volunteer story

Volunteering at the Pema Ts’al Sakya Monastic Institute in Hyangja

Volunteering at the Pema Ts’al Sakya Monastic Institute in Hyangja, Pokhara, Nepal
-Eldo Kim
July of 2011
I went into Nepal apprehensive and nervous. I was 18 years old, a rising senior at Kamiak High School (Mukilteo, WA) in the United States. It was my first time volunteering in a foreign country completely alone without the reassuring presence of other volunteers or my family; I knew nothing about the language, the people and the culture. But my worries were quickly put to rest when I arrived in Nepal. No one sought to take advantage of the confused foreigner. The people of Nepal, from taxi drivers to random people in the streets, were warm and incredibly friendly.

I was picked up from the airport by a driver who took me promptly to the Millennium Inn in Kathmandu. After I checked in, I talked about plans with Badri and he patiently answered the endless number of questions I had. Badri and the Hands for Help organization are very efficient and they will go beyond expectations to help make people’s volunteering experiences in Nepal as comfortable as possible. Before leaving for the monastery, I received two intensive lessons on Nepalese from Pramila. Although learning Nepalese is difficult, there is no need to excessively stress about it because many people in Nepal speak elementary English and the good ol’ body language is universal. :) I was also taken to various major tourist sites including the Monkey Temple where monkeys roamed freely. Tip: do not have bananas hanging out of your pockets because the monkeys will surely take them sooner or later! After two nights at the inn, I took a six-hour bus ride to Pokhara.

I soon arrived at the Pema Ts’al Sakya Monastic Institute in Hyangja, Pokhara. The monastery is set in a peaceful, isolated environment, surrounded by glorious mountains, rushing rivers, and rice fields. I spent a month at the monastery teaching children English and writing up examinations for various classes. Everyone was eager to learn and each class was a splendid explosion of contagious laughter and enthusiasm. But during the first week, I learned that I was frequently the student, rather than the teacher. Every night, the monks taught me about the desperate plight of Tibetan refugees and the daily socioeconomic problems that they face in Nepal and other countries around the world. My interest in the situations of the refugees were further cultivated at a nearby Tibetan refugee village that was approximately ten minutes away from the monastery. The monks also taught me Tibetan Buddhism, a spiritual experience that forced me to re-examine my life from entirely different perspectives.

The contemporary world largely has the impression that monks are conservative, introverted, and quiet. I too had this perception but this was utterly shattered during my stay at the monastery. The monks at the Pema Ts’al Sakya were always in high spirits and good-humored. They loved to joke and ask cheeky questions that often had me laughing and gasping for breath. While I was not teaching, I spent my time playing basketball with the monks and watching Hollywood (and Bollywood and Korean and Thai…) movies with them on the weekends; we also seriously debated the merits of the music of Justin Bieber, the American teenage sensation.

When it was time for me to leave, I found it very difficult to bid farewell to people that I had become extraordinarily close with. I promised the monks to come back when I could and I reluctantly left for the airport. Nepal is a beautiful country and there are astonishing experiences to be had and lessons to be learned if you are willing to look past the typical mountain trekking and canoeing (although these are sensational adventures in and of themselves of course). There is a Buddhist idiom that talks about how the more you give, the more you receive in return. Volunteering in Nepal is the perfect opportunity to be both the teacher and the student.

If you have ANY questions or concerns about volunteering at a monastery in Nepal, please do not hesitate to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it I will answer quickly and give advices to the best of my knowledge. Volunteering in Nepal is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I highly recommend.

Report on Phalabas volunteering

My husband and I are doctors from the UK and we spent two months volunteering in a small hospital in a rural village called Phalabas in Nepal. Before Rose & Andy with local people at the hospital we went on our two month stint we had a three day induction course arranged for us by hands for help Nepal. This involved daily language lessons and local site seeing tours. The language lessons were invaluable for us as we were going to an area of Nepal where only a few people would speak English. Throughout the whole stay we felt reassured and safe that Hands for Help were taking care of us.

