Rainbow Children Home - Nepal

TREKKING FOR KIDS

Thank you for volunteering with Rainbow Children’s Home, we are happy that you have decided to take on this worthwhile challenge! Please take a moment to review this information package; we hope that you will find it helpful to prepare for your journey to Nepal.

Goma Dhakal, President Rainbow Children Home - Nepal.

Your confirmed arrival details are: Arrival Information Time: Flight Number Airport If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, or you’re nearest country coordinator.

Please note: you will be approached by people at the airport attempting to help you and asking for money. We suggest that you carry your own bags and do not tip anyone. One of our staff will be waiting for you with a Rainbow Children’s Home sign bearing your name.

Safe journey, we look forward to seeing you soon! (See additional placement information below)

Before you leave

Inoculations/medical supplies

Please consult your doctor / local travel clinic for the latest recommendations regarding the necessary inoculations for Nepal We receive many questions about vaccinations. We do suggest Diphtheria, Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis A and B. Other possibilities such as Malaria (tablets), Yellow Fever, Rabies, etc are up to you and your doctor.

You may feel more comfortable bringing your own First Aid kit, cold/flu, stomach medication, vitamins, acclimatisation aids and antibiotics. These are readily available in Thamel, but again you may feel more comfortable bringing known brands. Any medication you need should be brought with you, as there is no guarantee you will be able to purchase this. In case of serious illness or hospitalisation, Rainbow Children’s Home, will make every effort to assist you in getting treatment, however we may be limited if you are in a remote location. If you do have medical concerns or limitations, please let us know upon your arrival so that we can plan your placement accordingly.

What Should I Bring?

This will vary depending on what activities you want to participate in (trekking, white water rafting, etc.) and how much you need to be comfortable during your placement. With the exception of medicine, first-aid-kit and high-tech trekking gear, you can buy everything that you would need for your placement in Pokhara (likely cheaper than in your home country). Here are a few suggestions:

*Lungi is a local sarong type of dress. It has an elastic top, and covers your body from your arms to your ankles. This can also double as a nightdress or housedress if necessary. You can buy most supplies such as sleeping bag, clothing etc. quite affordably in Thamel, the tourist area. For travelling, it is generally better to bring a travel size backpack rather than a suitcase. You will be taking the local busses to your placement and it’s much easier when moving around to have a backpack.

Items to show and give to the children:

• Books about your country Photos of your family / friends / home (essential, the children love to see them!!)
• Basic Learner's English/Nepali/English dictionary – for simple definitions (buy a Nepali dictionary on arrival in Kathmandu Souvenirs for your family and staff from your country)
• A few examples of your local currency Coloured pencils and pens, drawing books, stickers Inflatable globe Books on teaching English/English Grammar for your reference Please make sure you don’t bring any toys or games with lots of parts as these have a tendency to disappear

What should I expect on my placement?

The toilet is an outhouse which is slightly separated from the house (but within a few feet). These are squat toilets, and it may take some getting used to! For bathing, you will have to wear a lungi (bathing garment) or sarong (make sure this can wrap around you tightly) for modesty.

The bathing facility is also the courtyard, and you will fill a bucket of water at the pump and then bathe there. If this does not appeal to you please let us know and we can arrange for a location with more Western facilities – but this may limit your choice for a placement site. Host Family Your host family will be fascinated with you. Do not expect to have much privacy, for girls, the women in the family will come in a million times to look and smell your creams, and they will want to try on your makeup if you bring any. The children will want to look at all your clothes, and they may even call some friends to check out your stuff!

They will also want to read along if you’re reading a book or writing in your journal. If you want privacy, it is better to keep personal items locked in your backpack. It may also be a good idea to bring a combination lock or padlock for your door.

Theft is generally not an issue, but you may find that someone has rummaged through your things while you were out. They’re just curious, but it can be disconcerting. At most they may take some of your snacks if you keep any in your room.

Placement Information

In a typical placement volunteers stay in a family where they eat Nepali food with the family twice a day (around 9 o' clock in the morning and 7 o' clock in the evening). Tea is served in the morning and in the afternoon. Volunteers may have the opportunity to get together with other volunteers and share their experience.

You will be able to travel to nearby towns to purchase things for daily use and could travel to other areas on longer vacation. Besides your project work, volunteers can utilize their spare time in organizing the youth and women's groups of the community to do some worthwhile activities like building a smokeless stove, toilet by using local materials, making a soak pit, kitchen gardening, making a solar dryer, garbage management or paper recycling. You may have the opportunity to get together with other volunteers and share their experience. You will be able to travel to nearby towns to purchase things for daily use and could travel to other areas on longer vacation.

