GVI, Ethical Impact: Volunteer in Nepal

In October 2023 I worked on the GVI Nepal Community Development internship for 4 weeks. During my time I worked one to one with the women’s empowerment project to teach computer literacy skills as well as English language skills in a group and one on one setting. The work was very rewarding as I got to build rapport with the wonderful women I was working with. Whilst completing the internship I gained valuable communication skills as learnt a great deal about Nepalese culture from the women we worked with. At weekends and evenings we visited the local surroundings including hiking to take in the beautiful scenery, watching films at an open air cinema and enjoying food in the lakeside restaurants. It was so lovely to meet likeminded people and it felt like a big family by the end of my time.

I’m actually on my last day here. It’s 2:30am. I’d first like to comment if you sleep lightly, like I do, be aware dogs will bark at all times of day and night. Nonstop. Earplugs if you can, I personally don’t like wearing them so I usually end up in a bad mood. Nothing really to be done about this but I feel it needs to be said. There’s also a hotel two doors down that is notoriously loud as well. Overall it’s not that quiet of an environment. I’ve been here for two months and while I understand extravagant meals shouldn’t be expected, I find the bland breakfast hard to have EVERY SINGLE DAY, I’d recommend a higher budget to have variety. Or if you’re not fussed, great. The recruiter low balls the amount spent outside of the gvi price a ridiculous amount, Riana claims the average spent a month is $200 so budget for that. Unless you sit in your room all everyday this is completely false. Again, bring more money. You also, according to my past two month experience have to pay for Wednesday “social nights” (if you go out together) and Friday night meals despite it being a “GVI night out” which is asinine to me. I’ve already complained about this and I know previous volunteers did as well. If it’s GVI based it should be GVI funded, end of story. Hopefully for any future volunteers they change that bs.
You have one quick lesson in language, sure you can ask the staff anytime to help teach you more; but I expected to be in legitimate classes and to retain how to speak to locals. I was disappointed.
Construction is limited and lacking. The construction manager is a fun guy and I appreciate his personality and honesty, but the program doesn’t necessarily meet the expectations. You may have no projects. You may only paint. Or maybe you’ll be lucky and have more things to actually construct. The tools and supplies are lacking and minimal to no safety equipment is provided. This is a management and GVI issue as well. Fix it.
Teaching is not for the faint of heart nor inexperienced, there is minimal structure to follow, the kids are energetic and somewhat hard to calm down and have focus on a lesson plan that is almost entirely the volunteers responsibility, or so I’ve been told by multiple volunteers.
Also I’m not sure what they mean by working with children in this program description. After school you spend an hour in CC with super rambunctious children in a random courtyard with books they kind of read or some brief “lesson” or arts and crafts. I’d encourage games so they can burn off energy. It wasn’t my favorite experience especially having to cross the crazy busy roads with the kids but they can be fun and cute, as kids are. I just again, expected more.
Women’s Empowerment: this was my experience. You teach. Every day. You spend one day with the local ngo as they advertise and have a nice little cooking class and they give a presentation on actual impactful programs. The rest of the time you visit SASANE you might teach, if the students show up. Teaching involves unstructured lessons, again, almost entirely left to the responsibility of the volunteers even if you have absolutely no intention nor experience of teaching. I personally wouldn’t mind doing some but I’ve expressed to GVI and staff I did not pay to teach every single day of this program. The women themselves are so sweet and lovely and frankly DESERVE more. The women staff within GVI overwork and are under appreciated by this company, my guess underpaid as well. There needs to be more variety within the program for the women’s sake and for the volunteers. The current management needs maybe some
management courses under his belt. He’s not really involved in any of the project, he seems to only be concerned with taking the commission of the extracurricular adventures that he uses his other company for. I also had a personal experience of him opening my bedroom door while I was undressed and uninvited. Obviously horribly inappropriate and violating of my privacy, I have yet to see GVIs response or actions taken to make my experience better (reimburse me GVI). No doubt swept under the rug as these types of companies do (please prove me wrong GVI).

Overall I put the responsibility on GVI itself. They misrepresent what this program entails when you, especially if you’re American like me, spend THOUSANDS of dollars not including the flights, souvenirs, excursions, MEALS, and any extra things outside of the actual expense of this program. If I had known per description that I’d be teaching basic grammar everyday I certainly wouldn’t have come for two months. I had heard from other GVI volunteers in another country that they did not pay for any meals or drinks (one volunteer, for example ordered 10+ shots of hard alcohol and GVI still covered) but yet we were told certain meals and activities were our responsibility to pay for.
Again the women staff currently (Sita Roshani Mhendo Tsering) are amazing people and I wish them better than GVI, frankly. Bibek in construction gives life to the construction. The women in Nepal are sweet and deserve more than provided for by GVI.
Management here needs rearranging.
I doubt you’ll hate this experience but please do understand it’s overpriced and misrepresented in the initial description that is meant to draw in volunteers. Personally I think that’s fraudulent.

Nepal is beautiful. There are beautiful local programs that are less expensive and potentially more impactful, if interested in working with victims of human trafficking I suggest contacting SASANE and joining their program in Kathmandu or maybe something per their suggestion. Because you certainly do bare minimum if anything at all through GVI, which was my initial desire to join this company in the first place.

