a team of international volunteers; learn new skills in child development and teaching children; make an impact towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, namely Goal #4 - Quality Education.
Program Details
Project Life
NepalSurrounded by the beautiful Himalayan Mountains, your time in Nepal will be divided between assisting with child development programs and taking in all the rich culture and traditions. During the week you will be leading sports, games, art projects and activities with local children. After a busy day of work, you will be able to spend the time relaxing with your fellow volunteers and exploring the beautiful town of Pokhara.
Your accommodation will consist of shared bedrooms and bathrooms with a local family near to your volunteer placement. This provides a fantastic opportunity for you to truly experience life inside a Nepalese community. During your time on project you will also be able to enjoy delicious home cooked meals consisting of fresh vegetables, beans and rice, made in authentic Nepalese style.
India
While staying in the vibrant southern state of Kerala, you will be volunteering from Monday to Friday assisting local teachers, planning lessons and delivering educational activities for children from the local area. Your lessons will be focused on developing English language skills by incorporating art, sport and games into your lessons. During the evenings, you will have time to relax with your fellow volunteers, while preparing for the following day’s activities.
Your accommodation will be shared and is situated in the centre of town with electricity, running water and flush toilets. Lunch and dinner will consist of fresh vegetables. Lunch will be prepared for you in local style, giving you the chance to experience an authentic part of the Indian lifestyle and dinners are prepared together, on base.
On weekends you will be free to explore the surrounding area, sample local cuisine, shop in exotic spice markets, take part in one of the various optional side trips or simply relax in your base town of Kochi.
Laos
Experience the Buddhist culture that Laos is famous during your stay in this majestic country. Start your day walking past Buddhist shrines and local cafes while taking in the atmosphere of the town. From Monday to Friday you will be working on project, planning and delivering English lessons using a variety of techniques, including playing games and practicing fine motor skils. During the evenings you will return to base, where you will have the chance to get to know your fellow volunteers while preparing for the following day’s lessons.
During your stay on the project you will be living in a conveniently located guesthouse with shared rooms and bathrooms. You will get a chance to sample the local cuisine and truly immerse yourself into the fascinating local culture.
Accommodation Upgrade
If you would prefer to stay in private accommodation while on this project, these locations do offer upgrades. Contact us for more information, or mention to your Country Expert who will be able to assist you.
Project Details
Our project aims vary between countries, but are all focused around building a better future and support structure for these children.In Nepal, volunteers provide support to local teachers by assisting with conducting workshops and educational demostarations. Our programs contribute towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as Goal #4 - Quality Education, Goal #1 - No Poverty and Goal #10 Reducing Inequalities.
In India, education is the basis for much of the work, whether the objective is to work with teachers on education initiatives, or discussing women's empowerment and rights with the local communities, education is the key. By increasing the educational support available we support schools and teachers, motivate children to stay in school and learn, and conduct empowerment workshops.
In Laos, as a result of an increase in tourism, there is a high demand for English teachers, particularly in after-school learning and tutoring centres. We aim to provide additional support and assistance to the teachers in these centres in order to provide the children with the attention and assistance they need to excel.
Pokhara, Kerala and Luang Prabang’s short, mid, and long-term objectives:
All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualize their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Upon arrival to base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. You will learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfill our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
Learn about the long-term objectives you will be contributing to:
In Pokhara:
1. Support students to reach learning goals
2. Support students to expand their English vocabulary
3. Increase the knowledge and understanding of Healthcare in the community with an emphasis on prevention
4. Develop the skills of women in the community in order to improve their potential to generate income or to become more self sufficient
5. Support the local community with improved facilities with an emphasis on educational and health and safety needs
6. To minimize our environmental impact in Lakeside and raise awareness of environmental issues amongst volunteers and the students with whom we work
In Kerala:
1. Increase women's opportunities in Kerala
2. Ensure healthy lives, well-being and promote opportunities and equality for those with special needs in Kerala
3. Enable the development of children and young adults in Kerala by providing support and training in LSBE (life skills base education)
In Luang Prabang:
1. To strengthen existing partnerships and nurture the growth of new ones
2. To increase access to English education and to improve student's general English language ability
3. Improving employment opportunities and socio-economic status of community members.
4. Reduce Carbon Footprint
How this project makes a difference
In Nepal, our volunteers help provide positive and stimulating learning environments for children. We support local staff with new ideas and resources. Our hands-on work helps run programmes that would otherwise be difficult due to low staff numbers.
In Kerala, many schools providing education opportunities to students have limited resources and capacity. Giving the teachers with additional support means students can get more individual attention and volunteers can conduct extra-curricular activities which go a long way towards improving children's education. Teachers and local community members are very motivated to pick up new skills and welcome the mere opportunity to practicing their English conversational skills.
