Teach in the school
Volunteers who wish to teach in the school will instruct “supplemental”
classes which students can take in addition to their regular subjects.
English is one of the most commonly taught classes, and is part
of the curriculum for all students in Nangi from grades 1 –
11.
In the lower grade levels, participants can teach basic English
through different types of nursery rhymes and stories, and in
the higher-grade levels, they can teach vocabulary, sentence structures,
grammar, writing, and verbal and oral communication skills. Participants
can also instruct other subjects, such as science, math, computers,
or visual arts, but may need to bring their own teaching materials,
as resources in the village are limited.
Coach Sports
 Sports
are very popular with girls and boys of all ages in the village.
Participants can coach different types of athletics and games
to the students, including coach volleyball, basketball, soccer,
karate, or other sports.
Work in the Forestry and Community Nursery Program
Nangi village has a community forest nursery that produces about
12,000 to 15,000 saplings of different varieties of trees each
year. Some of the trees are planted annually in the community
land and the rest are distributed to the neighboring villages.
Participants can work in the nursery to produce the tree saplings.
The staff of the nursery have a thorough knowledge of the plants
and herbs that are found in the region, and can guide the participants
to learn about the natural environment and the conservation activities
that take place in the village. Those who arrive in summer can
also plant trees.
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Staff in the local nursery
maintain tree seedlings |
Community Healthcare
Volunteers can work with local health care providers to assist
in the medical clinic, which was recently remodeled under the
direction of a medical volunteer. Medical volunteers (doctors
and nurses) will also have opportunities to teach health care
providers in Nangi and neighboring villages.
Library Management
Nangi has a public library with approximately 2,000 English and
Nepali books. Participants can help the librarian organize the
library, catalogue books, take students on “field trips”
to the library, help students and teachers learn about effective
ways to use the resources, and identify ways to improve the village’s
collection.
Inside the library |
Lbrary, seen from outside |
Manual or Skilled Labor Service
Participants can work together with the villagers in manual work
such as building construction and community tree planting. Participants
also can provide skilled service such as masonry, furniture making,
electrical wiring, and other areas of need.
Income Raising Projects
At present, the high school is run with the financial support
of individual donors abroad. One of the main efforts of the villagers
is to make the high school self-reliant by developing viable and
sustainable income producing programs. Participants can help with
brainstorming projects such as eco-tourism programs, teaching
handicrafts, helping villagers to market goods they have produced,
or other activities. For example, this pond was built by villagers
to raise fish [pond2.jpg] to sell, and the school built a camping
ground [camping ground.jpg] for visiting trekking groups to raise
money for paying teachers’ salaries.
A duck pond by the library is used for raising fish to
generate income for the school |
Camping ground for citing trekkers |
Environmental Conservation
In addition to working in the nursery, volunteers can also assist
with designing and implementing other types of environmental conservation
activities, such as developing ecologically sound methods for
sewage and garbage disposal, or maintaining clean water sources.
Research
Assistance can be provided for those participants who want to
do academic research in the region. Arrangements can be made for
volunteers to travel to various sites to carry out projects they
have developed or to collect data and gather information.
Special Activities
Depending upon the interest of the participants, programs such
as tours of neighboring villages and schools can be organized.
For example, participants can visit and a yak raising project,
sponsored by Nangi and another school in the region, which is
a two-day hike from the village at the foot of the Himalayas.
 Whenever
local festivals or social events such as a marriage ceremony,
worshiping and village fairs are organized in the village, participants
will be invited to participate. They will be considered as members
of the community.
How to design a project
It may be difficult to imagine what you could possibly do in
Nangi before you have set foot in the village, and many volunteers
have found that they are better able to design a project once
they have arrived. However, thinking about a few basic questions
before you go can help you begin the brainstorming process and
can improve the quality of your work there. For example, it might
be useful to ask yourself: How much time will you be in Nangi?
What are your skills and interests? How do these skills and interests
meet some of the goals of the village and volunteer program, mentioned
earlier in this website?
It is also highly advisable to contact former volunteers who
can give you tips on what projects have been particularly successful
and useful. To read stories from previous volunteers and see examples
of past projects, see the former
volunteers section of this site.
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