I want the staff here to continue getting paid and hopefully the program gets the attention, resources, funding, and transparency it needs for that to happen. But I don’t think I’ll be choosing GVI ever again.

My first experience of volunteering was with GVI in Nepal, I was very excited but also apprehensive as i didn't know what to expect. I had the most amazing time and met incredible people who I will never forget. The ladies were so open to learning and to see their progress over the six weeks was uplifting and humbling.
I also worked with the children, doing simple things like arts and crafts had them wide eyed with amazement, it was such a pleasure to see their faces and when we did sports they joined in and had so much fun.
GVI staff were so supportive, especially as i had a bereavement during my stay. there was so much to at weekends, which allowed me to find out more about the country and culture

I spent five weeks in Nepal four of those were spent in Pokhara on the "Womens Empowerment Program" what a truly amazing experience, Nepal is a beautiful country, people and the scenery is breathtaking. The program was a very rewarding experience, Im 52 and would never have thought I would have had the confidence to stand up in front of a class and teach English to a room full of strangers. Thanks to Hannah and Sita the lovely GVI staff they helped me overcome my nerves and help me find my confidence. I thought I was there to teach and empower these lovely girls and ladies, in actual fact they were there to teach me. I learnt so much about myself, and loved spending time with the students, children and fellow housemates in my homestay. I have made lifelong friends and any travel I do in future I will do as a volunteer its so very different than travelling as a tourist, you are embraced into the community and really feel you are making a difference to peoples lives. What a fabulous experience , do yourself a favour and step outside your comfort zone, It really is life changing.

In February 2020, I spent 4 weeks in Pokhara, Nepal on the GVI Healthcare programme, and I can honestly say it was the most amazing 4 weeks of my life. I spent time visiting two different schools, conducting healthcare workshops on a variety of topics from hand washing and dental health to friendship. The children seemed very engaged and receptive to our workshops, and being allowed to independently lead the classes gave me the opportunity to improve my leadership skills, whilst always being supported by the GVI staff so I never felt alone. The GVI staff were all incredible, always taking onboard volunteers suggestions and creating a happy and supportive environment. One of the main reasons I loved the GVI Pokhara base was because of its strong sense of community with all staff and volunteers being united by their unwavering commitment and determination to complete all project tasks to the best standard possible. The work done by GVI in Pokhara and its surrounding areas is so clearly appreciated by the people there and the fact that if you ever mentioned you were working with GVI you would only ever receive a positive response highlights the fabulous work done by the GVI team. I would not fail to recommend GVI to anybody, and particularly the Pokhara base, which provided me with 4 unforgettable weeks and is somewhere I am hoping to return to in the near future.

I spent a month in Pokhara, Nepal working with the women's empowerment team. I had a brilliant time, every day working with the various groups of women was exciting, interesting, and no day was the same! We worked in Pokhara and in communities in villages outside the city, meeting lots of different women, and getting to experience different sides of Nepal.
We were made to feel welcome by everyone we met in Nepal, from the house 'mother' and 'father' we lived with in the homestay, to the GVI team and the women we worked with. The homestay is comfortable and clean, and only sharing a room and bathroom with one other person is fab compared to a hostel type situation! We're given breakfast and dinner, and lunch is sorted for us out on project in local cafes and restaurants.
Pokhara is a lively place to be, with lots of cafes and bars, yoga studios, outdoor cinemas, lakeside restaurants, and there are so many things to do, from paragliding to day trips to mountain villages on your days off. I would highly recommend exploring the countryside around Pokhara, including going up to Annapurna Base Camp, walking up to the Peace Pagoda, and visiting Dhampus. It's a really beautiful country.
I would highly recommend this project, and would love to go back!

If you're looking to make a difference in a beautiful country full of beautiful people then this is the trip for you! GVI caters for everyone and I always felt safe and well looked after even though this was my first time in Asia. The construction coordinator Bibek always makes sure you have something to do so you feel like you are making the biggest impact you can!
As well as the volunteer experience you gain, you also meet fantastic people, I still keep in contact with today, a year after meeting them!

As a first time solo traveller, and volunteer in my 40s, I can't say enough about how welcoming and supportive the GVI team were. Having read about the potential negative impact of some so-called 'voluntourism' programmes, it was essential that I found a highly ethical, sustainable, accountable and well-structured organisation. GVI was all of that and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending them to people of all ages - from teens to seniors. From the moment I booked on my programme I was supported with a wealth of information and on arriving in Nepal I was greeted by an amazing team, of staff and fellow volunteers. I won't lie, the teaching I did on the Women's Empowerment Programme, was harder than I expected, mainly due to the frustrations of limited resources in a developing country. But it was the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I have taken away new skills, forever memories and lots of new friends. I am not sure if I alone made a significant difference but I am confident that each of us, together, doing our little bits, is having a collective positive impact on the communities we worked within. Nepal is a beautiful, complicated country and, with GVI, not only did I get to meet some inspiring people (locals and volunteers) but I also got to explore this amazing part of the world when I was not volunteering. If anyone is thinking whether volunteering abroad is for them, I'd say - just do it - and GVI is a good place to start your journey.