In Laos, we aim to help increase children's, young adults and women's access to education. By doing so, we work to empower our students to increase their future employment opportunities, positively impact their socio-economic status and improve the quality of life of themselves, their families and communities while meaningfully contributing to the development of Laos as a whole.
Your Impact
All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Upon arrival to base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. You will learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
What's It like?
If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.
We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.
Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.
Our Ethics
Below is a list of core ethics and best practices we believe are essential to the operation of high quality, ethical volunteer and sustainable development programs. We believe that all responsible volunteer and sustainable development operations should focus upon these principles. If you are considering volunteering, these are some of the key considerations you should question, to ensure that your time and money contributes towards positive change.
Our 10 Ethical Commitments
Locally Driven, Collaborative Projects
We aim to design all our projects in collaboration with local organizations and communities and ensure that they are locally driven.
Clear Objectives & Sustainable Outcomes
We aim to clearly define short-, mid-, and long-term objectives with sustainable outcomes for all our projects.
Impact Reporting
We aim to track, record, and publish the impact of each of our projects.
Working Against Dependency
We aim to build in-country capacity by assisting local organizations in becoming self-sustaining.
Responsible Exit Strategies
For each local organization we work with, we aim to have a plan in place for withdrawing support responsibly.
Clear Roles & Specialized Training
We aim to ensure that ever participant is assigned a clear role and that they are fully trained and supported to carry out their work by specialized staff.
Respect for all
In all our actions we aim to respect the skills and efforts of all and seek to protect the rights, culture and dignity of everyone who engages with GVI.
Local Ownership
We work to ensure that credit for the results of any project, along with any data collected, research conduct, or Intellectual Property developed, remains the property of local organizations.
Transitioning from the Orphanage Model
We do not condone and aim to withdraw support of orphanages and residential care centers.
Child and Vulnerable adult policies
We will live by our Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult policies.
Continual Development
As an organization, GVI is committed to striving toward best practice, and to educating both our potential participants, our partners, and the world at large about them. Both the volunteering and sustainable development sectors are increasingly, and rightly, under scrutiny. Many recent local and global articles highlight poor practices and questionable ethics GVI is widely recognized for striving to apply global best practice in the volunteering, education and sustainable development sectors throughout our operations by reputable organizations such as ChildSafe.
However, global best practice is always evolving and we dedicate both time and resources to engage with internationally respected experts and learn from the latest research to ensure our programs both fulfil their potential to create maximum positive impact, and minimise their potential to create unintentional negative impact. Along with and as part of the sustainable development and volunteering community, we are constantly learning and applying this learning to practice. We do not always get everything right, but we seek feedback from our community members, partners, participants and our staff, and react accordingly. We know are already doing a great job, and feedback we have received confirms this, but we aim to do even better and are continuously refining our operations to improve upon our already excellent reputation.
What's Included
- 24-hour emergency phone
- 24-hour in-country support
- A two day orientation, including an introduction to the Nepali language and culture
- Access to Alumni Services and Discounts
- Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)
- All necessary project equipment and materials
- All necessary project training by experienced staff
- Internal transportation – related to project work
- Location orientation
- Long term experienced staff
- Meals while on project (except on work placements for long term internships)
- Orientation on teaching methods and techniques
- Project equipment
- Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)
- Training
- Travel advice
- Welcome meeting
What's Not Included
- Additional drinks and gratuities
- Extra local excursions
- Flights
- International and domestic airport taxes
- Medical and travel insurance
- Personal items and toiletries
- Police or background check
- Visa costs (where necessary)
Support & Safety
We won’t sugarcoat it — Traveling abroad is usually a complex process that carries an element of risk. But this is exactly why we’re passionate about providing extensive support throughout the process as well as the highest safety standards during the in-country phase. We believe that volunteering abroad should not only be impactful, but an enjoyable experience that carries as little risk as possible. This is exactly how we’ve been able to maintain our reputation as the most highly respected volunteering organisations in the sector over the past two decades.
Support
Once a participant books, they will be assigned a personal support coordinator who will oversee their pre-departure journey. The support coordinator helps to bridge the gap between program enrolment and arrival at one of our field bases. Your personal support coordinator will ensure that you are provided with all the necessary information required to apply for visas, background checks, and any other documentation.
Safety
Upon arrival at the airport participants will be greeted by a GVI staff member. All GVI staff are our own and all our programs around the world are run by our staff. All GVI field staff are background checked, Emergency First Response and safety trained. Our minimum staff to participant ratio is one to six, although on several bases we have a ratio of one to three. When finishing the experience, participants will provide feedback on all aspects of their program.
Health & Safety Case Studies
HOW GVI UPHOLDS HEALTH AND SAFETY
It takes courage to book a GVI program, get on a flight, and head off to somewhere new. Volunteering offers a level of cultural immersion that typical backpacking or holidays just can’t achieve. This is why thousands of people around the world participate in paid GVI programs.
