Every year thousands of tourists come to Nepal to climb these and other peaks or to trek the Annapurna Circuit, Everest base camp trek, the Langtang trek or one of the more remote treks in Nepal.Many tourists do not come with the intention of volunteering their time but find themselves moved and compelled to volunteer once they see the country and meet the people of Nepal.
Nepal is the poorest country in SE Aisa.
- Average Income is $200 per year
- GDP per capita is $1500 per year
- 1/3 of Nepal is without clean water
- 85% have no access to health care
- 80% of Nepalis are farmers
- Life expectancy in Nepal is 60
- ½ of the population is illiterate (higher rates for women)
- 47% of the population is unemployed
Volunteering is a cost-effective way of providing a range of social and welfareservices, but it is not cost-free. In order to flourish, volunteerism requires aneffective infrastructure, both at the national and local level, to help mobilize supportand match the volunteers to appropriate host organizations and tasks. Source: Volunteerism in Nepal – 2001 UN Report
Volunteers to Nepal
- Contribute nearly 5% to the GDP of the country
- Volunteering helps in social integration, particularly for those who are excluded or marginalized.
I am constantly asked on the trail, “What can I do, how do I volunteer to help here in Nepal?” People come to Nepal to trek but find they have a week left at the end of the trek and now, having seen this place, they feel they must do something before leaving.
To answer this question for many potential volunteers The Mountain Fund Volunteer Information Center is now under construction is in a very high traffic location near tourist center of Kathmandu. The center will be staffed daily by Mountain Fund staff who will be able to direct volunteers to one of the thirteen Nepali organizations we work with. We will have daily presentations by local nonprofit partners on volunteer opportunities in Nepal and provide Internet access for volunteers and supporters. We'll also have daily showings of the BBC documentary Carrying the Burden, an important film on porters.
As you can see in the artist rendering of the inside, the walls are a photo gallery of all the places and projects The Mountain Fund and our in-country partners are working. We'll also have brochures from all 13 in-country projects.
One of the truly remarkable features of The Mountain Fund Volunteer Visitor Center is vending service that will run by a former porter, Kul Bahadur. Kul's Coffee and Tea service is destined to become the Starbucks of Kathmandu. Kul's is a remarkable story of survival, loss and caring assistance. Kul became quite ill at 18,000ft while working as a porter in the Everest region. He was sent down alone and later found in a state of collapse and brought to the Pheriche Aid Post. He spent nine days in a coma, and had both feet partially amputated due to frostbite. As a result of this amputation, he is unable to return to portering.
With the generous support of several individuals and organizations like IMEC, Kul was able to pay off his medical bills. Additionally, was able to move his wife and daughters to Kathmandu, thus reuniting his family He had been unable to trek home to visit with them as a result of his amputation.
Kul's Coffee and Tea is the final step toward regaining the ability to work and support his family. Since he was no longer able to work as a porter Kul's ambition has been to save money and start his own small business to pay for his daughters education and support he and his wife. The Mountain Fund is creating that opportunity for Kul by setting him up in the coffee and tea vending business at our Visitor Center. We'll be helping Kul manage his money, learn basic bookkeeping and business principles so that he will be able to own and operate his own business.
If you'd like to help us and support the Volunteer Visitor Information Center and at the same time help Kul realize his dreams please visit our main website at www.mountainfund.org to make a donation.
To learn more about Kul, visit IMEC at http://www.hec.org/assisting/kulbahadur.htm
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