Our journey to Phalabas took a whole day. At 8 am we were put on a mini bus to a town called Kusma and where we were met by our host family. From there it was another two hour journey by jeep to Phalabas. We arrived in the darkness, were fed and promptly went to sleep.

In the morning awoke to a beautiful site. There were snow capped mountains in the distant and small houses and fields surrounding the hospital. We were introduced properly to the rest of the team working at the hospital and got straight to work.

The hospital has basic facilities including an X-ray machine, simple blood and urine testing laboratory and a pharmacy. It is run by a capable health assistant and many of the staff speak good English. Many of the patients we saw were not too different from the patient who turn up to emergency departments in the UK. Broken limbs were the most common complaint. We also saw many children with fevers,coughs and colds. The hospital is open from 10am - 4pm, however emergencies can knock on the door any time. Although this did not happen often. As we actually slept in the hospital, we were woken a few times to see patients.

The host family we stayed with treated us like their own family. Kaki (aunty) would cook for us every day, always greeting us with a smile. Her cooking was fabulous and we would always look forward to our meals. Kaki and her husband Kaka (uncle) would ask us everyday how we were and if there was anything they could do for us. They would do everything in their power to help us.

Saturdays were our days off and we would often go for walks around the local villages. We got to see some wonderful views of the Annapurna mountain range and well as the local wildlife. One day whilst on our usual walk around the nearby river, (lamaya chola) we saw a flock of vultures perched on a tree looking across the valley. This is a sight I will never forget.

For those of you wanting to gain a real, unspoilt experience of life in this fabulous country whilst giving something back to these people this is an essential destination. Overall our time in Nepal was a fantastic experience. What we remember most is the kindness of the people we met and the friends we made.

-Rose and Andy Hoyle (2011)

Teaching the kids at MDBL

"Teaching the kids at MDBLC was one of the most memorable and deeply rewarding experiences of my life. I feel so grateful and blessed to have met so Rowena with children many wonderful people. Everyday I one of the kids would put a smile on my face and bring tears to my eyes because of their kindness and warm spirit. I went there to teach but came away learning more than I could ever imagine. My sincerest thanks to Hands for Help and all the staff and students at MDBLC for giving me such beautiful memories and life changing lessons."

-Rowena

Volunteering in the Monastery Pokhara

You're never too young to experience, appreciate and value the wonders that we have in this world. I discovered this upon my adventure to Nepal early January of 2011. My name is Kate and I am 18 years old from Australia and I feel my time in Kate with Monk childrenNepal has shaped who I am, and who I want to be. So here I was, just out of school, in way over my head, looking for a ‘fun and exciting trip overseas’. I had, however, no idea how intense, amazing, terrifying, breath-taking, crazy and testing this trip would be.

I remember so clearly my first moments landing in Nepal where I was spell bound by the culture and it’s sights, smells, sounds.. not to mention the various livestock running loose amongst the streets! I was quickly met by Badri who made my friend and I feel much more settled. And then our adventure began..

Riley and I spent the first two weeks in a children’s home in Pokhara, Lakeside. We looked after 8 beautiful yet very cheeky children (5 boys, 3 girls) ageing from 5-12. We would get them up, walk them to school and pick them up for an afternoon of fun at 3pm. We would go to the park everyday, make butterflies and read, and we even organised a ‘Teddy Bear’s picnic’ which made the children beam with excitement.

After our two weeks here, we took part in a sporadic 4 day trek to Poon Hill, then we were taken to our next adventure. Our next two weeks would be spent at Pema Ts'al Sakya Monastic Institute, just outside of Pokhara, teaching English to the monks. The monastery was absolutely breath-taking, and housed 70 bubbly, fun-loving monks. Since there was an abundance of volunteers teaching here, Riley and I would each morning walk 15 minutes up the road to teach at a less fortunate monastery, but with the same high spirited students; hungry to learn. We got very attached to these students, and had a very, VERY teary goodbye on our last day of teaching – the most beautiful, kind natured people I have ever met.