GVI’S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND SECURITY
As the saying goes: ‘Expect the best, plan for the worst’. Cliched or not, we take it to heart. This tenet is at the core of how GVI operates when it comes to promoting the health and safety of our participants, staff, and local community members at all of our 20+ bases around the world.
HOW GVI REMAINS PREPARED FOR NATURAL DISASTERS
The weather isn’t just a topic for polite small-talk here at GVI. We have emergency action plans in place for all scenarios. So when the weather, or other natural forces, takes a nasty turn, we are prepared to respond to stormy situations.
HOW GVI MANAGES PARTICIPANTS EXPECTATIONS
Once GVI has matched a participant to a program that suits their passions and goals, our team aims to set the right expectations for them. In the event that false expectations around a program are created, the GVI team takes immediate action to ensure that the situation rectified.
The Team
Shayle Havemann
Director of Programs
She is well-practiced in facilitating meaningful and effective intercultural engagement and this makes her the perfect person for overseeing our operations in the multicultural country of South Africa.
When not attending meetings or planning her next endeavour, Shayle can be found spending time with her family or taking part in some or other exciting outdoors activity!
Binita Gurung
Field Staff
Binita is passionate about her job at GVI and how she has been able to make a difference in the lives of others. She is enthusiastic about motivating the local local staff and helping them to learn new ideas. “My main highlight would be meeting the volunteers from around the world and sharing my country with them.” She loves welcoming new volunteers and appreciates all the fresh ideas that they bring to the project.
Her most memorable travel experience was when she travelled to Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal, to visit the different temples and to learn more about her religion. Binita’s proudest accomplishment since working with GVI was seeing the children become more confident in their English and achieving higher grades. She is not all work and no play; she can make 15 momos (steamed dumplings) in a minute!
Jill Walker
Assistant Director of Programs
When Jill isn’t working, she likes reading or doing just about anything energetic. “I devour books, love cooking and enjoy finding some time to get some exercise – yoga, dancing and aerobics are some of my faves.”
What does Jill like most about her job? “It’s great to see volunteers rising above the cultural and language barriers between themselves and the communities. That, and every day is completely different, which is the way I like it- it keeps me from getting bored.” Being ‘allergic’ to being bored has led to Manow doing some pretty amazing things. “I once ended up spending a week living in a cave with some Buddhist monks while I helped them build a small adobe monk hut.”
Lok Bahadur Gurung
Community Liason
Being the Community Liason, Lok is involved in all projects we have based in Pokhara. His favourite aspect of his job? Working with the volunteers. “I get to meet amazing people from around the world and I love getting to know them. I feel that not only the volunteers, but myself as well gain a great cultural exchange.”
How do the volunteers assist Lok in his work on the projects? “They’re great at helping the kids gain the confidence to speak English and thereby improve their chances at a better future. Thanks to the volunteers, over 400 children now have access to a healthier learning environment!”
Cheryl Martin
Project Manager
Cheryl’s main highlight since being involved with GVI? “When we first started 'book-time' at the educare centre, the children didn’t really appreciate books and stories. We were pretty persistent and the children now easily sit and enjoy a book for almost an hour, even the toddlers! It’s led to such a great improvement in their language skills, attention span and ability to learn. I’m also really proud of the work we have done concerning protecting children’s rights, especially in social media. We’ve set a really good standard.”
What does Cheryl think volunteers bring to the project? “The volunteers never cease to amaze me with their skills and talents! It’s so important to use these talents as best we can. These things have made a difference to the teacher’s ability to provide a program, and therefore, to the children’s ability to learn.
Parent Info
‘If only every student could do this. It changes your life in all the right ways,’ says Chris Heritage, parent of Luke Herritage, one of our teen volunteers who has participated on two GVI programs, one in Costa Rica and another in South Africa.
We are a parent-run organisation that is incredibly serious about health and safety, and increasing the impact, as well as the long-term career benefits of our programs. Our programs help young people develop the skills to select a career path that is personally fulfilling, and live a life aligned to the well-being of our planet and the global community.
Ken and Linda Jeffrey, whose son Sam volunteered with GVI in Thailand, talk about how the experience affected Sam. He also went on to volunteer with GVI again in South Africa. ‘I know it sounds like a cliche but in a sense, he did go away as a boy and he came back as a young man. Both of us could recommend GVI without any hesitation to any other parent thinking about exploring an opportunity for their children to explore the world and to see different parts of it.’
Parent Info Pack
Download the Parent Pack and learn more about:
Our staff: All our projects are run by staff, selected, vetted, trained, and managed by our central office.
Health and safety: Our safety practices include a child and vulnerable adult protection policy.
Staying in touch: See what’s happening on base, by following a hub’s dedicated Facebook page.
Free parent consultations: We would love to talk to you about exciting opportunities available for your child.
live base updates
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Contact Us
Global Vision International
225 Franklin Street, 26th Floor,
Boston, MA, 02110
Learning Provider Number (LPN): 10002692
Centre Number: 17067