Travelling

We encourage you to plan short trips to visit other parts of Nepal depending on your interests. Rainbow Children Home has made arrangements for volunteers to get discounted rates for certain activities including: Jungle Safari in Chitwan, Rafting, Bungee Jumping, Trekking etc. If you are interested, please let our office know, it’s usually significantly cheaper to book this within Nepal than from your home country.

Essentials

We suggest you photocopy all essential documentation at least twice! If these documents are lost or stolen you will need the information and contact details. RCH can file one copy of your documents at the office. Passport - Ok we shouldn’t need to mention this but make sure you don’t get to the airport and realise it is still on the coffee table! Insurance! - This is a MUST because you never know what may happen. Bank Information - You can find Western Union, ATM’s, banks, and currency exchange facilities in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Outside of these cities, the only banking facilities are for cash or traveler’s cheques exchanges.

There is an additional charge for cashing traveler’s cheques. There are no credit card systems in Nepal. Travel Documents - This may be your plane ticket, bus ticket, whatever. Make sure you keep these safe and bring with you all documents for return travel. Passport Photos- Rainbow Children’s Home requires 4 passport size photos of you. You can do this when you arrive quite affordably, but it is always good to carry additional passport photos of you.

Entry / Tourist Visa

Travel Journal

Don’t leave home without it! It’s a great way to record your experiences, and it is a great way to make sure you never forget all the amazing things you will see and experience in Nepal. On Arrival When you arrive, you will be met outside the airport terminal by a Rainbow Children’s Home representative holding a placard with your name on it who will then escort you to the guest house in Kathmandu. If available, please send a digital photo for ease of identification.

Accommodation

While in Kathmandu, you will be staying for the first day at a Guest House in Thamel (the main tourist area). All of the rooms will have "western-style" toilets and hot-water showers. Some have fans, TVs, and mountain views. A telephone is available, and there is a good restaurant where you will receive your breakfast and lunch. You will either have a single room or you may share a room with a same-sex volunteer. **

Please note Rainbow Children’s Home only covers the accommodation costs at the Guest House. Accommodation is quite affordable; please let us know if you have any concerns or questions regarding this. Also, Rainbow Children’s Home will not cover alcohol expenses.

Training

You will receive Cultural and basic Language training from the staff. The training period is divided into two phases. The first phase of the training includes basic cultural and language information and will be conducted at the Rainbow Children’s Home. The next phase of the training takes place in Sanga, a small village outside of Kathmandu. This is a typical, traditional Nepali village, and will give you a good idea of what facilities to expect at your placement.

The length of your placement determines the length of your stay. Once you complete your training, you will return to Kathmandu, and have one day of free time to prepare yourself for your placement. Please prepare to leave for your placement the following day at 6 AM. A regional coordinator will accompany you to the bus park, and a representative will meet you at the end of your journey. A coordinator will accompany you on the journey if possible.

Communication

Rainbow Children’s Home has one phone that can accept incoming and outgoing, international calls. Email/internet and/or international phone service is available at local Internet café’s, however these services are slow and there is often a time gap while talking on the telephone. You must understand that the infrastructure in Nepal is not as reliable as in more developed countries. Your family can also mail packages for you at Rainbow Children’s Home. Please make sure the packages are at your attention.

End of Your Placement

At the end of your placement you must leave accommodation with your host family. You are welcome to stay in the area and participate in more activities and sightseeing or to visit other areas of Nepal. Another good reason to stay that little bit longer is for the shopping! The products here are more than likely a lot cheaper than they would be in your home country, so go mad with what money you have left!!

If you do wish to take a break during your program, or to participate in additional activities such as rafting, trekking, jungle safari etc, please let us know so that we can plan your placement accordingly. Rainbow Children Home has also arranged for discount rates for volunteers with certain agencies. We ask that each volunteer writes a couple of reports through their placements, and share their experiences with incoming volunteers. Reports can be typed out at the office. A monthly Newsletter is sent to all volunteers so that you can keep track of the friends you made.

You can also continue to contribute through sponsorship for the children less fortunate will always be available and this is a very good way to keep up on the good work you have already achieved. You may leave Nepal, but you will never forget it.

