Most Affordable & Trusted Volunteer Programs in Nepal

This experience was almost 2 years ago, but I still think about it almost daily.

THE PLACE: Nepal is such a beautiful country! It has a variety of landscapes/altitudes to explore. For the orientation portion, we stayed in Kathmandu. We met with all the volunteers and stayed in a nice hostel located in Thamel - the tourist region of the country's capital. Once we all got our volunteer and homestay assignments, we all bused out to various regions. I went to Pokhara - a mountainous town with stunning views of Anna Purna. There are lots of tourists here, mainly trekkers, and the air is much cleaner than Kathmandu. The town is nestled on a large lake - Lake Phewa. I was up in the hills of Sarangkot, a sweet little village with absolutely amazing views. This neighborhood is famous for paragliding - which was so fun!!
Once I returned home from my trip, I realized that there are a surprising amount of people in the world who know very little about the country and its geographical location. Everyone should visit Nepal.

THE PEOPLE: Nepal is a very spiritual country. There are many monasteries located throughout the country and the air smells of incense constantly. The people are so connected to the country, each other, and they are so eager to help. Specifically, my homestay family in Nepal made me feel like family. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with them every day, trying to translate and learn about each other.

THE STAFF: The IVHQ staff in Nepal were all local people, passionate about helping their country. You could tell that they loved their jobs and were proud of what they were doing. They made the process easy and made you feel safe. I still keep in touch with Rajesh - the most amazing staff member that lead us through orientation.

EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK: You MUST do this. I can't recommend doing this trek enough. If you do go, please request Nabin or Basanta be your guide. This was the best experience of my life thus far!

This is my first oversea volunteer trip. IVHQ is a very organized organization and has been very supportive during my stay in Nepal. It is a life rewarding experience for me and I am definitely will recommend to all of my family and friends. I worked in a pre school during my time at the school which I was mainly responsible for teaching English and math and help with home works. I have also did a paper fold lesson and we have made some very pretty butterflies and I was so pride of myself when I see the kids were carry the butterfly and running outside. On the last day, we bought some stationeries for the class. I handed out each kids a pencil and an eraser. And the smile on their face is one thing I would never forget in my life. They are so simple and innocent. I watched them and deeply felt how lucky I am to know them and to experience this.

The IVHQ local team was helpful in every way! I was placed with a lovely host family who made my stay in Kathmandu 10 times better and I really had a blast getting to know them. I also really loved the food, especially the Momo's! My volunteering experience was phenomenal - getting to know the women at the school and seeing their commitment to learning new things and achieving good grades was a learning experience in itself for me. I can say with confidence that I grew as a person during my time there. I also got to see Nepal's beauty in my free time and got to visit a lot of beautiful temples as well! Thamel is a heaven for shoppers, and Pokhara's scenery is a must-see. I highly recommend this program for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a new culture.

It was my first time to do volunteer work abroad. A friend of mine once went to Africa through IVHQ and highly recommended it to me. IVHQ provided an horizon-opening and affordable opportunity for us to help others, meet others and explore the world.
I chose to do childcare in Pokhara, Nepal because I've heard that the 2015 earthquake did a lot of damage to this beautiful country. I have to say, this experience is really great.
I had a great time with the kids in the labor school. They are all so lovely and eager to learn new things. Though their English is not very good, we all tried our best to understand each other. The homestay family is also very nice. We danced a lot in the evening because, well, it's Nepal. The other volunteers are cool as well. I met many friends there and every day after our volunteer work, we would have a walk around Phewa Lake and enjoy food and the view. It was amazing!
All in all, I am very satisfied with this trip and if I wouldn't hesitate to do it again in a different location if I had time in the future.

The IVHQ programme in Nepal is very well worked. Orientation is organised well and you're looked after to a great degree by the locals there, while also doing some good sightseeing out and about before going to placements. As far as my experience went, the homestay in chitwan was fantastic, the family felt like family and the home felt like a home. You'll always be the priority and the work is fulfilling.
You'll meet a whole lot of new people so its great for getting yourself out of your comfort zone, particularly of you're in between eighteen and thirty years old. During the work, atleast for me, I had the chance to meet a lot of locals due to the rural nature of our placement and see just how different regionally and traditionally the locals lifestyle compares with the normal city lifestyle. In that regard its really refreshing and a nice change of pace.

