Placing Volunteers from overseas at our partner schools has become one of our key projects over the past few years. We do this because we strongly believe that connecting rural schools with people from around the world armed with new ideas, enthusiasm, and long-lasting friendships will allow children to broaden their horizons and unlock their potential. Volunteer teachers are welcomed with excitement in Helambu. Students are usually taught through rote learning from textbooks, with exams every four months. Volunteers bring a different approach to learning and teaching, as well as new skills and ideas.
They introduce a more interactive way of teaching, which can often inspire local teachers and have a much longer-lasting effect on the school. They make learning fun and engaging, encouraging children to come to school regularly and encouraging parents to enrol them. Volunteers can be especially helpful with pronunciation (both for students and teachers), grammar, expanding vocabulary, communication skills and confidence levels of students. As well as teaching children, volunteers also provide English lessons (and, where possible, computer lessons) for teachers after school, creating a more sustainable and lasting impact.
Before starting their placement, international volunteers also fundraise a minimum of £300 for their placement school and HELP's core projects, providing a vital source of income for HELP's activities. HELP acts as a facilitator, rather than a 'volunteering agency', recruiting volunteers from abroad with the help of several partner organisations and placing them at partner schools. Since receiving its first volunteer in 2010, HELP has placed over a hundred volunteers at fifteen partner schools, with the number increasing each year. This has largely been possible due to a number of international partner organisations such as CU HELP and CUELST at Cambridge, OU HELP in Oxford and ITA in Denmark.
Testimonials:
Laxmi Piette, from Cambridge University, who volunteered with us in 2017, writes,
"I don't think words can ever do justice to this experience! I remember it very fondly and with a great sense of gratitude that I had the opportunity to share and receive so much from the people of Bhotenamlang. I remember what re-assured me the most about the CU HELP volunteer programme (over other international development programmes available to students) is that it is a grassroots programme led by people wanting to change the communities they grew in for the better, as opposed to an external voice imposing change. I want to request all the upcoming volunteers to throw themselves into it and just embrace the whole experience - there's little point in telling you what to expect, as words simply can't do justice. Just go out and try it for yourself, and you will never look back! For donors and supporters, HELP is such a wonderful charity; down-to-earth, direct, caring and connected to all supporters past and present, committed to driving positive change through a truly beautiful combination of local and foreign talent. It's been such a pleasure working for CU HELP, witnessing its amazing work first hand and would thoroughly recommend getting involved! ''
"The experience was incredibly rewarding. It was a fantastic opportunity to live with a host family and interact with the community to learn more about Nepali culture. We aimed to make our teaching as interactive as possible, often getting children to write on the whiteboard, running games at the end of every lesson, and teaching songs with actions. We loved seeing the confidence of the children grows after each lesson. We also ran after-school classes for the teachers to improve their English, including conversation skills and hosting debates between the teachers. The experience brings benefits to both the volunteers and the schools. For the schools, local teachers could observe our lessons and therefore adopt our interactive teaching style to make their lessons engaging. The children, particularly older children, tried to engage in conversations with us to improve their English skills, and we often helped them with their homework to improve spelling and grammar. I wholeheartedly recommend the programme for future volunteers! The experience is like no other, and you will learn so much. Volunteers impact the schools through their time and effort in teaching, but the children also impact volunteers and leave unforgettable memories. "
Interested in volunteering with us? Please contact us to find out more.