Projects Abroad High School Summer Program in Nepal

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.