Projects Abroad High School Summer Program in Nepal

It was my first volunteering experience abroad and it's definitely not going to be the last one! Going there and actually participating in a life changing made me realise how easy it is to make a difference and improve peoples lives with the smallest contribution.
The program is a very good introduction to the volunteering world at such a young age.

I feel that I made a difference and that what I did was really valued by the local people. I do feel that we made a better place for the kids and that it will improve their lives in a small way.
Although this was a very good experience and I made very good friends from all over the world (I'm still in contact with some of them), I wanted more. At some points I felt more of a tourist than an actual volunteer which is why next time I take part in a volunteering project I want to live with a family to fully understand and have a sense of what their day to day life is like.

Half a year ago I stepped onto a plane (alone for the first time) going to Kathmandu. I knew the journey I was embarking on would be one that would in part define my life. A friend who had done the Medical Programme for High School Students said that if I was undecided about going to Med school, then I should take part in the programme. Now, as a medical student (awaiting my 1st anatomy exam) I can say that my journey in Nepal with Projects Abroad has been the crucial step towards my medical career.
All the things that I have seen and done while in Nepal, both in the medical aspect (ie. clinical rotations in numerous hospital wards, as well as seeing a dissection and surgery) and the socio-cultural aspect (eg. learning Nepali dances, trying the cuisine) will stay in my memory forever.
The only thing that I can do now is to thank the entire Projects Abroad team (especially Acquilles) from the bottom of my heart and recommend the trip to anyone who might be interested!

I went with Projects Abroad the summer of 2018 to Nepal for their medical internship program for teens. It was my first time out of country alone, and as a 15 year old, I felt completely safe! Everyone on the staff and especially the coordinators were so helpful and always ensured I was safe, healthy, and having fun.

The program is structured on a rotational basis. You’re split into groups and you’ll spend everyday at a different hospital or clinic. There are also labs, lectures, and outreaches, and sightseeing tours set up for you. For the program itself, the most important thing is to be proactive. The doctors at all the hospitals you go to speak English, but they won’t take time out of their overcrowded schedules to interact with you! However, if you show your interest and make an active effort to be k clover, they’ll be more than happy to accommodate you! I still remember some of the beautiful conversations I had. I got to help perform biopsies at the cancer hospital because I asked, and the surgeon said sure! I also do a delivery, an abortion, and many, many eye exams.

Nepal is a beautiful country with a very diverse culture! The program was based in Chitwan, near the Indian border, and it was very, very humid. The hotel you stay at all have AC though, and I honestly looked forward to returning to a blast of freezing air from my hotel room. The locals are so friendly, and the food is delicious. Gosh I still miss the momos. It’s important to keep and open mind when you go, because Nepal is still a developing country and it is to be expected that things are not the standard they are at back home. That being said, it was a very enriching experience, both in terms of the medical procedures I learned and from the diverse cast that made up my group! I never thought I would have a conversation about the Italian school system or Poland’s geographical features, but I did, and more!

I spent 2 weeks in Nepal volunteering in a school. My volunteer programme was part of the high school specials. I would recommend this for anyone who is interested in taking part in a volunteering programme but is nervous about it. The staff were amazing and made sure you were never put into situations you were uncomfortable with. This trip was my first time in Asia, so the culture shock was a bit scary, but thanks to the staff I felt as if I settled in nicely and by the end of the trip I didn't want to leave! Once you get to understand the culture, you'll love it.
The first week in the school we helped to rejuvenate some of the rooms to make it a nicer working environment from the children. This was so much fun as we got to make our own designs for the classrooms. In the second week we ran some classes for the children. All of the kids were so enthusiastic and their mentality towards education was inspiring.
The weekend in between we went to Pokhara which was beautiful. It was a long drive but definitely worth it. As soon as you get there you can tell the air is so much cleaner than in Kathmandu. They took us to temples and to waterfalls, it was stunning.
Overall, I absolutely loved my experience with ProjectsAbroad in Nepal, the only downside to it was that I only had two weeks there!

Projects Abroad Nepal Medicine for high school students was EXTREMELY reliable and responded quickly to communications. The placement exceeded expectations and airport transfers/transfers in general, were reliable and safe! Many staff members were there to assist you and always cared for you!

During the placements, the staff provided you with support to get engaged with the physicians. We always had a chaperone with us to and from our placements. Food was taken care of! It was great as always! The doctors and surgeons at the hospitals were friendly and truly wanted to include you in the consultations and emergency situations.

Only con of this trip: International students were very hostile to Americans and the dance/fun activities were not facilitated well.

Participating in the care and community program was the second time I had the opportunity to volunteer in Nepal so I wasn't expecting much difference from the previous organization I went with; however, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the program.

The living conditions were better than I expected. There was everything from a clean bed and bathroom to room service and laundry services available at request. We were well fed and all of the food served at the hotel was delicious. The staff at the Prince Hotel were also extremely friendly and accommodating to our needs.

The people I met were also very friendly. I was also surprised by the many different backgrounds of the volunteers that volunteered alongside me. There were students from all over the world that came to participate and it was a joy learning to communicate in their languages and making foreign friends.

If I have the time and opportunity, I would definitely partake in the program again. I give this program my highest recommendation for those who want to help others while visiting a foreign country.