Key Contact Information

Your family is welcome to contact us by email or phone if they have any concerns. Extra Information Climate The width of Nepal is only about 275 km on average, but within this short distance the altitude of the land rises from lowly 60m to all the way up to above 8000m. Hence the weather depends upon the altitude of the place in Nepal. However, in general Nepal has four climatic seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Spring starts from March to May. The temperature of this season fluctuates between 20 °C to 30 °C (68 °F to 86°F). Summer starts from June to August. These are also the pre-monsoon months with occasional evening-thunderstorms and hot temperature. Autumn starts from September and ends by November. During this period, the climate is dry and mild with temperature fluctuating between 20 °C to 30 °C (68 °F to 86 °F). Winter starts from December to February. The morning and evening are very cold while the afternoon is pretty sunny. The temperature during these months rises from 15 °C to 20 °C (59 °F to 68 °F).

PROGRAM COST 2 weeks is euros 250€ 4 weeks is euros 450€ 6 weeks is euros 525€ 8 weeks is euros 600€ 10 weeks is euros 675€ 12 weeks is euros 750€

What is not included?

You are expected to cover your costs if you are arriving before the training starts, and when your placement has finished. Please bring enough money for any souvenirs, personal items, meals and drinks outside of the program, and extra drinks (beer!!). This cannot be paid for by Rainbow Children Home Transportation costs for your travel at your placement.

Travel expenses

Drugs, Smoking & Alcohol

Many tourists are targeted by people who ask you if you want to ‘smoke’ or the more bold ones ask you if you would like marijuana or hashish. We strongly recommend that you do not indulge. If you are caught, Rainbow children Home cannot help you, and your embassy will not make any effort to rescue you. Smoking is very common in Nepal. In certain areas, only men smoke, but occasionally you see women smoking as well.

Alcohol is readily available, but is generally served at a premium. At your placement, you will be offered raski or chhayan by your family or the locals. Both of these are local wines, made from fermented rice. These are very strong. We recommend that you only drink a small amount at once. It is also important that you only drink with your family, or in safe environments, as some tourists have gotten drunk and been robbed once they ‘pass out’.

While on placement, it is important that you stay aware of your surroundings. Please do not drink or smoke with your students, as this increases their familiarity with you, and this makes it very difficult to enforce discipline. It will also reduce your status as a teacher in the community.

Precautionary note for women

Although it may be common for you to smoke or drink at home, we recommend that you limit these activities while you are on placement. Unfortunately, there are cultural stereotypes you must be aware of. It is best that you drink a little to be sociable and accept your family’s hospitality, but not to excess. It is acceptable to smoke and drink in the larger cities (Kathmandu, Pokhara).

An A to Z of advice now that you’re in Nepal Activities

Many volunteers like to try something in addition to volunteering during their time in Nepal. Previous activities have included trekking, rafting, visiting the jungle, bungee jumping, visiting Lumbini and much more. Most activities can be arranged by yourself or you may want to team up with other volunteers. However, if you do want to do an arranged activity, such as trekking tour. bungee jumping or rafting.

As a professional Nepal Independent trekking guide for all of the popular trekking destinations in Nepal ,we specialize a wide ranges of treks for either single or large groups to suits both novices and experience trekkers of Nepal. The trekking can be operated in both Tea House Style or Camping trek on request. Whether you have two days or several weeks to spend in the mountains we will tailor an itinerary to suite your needs.

Below is table that provides a broad overview of trekking possibilities in Nepal. we have designed the treks grading to assist clients in selecting compatible treks. Please read this page on the Trekking Grade to find a route to suite your fitness level in Nepal.

Trekking in Langtang Region

Trekking In Non Touristy Areas

Language Basics

Learning a few of the basics is really opens up a country to the traveler, visitor, tourist... Just a little of the language will help you to get around, to meet people and to really deepen your experience of a culture. It shows the locals that you want to learn about them and care about their country and culture. So start with these basics... note: Underlined words are shown as samples only, you should substitute as necessary.

Trekking Cost:

We have our own trekking packages for our volunteers. The costs are given below.

  Staying in Host Family, Food in Rainbow Children Home, pick up from airport, two days sight seeing in Kathmandu ,2 days sight seeing in Pokhara  5\6 days trekking in Annapurna region.

1 week- $ 550

2 week- $ 700

3 week- $ 850

1 month- $ 950

If you need any further information please contact to Rainbow Children Home- Nepal.

Email-rainbowchildrenhome@yahoo.com

We hope to see you soon.