Had an amazing time with IVHQ! This is my second time with them as I did one in Peru and loved them both. The staff are very supportive and for the small price you pay for accommodation and food it is worth it. Would recommend IvHQ for anyone looking to volunteer abroad. The money is given back to the communities and pays for the ivhq workers who are there for your support. A lot of other organizations I have looked up have cost a lot more money and these guys by far are the best deal and worth it. The homestay was very friendly and nice and really welcomed us into their family. The bamboo school project was almost complete so we didn’t have much to do when we got there except paint the outside of the school for 2 weeks. It wasn’t as impactful as we were hoping as we painted the outside bamboo white every single day the exact same way but it was something that needed to get done.

I would like to start my review by describing the IVHQ program enrollment process which is very organized. After submitted my application, one of the Program Managers, Samuel, has gotten in contact with me and helped me all the way with all the questions that I had at any time, providing guidance in a very professional way. The program has interactive training that prepare the future volunteer for the experience.
After arriving in Nepal, I was welcomed by the local partner agency and I was checked in a nice and cozy hotel. We stood in the hotel during all our time of orientation where we received useful information regarding our next placement, volunteering work and other country related information. These people made us feel welcomed and a part of the local culture. Arriving in my village, where I was accommodated for 4 weeks, the host family was the first point of contact for me. They were taken full responsibility for me and my well-being. After just a couple of days, I was already feeling like a part of the family. The Nepali culture is so friendly and they are able to create long lasting relationships with the volunteer. I am truly grateful that I was a part of Jitendra Mahato's house and of his family. Regarding the volunteering work, I was part of the construction team in Chitwan, where we built a wall for a temple. Besides construction, each day I was in close relationship with the children in the village and especially the daughters of my host's family. We played, learned English together and also had a lot of fun and laugh.
The experience cannot be described in a review, I took about 700 pictures just from my volunteering work, local traditions, cuisine and relationships. I would definitely recommend Nepal as a country to visit and IVHQ as the volunteering agency to contact for doing that.

Im Rebeca, i have 20 years old, im from Portugal. In 18th of August I flight to Kathmandu, to integrate the Special needs Care Project, by the organization IVHQ.
In the firsts days I met the other volunteers and some Nepalese people that helped me how to live there and with other problems I had; 2 days later I got to know my homestay that was super friendly! The best part was finally the first day of volunteer!
The project was really good, and to someone that want something different this project its perfect for that, however not going to lie… you would need a lot of energy since the first day till the end! My volunteer placement was 2h driving from my homestay, me and another volunteer went everyday in a bus full of kids to the school. It was 4h per day just in the bus… some days I felt really really tired.
But you know what? I choose that school. During my orientation days in Nepal they give me the opportunity to choose between this school or another 20 min from home. At first I said immediately the second school, but then they told me the school already had 3 volunteers, and the other (2h driving) didn’t have volunteers. I went to Nepal to help, doesn’t matter the conditions… They need me more in the first school, so I choose this one… and I don’t regret my decision at all! I came to Nepal do help, right? So I couldn’t be angry or sad about this… its part of the experience! :D
I came to Nepal thinking that maybe I could change a little bit the world… well that its almost impossible in 3 weeks, but I can say for sure, i change my world and definitely my vision about life. I came to help, but I feel that I receive more, then give. My perspective of life its so different, I give more value for the simple little things, like for example having a family and home… and specially to live happy even with less. That was some of the lessons that I learned with the kids of the school. Most of them were orphans and lived in houses with low conditions; almost didn’t have anything comparing with us… but u know what?! They always had a smile in their faces.
As you can read i loved my volunteer experience, but i didnt really talked about "my life" after the school. Well, during the week i was so tired that i passed most of the time resting at my homestay; talking with my nepalese family and the other 3 volunteers that lived with me. At the weekends or at festivals days i went to sightseeing or to the cool streets of thamel to chill with the other volunteers. I remember one weekend that me and other 3 volunteers went to other city (Pokhara) to meet other volunteers... it was such a lovelys and funnny weekend! I also went to other villages like Bakthapur and Nagarkot.
I discovered a lot on my free time and i got to know a lot of people all over the world! It was so cool and nice!
Everytime I think in this experience I always stay with a big smile on my face. The adventure went so well, and I think part of that is due to the organization of IVHQ. Everyone from the organization, since the first day answer to any question I had; Support me and helped me with any problem I had during the preparation and volunteer work. I thought I was going alone to Nepal, but I felt supported 24h per day.
I definitely recommend everyone to choose IVHQ to do volunteer projects! Im already planning my next volunteer experience!
Thank you IVHQ, Thank you Nepal and Thanks to the Nepalese people and other volunterrs I go to know during this adventure. It was amazing.