Written by: Chandrika KC, ESC Intern, VIN
Why I Chose to Volunteer
Volunteering was something I wanted to do from my childhood, as everyone has a dream of helping people in some way or another. After completing all my exams, I took some free time for myself, so I decided to volunteer for a short period. It could be fate that I talked to one of my friends about what she’s doing. She told me that she was volunteering at Volunteer Initiative Nepal. Then I discussed volunteering with her and reached VIN. During my 3-day3-day orientation, I was still confused about what I would be doing for the next 2 months. My worksite was in a Jitpurphedi valley.
First Assignment: Raising Awareness on Early Marriage and Human Trafficking
On the fourth day, I was assigned to work with an international volunteer named Lucy on a project aimed at empowering women to raise awareness about early marriage and Human trafficking. She and I created a chart paper presentation about both topics. Then, within one week, we visited five different communities, each for a day, and gave the presentation about our topics. That one week was enough for me to realize that I enjoy volunteering each day, teaching people, interacting with the community, and forming good relationships with them.
Figure 1: Beauty of Jitpurphedi
While visiting the communities, I was particularly drawn to the temple located on the hill. The same was true for my volunteer friend as well, so she and I visited the temple during her last day of volunteering. The temple name is “Bhuwaneshwori”. She is the goddess Durga. And it was more beautiful than I expected, both inside and out.
Figure 2: Bhuwaneshwori Temple
Microcredit Interviews: Listening to Women’s Stories
In my third week, I became involved in interviewing women who are involved in microcredit finance in three different communities. My interview questions focused on the benefits they receive with the help of the money they save through microcredit finance.
Figure 3: jitpurphedi
In my fourth and fifth weeks, I was assigned to another international volunteer named Pietro. His project was a survey on climate change and how people are adapting to the changes it causes. We created the questionnaire and began surveying people in the community. We visited five different communities. During the surveying week, we visited the view tower located in the Devisthan community, situated on the hill.
Figure 4: View tower
During the sixth and seventh weeks, I participated in a project led by international volunteer Kymber, which aimed to inform people about the events before, during, and after the earthquake. I went to one school and four different communities with Gatha sister and Kymber. The most interesting aspect of this project was that the community members were given whistles as a gift.
In eight weeks, I attended two micro-credit finance meetings with an international volunteer, Julie, for observation. Julie was fascinating because she was interested in learning about the language, music, culture, and traditions of Nepal. I even conducted a survey about menopause and breast cancer with Litzy for two days and joked with Hunter. They are a beautiful couple. In the Ramghat community, I met a grandfather who runs a business making handicrafts from coconut shells and other organic materials. He made statues of Lord Vishnu and Lord Ganesh in his compound and established them there.
Figure 5: Statue of Lord Vishnu
Incredible Volunteers and Community Members
During my volunteering, I met many national and international volunteers. Everyone was very kind to me and I liked them a lot. However, most of the time I spent was with the international volunteers, who were here for photography and journalism, as they were always required to be present for taking photos during the program. Bikash, Lena, and Bina were with me for most of the time, and I like them a lot. We visited one community with a statue of lord Shiva.
Figure 6: Statue of Lord Shiva
A Spiritual Hike to Tarkeshwor Dham
Last week, I went mini-hiking with seven friends (including both national and international volunteers) to the “Tarkeshwor Dham,” which lies on the upper part of the hill. I wanted to go there for two months, but I thought I couldn’t go there since I heard it takes a long time to get there. However, the hiking was finally planned, and I was thrilled. The hike was challenging since I couldn’t walk much; I was out of breath, but I was encouraged to reach the destination.
Reaching there was such a relief and seeing the shivalinga, stones, cave, statues, etc., and worshipping and praying was a very emotional feeling for me because there is a belief that if we wanted to go to the temple and could reach there, it is believed that the god wants to meet you. It’s the only reason you could get there; otherwise, you couldn’t go there. So, I was happy to be there. The temple was so beautiful, and the belief that after “the fall of right thigh of Sati maa in that place while Lord Shiva was carrying her burned body,” the temple was established is itself a great story.
Figure 7: Tarkeshwor Dham
Reflections on My Volunteering Experience
My two-month journey of volunteering was beautiful and mind-fresh. I met a wide range of people, including VIN staff members, national volunteers, international volunteers, students, children, community women, and men. They were all kind, and their hospitality was excellent. I will never forget the faces that have left an imprint on my heart.
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