I recently just returned from volunteering abroad in Nepal with Projects Abroad. It was one of the most meaningful and amazing experiences in my life. I was able to work with a local school, repainting classrooms and teaching children, all before I was 18. We were able to provide the school with freshly painted walls and provide the children with new toothbrushes during our dental outreach. I had amazing coordinators who were with us the whole time we were in Nepal. They were always by our side and took great care of us if we felt upset. Not to mention how much they made us laugh! Not only did I have great staff present, but I met some of my very best friends on this project; we became our own little family in this short time period. Not only were we given a prime opportunity to give back and help the people of Nepal, we were able to visit cultural UNESCO heritage sights along the way. We took a weekend trip to Pokhara and were greeted with sprawling views of the Annapurna Himalayas. Projects Abroad provided us with clean hotels, delicious food (providing for all dietary preferences) and working Wi-Fi, which was great because I was able to still speak to my family at home. I would completely recommend this trip to anyone wishing to travel to Nepal. Projects Abroad truly helped us immerse in the culture of Nepal and motivated us to do our best work. Nepal is the most amazing country and I already have plans to return! I am so grateful for the opportunity to give back and experience the most beautiful country. I can guarantee that you won't regret this experience!

In December 2017, I travelled to Chitwan, Nepal with Projects Abroad to undertake the High School Medicine's specials project. I first encountered Projects Abroad at a university function and from the get go, my first impression of Projects Abroad was that they were extremely helpful in preparing me for my journey; a thorough explanation was given in regards to the culture, project and Nepal itself.

My trip to Nepal was my first time travelling alone, and initially, I was incredibly nervous to be away from family for 2 weeks. My fears were put to rest in the second day, after I had enough time to settle in and adjust to the time zone changes, meet the other volunteers and staff, as well as explore the beautiful streets in Kathmandu (where we flew in from). I definitely established a family in Nepal, not just with my fellow medical volunteers, but also with some of the volunteers from the care and community project. The other volunteers definitely contributed to my love for Nepal, as they all possessed the same love for helping others and interest in medicine.

In placements, we got to witness various cool procedures in the operation theatres, and we watched procedures that we would never get an opportunity to witness in Australia. I have learnt many invaluable life lessons in the short duration of my stay in Nepal, and I am really thankful to be able to travel to Nepal with my lovely Project Abroad family :)

I travelled to Nepal with Projects Abroad during my summer vacation looking for a way to experience a new culture and make a difference in a community. Not only did I accomplish both of those things, I also made amazing friends and memories to last a lifetime! Right from the start, Projects Abroad was extremely helpful and accommodating, answering any and all questions I had and providing guidance before I had even committed to a trip. The information they provided was always prompt, accurate, and accessible. Once you are accepted as a volunteer, you are given your own MyProjectsAbroad webpage where all the resources you will need can be easily found. Thanks to this page, I had no difficulty acquiring a visa, getting my vaccines, and preparing in every way for my trip. Projects Abroad also booked my flights for me, and while it was expensive, in my opinion it was worth it because they always booked me on very comfortable and safe airlines, and with relatively easy connections.
Because I am 17, the project I worked on was a High School Special, which means that from start to finish you have a coordinator or two assigned to your group that is always with you to help out, answer questions, and help you navigate a new city and culture. My coordinators were always kind and caring and I definitely would not have had the great experience that I did if it weren't for them. We stayed in a hotel with 2 or 3 people to a room. The hotel may not have been luxurious, but it was always safe and comfortable and a good place for relaxing and interacting with other volunteers after activities. As for the actual volunteering we were doing, we spent one week repainting the school building as it was pretty run-down. We even got to design our own murals to paint in the classrooms! This was fun and we got to see the immediate, lasting impact that our efforts had. On the weekend, we travelled to another city in Nepal where we did some hiking, sightseeing, and lots more cultural immersion. The second week was spent in the classrooms getting to teach and entertain the students. This was byfar the best part because they are so curious about other countries and eager to learn everything you can offer them. We taught them games, songs, and our mother languages and they were always so excited.
Now that I am home, I look back on those two weeks as the best of my life. I made friends from all over the world that hopefully one day I will get to visit in their own countries, and most importantly I really feel like I made a difference in the world.

From the beginning, the Projects Abroad staff was very supportive and responsive to all my inquiries. They helped me figure out what the program was about, plan my trip and flight, and answered questions about what to pack and what to expect.
The accommodations were expectedly not 5 star hotels, but they were clean, had very pleasant staff members, good food (momos are to die for), and decent wifi! My placement was in Chitwan, where I was allowed to visit a variety of different hospitals - general, eye, cancer, family planning etc. Many of the hospital staff spoke English, and were therefore able to explain specific procedures and tools to us. I got to watch several abortions, an afterbirth, eye surgeries, and a redressing of a cancer patient. Definitely experiences that I would not have gotten back at home.
On the weekend, we were whisked off to Chitwan National Park, where we went on a canoeing tour and an exhausting but exhilarating three-hour hike. It actually started raining an hour into our hike! It was wet, sure, but it helped with the heat and humidity, and added to the fun and spontaneity of the experience.
Overall, it was an amazing trip where I made many friends and memories. Thanks Projects Abroad!

Projects Abroad is an amazing organization that I owe my travel experience to 100%. Summer of 2014 I traveled to Nepal for 4 weeks and had the best time and experience of my life. Projects Abroad made this scary travel easy and stress-free. If you travel abroad with projects abroad you will have an eye-opening and life changing experience, no doubt.