Volunteering can be tough – don’t expect or demand too much of yourself. Our volunteers often question themselves during the first few days – what on earth am I doing here? what can I possibly do? – be prepared for the fact that what you planned on achieving within a week may end up taking you three times as long, or may not be achieved at all ... or perhaps you'll find that you’ve achieved something you’d never even thought possible! There may be confusion and frustration, but you can rest assured that our local partners will be there to support you all the while, and that other volunteers will follow so that you can ‘pass the baton’ to them. Read More.

… and don't demand too much of others – try to be tolerant, not judgemental; take the time to watch, listen and learn; be pro-active, approachable, flexible. Revel in the cultural differences that you experience and respect local people as you would like to be respected.

..." tomorrow is an irrelevant concept, until it becomes today.Each day reveals a new insight ...,into Nepali life and the culture.   It’s like suspecting that there is a jigsaw puzzle, but, you get just one piece each day.
After 28 days, the completed puzzle might not be the one you originally expected.
Whatever judgment you may make on one day, will likely have become irrelevant by the next day."

In nearly all our placements, you will be with other volunteers – talk to them, share the good points and the bad. Also talk to our local partners (who will now be yours, too) – if there’s a problem, it can only be addressed if they know about it, and it may well be that solutions can be found!

There will be times when you’re despondent, but also times when you’ll be exhilarated – the overall picture may only become clear when you’re back home and can put everything into perspective. Frequently volunteers only begin to recognise and appreciate their achievements when they get back home.

Remember that you've volunteered so that you can share and leave your knowledge behind – write a diary – do a blog – take pictures. Part of your commitment to people and places and the project is to report back – your feed back is invaluable to us, to the projects, to the local team, and to the volunteers who’ll be there after you.

… and last, but by no means least – take some time away from work to have fun, make new friends, enjoy new experiences!