VSO-ICS Nepal 2013/14

Why did I decide to go?

• Desire to try and make a positive impact on the lives of people less fortunate than myself.

• Desire to change my own life by :

- Experiencing poverty first hand.

- Experiencing another culture first hand.

- Gaining valuable experience of working in a very different and challenging environment.

Why choose VSO-ICS?

• ICS is a youth focused program, which allows those with no prior experience to participate in changing the world for the better.

• VSO is a world renowned organisation with a long history of sending volunteers overseas.

• The program lets individuals like myself engage with their world, not just as individuals but as part of a group of like minded people.

Where did we go?

• My team were based in Baglung district Nepal in a number of villages in the mountains above Baglung Bazaar.

• We were paired off into different villages, all of which were walking distance (up to 4 hours walk) from each other.

What we did

• Social research – Focus groups, meetings with local organisations etc.

• Worked with local schools – using them as focal points for the community we arranged training and education projects within the community

• Focused on Sexual & Reproductive Health and Women’s rights as well as climate change.

Our Team

My Host Family

My Counterpart Volunteer

3 pieces of advice

• Go with an open mind – if you go to a country without preconceptions you can see the beauty of it for what it is.

• Make sure you have some good books

• Make an effort to learn the language – even if you aren’t very good at it, if you try people will warm to you and you can build strong relationships with them.

How ICS helped me

• I’ve learnt how to project manage

• I’ve learnt a lot about social research techniques

• I’ve learnt about how to coordinate projects and events with a number of different organisations/groups.