My time in Nepal was absolutely amazing. My only complaint would be not having enough time to discover more of Nepal, and stay with the children at Monk children the children’s home and monastery. Nepal, I feel is a hidden gem, concealed amongst the breath taking mountain ranges, with wondrous life lessons and personal lessons to experience at every turn. I am absolutely more than happy to answer any questions you may have – I could blab on for days. You can contact me on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you’re thinking about travelling to Nepal, arrive with an open attitude, and prepare to met, experience, see, feel some truly amazing things.

My inpressions and experience of this organization

My inpressions and experience of this organization, Hands for help, is that I really was really taken good care of. I was picked up at the airport and taken to the guesthouse where Mr Badri waited for me. Mr Badri is very concerned about that volunteers feel good and velocomed. Gunni with Monk Children

Urmila, who had the first Nepalis class, is really nice and taught me some useful phrases. Extra special and nice was that she showed me around in Katmandu. We went on her scooter and that's a great opportunity to see Katmandu by it's real side. Suddenly you are in the middle of the traffic-chaos. And actually it's working.

After my introduction days, Mr Badri took me to the monastery in Porphin where I should teach English to monks. I was there for some days, 1,5 weeks I think it was. The reason I left my volunteering period earlier was that I didn't feel my time there very useful. I do more good with children and with really poor people. And I wanted to see more of Nepal and go trekking. The food at the monastery was not so good. I was always hungry, because of the taste of the food, and quality.

Mr Badri has always been very kindly and helped directly in all kinds of situations, and I am very pleased with all his work.

I can really, really recommend this organisation, and I will come back and stay longer in the country and work with children next time.

Teaching in Pokhara

Peace stupa My volunteer experience in Nepal is one that I remember by the quality of friendships that I made during my time there. Everyone that I met during those seven weeks- from the Hands for Help staff to my Nepali family to the other teachers at my school- made me feel very welcome and at home immediately, even though I was in a country where I did not speak the language and looked very different from almost everyone.

My summer in Nepal

ei’La’ Bryant
SAI Summer Feedback
19 September 2009

Nothing in my life has been as meaningful or mind-blowing as my time in Nepal. For the first time, I found myself alone in a country far different from my own, without any real knowledge of the language or of the culture. Though at times in the beginning of my adventure I found myself afraid and very alone, by the end of the trip I had grown so significantly that wading through seas of people in Kathmandu at 10 pm, alone, was as simple as walking through Harvard Square has always been. I went from an awe-stricken girl who felt at once very alone, saddened by the dirt and poverty and at the same time very exhilarated and moved by the beauty and the wonder of the place, the people, and the religions to a comfortable (and still awe-stricken) woman who could see through the poverty to its root causes, who could walk through the monsoon on the muddy streets without a care, who could still see the life and strength and happiness beating in the hearts and souls of so many in the population, and who could still be exhilarated by the beauty and the wonder of the place, the people, and the religions.

My Teaching Experience

I decided to volunteer in Nepal because I am a student of Buddhism and an avid hiker.
Quickly upon arriving in Kathmandu, I decided the city did not offer what I was looking for, so decided to volunteer at the Hyulsa Gumba (monestary) near Besishahar, approx. 6 hours away. The lush, serene setting of the Gumba was exactly what I was looking for. The accommodations and lack of privacy took some time to adjust to (and it was also my first experience with a non-Western toilet!), but the warmth and beauty of the landscape and the monks put me at ease and made the days fly by. I hadn't realized how close Annapurna was from the Gumba--it is possible to start the trek from the Gumba if you're interested. Another tip I want to give is to bring plenty of pens--which are frequently requested by the children you will encounter near the Gumba.

7 Weeks Orphanage Placement

victoria I chose Hands for Help because of the variety of projects available and as a local, grassroots organisation I hoped the projects would be well tailored to the needs of the local communities and provide good support for volunteers. I wasn’t disappointed.

The induction in Kathmandu gave me an opportunity to acclimatise, learn a surprising amount of Nepali from my excellent teacher, visit some of the most beautiful sights in the city, and enjoy the wonderful rooftop views of the city from the Millennium Inn….

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