»» I have done voluntary work for 3 weeks in Ramro Shati. I had a very nice time here. Working with the kids was great. They liked every new game that was teached to them. And I have learned more about Nepali culture and life during my stay here. So if you wanna do something nice for these great kids and you wanna taste more of Nepali life, than voluntary work in this house can be a good option. Although I recommend you to have a little bit of travel and working with children experience already.

»» The kids are so happy. They made us laugh with their silly `personalities and comments. Rajendra was full of valuable information and helped us with our every need to ensure  our comfort. And Didi makes the best dal bhat in Nepal so we were very well fed. The kids are so full of wonderful energy … it warms ours hearts to think of them.

- Ryan McCaig & Julia Murphy

We were heading to Nepal after three months of travelling through Europe, Scandinavia, and India. We had a ticket in, a ticket out, and one month in between. Unlike our other destinations, we didn’t have a set plan for Nepal. In fact we found Ocean Nepal (on idealist.org) just one week before we were due to arrive in Kathmandu.

Rajendra was very happy to hear from us and said that he will pick us up at the airport. Upon our arrival, he was very accommodating and even lent us 6,000 Rupees (enough for 40-60 meals at a Nepali restaurant) to get our tourist visas as the ATM was broken. We weren’t sure what to expect, but found the house to be very comfortable. After three months of living at hostels, it was very nice to have a quiet place to stay. From the first day to the very last we felt safe and well cared for.

The children were very excited to see us and jumped all over us as soon as we put down our packs. They were all nicely behaved and got along very well. With that said, they are kids and did need a push from time to time, especially when it came to studying. When they weren’t busy with their homework we played hangman, kick around a hacky sack, jumped rope, watched Shrek (Nepal doesn’t really put out movies specifically for kids), went to the cinema or the park. One of their favorite things to do was to record videos on our digital camera and then watch them on the laptop. The girls would sing and dance, while the boys would abuse the guitar and jump around the room. They also loved to draw…

...Spiderman.

Our experience in Nepal as been unique in our travels, here we were able see first hand how people live day to day. I hope that when we come back to the US we’ll be able to see our own life and country through different eyes.

-Raili Werner & Alex Sartan

It was a wonderful experience volunteering at Ramro Shati! I had so much fun being with the children, playing games, singing songs (they loved the Okey Cokey by the way!) and going on little outings. It was also great to be able to help them with their homework as a lot of their classes are in English now. On occasion actually I visited their school and helped out there too (which I really recommend doing!). Often though I would have free time to myself during the day which enabled me to do some sight seeing, shopping or just relaxing in a lovely garden café. I also took daily Yoga classes which were fantastic.

I was also very well looked after during my stay there- Rajendra offered no end of help and support and Didi- the house mother cooked wonderful Dhal Bhat!!

The children are very special at Ramro Shati and so appreciative of volunteers’ help. And Nepal it’s self has so much to offer- with it’s rich culture and wonderful people, so I’m sure you’ll have a great stay there!

I certainly have some very fond memories.

-Lydia Baksh

For me going to Kathmandu for five weeks as a volunteer with Ocean Nepal was a big adventure as it had been many years since I had travelled aboard on my own. I found it to be both challenging and rewarding as well as a lot of fun. I think that it has to count as one of the best experiences of my life.

There was plenty of variety in the volunteer work that I undertook. I often spent time with the children, helping them with their homework and playing with them after school. They were all very sweet and affectionate – and very well behaved! While I was there another volunteer was carrying out renovations to the buildings and sometimes I worked with him. If you go to Ramro Shahti please make sure that you take time to notice the excellent paint work on the railings. It’s all my own work! I spent the rest of my time with Rajendra in the office and helped him to write his new website.

I had a lot of free time to explore Kathmandu and Rajendra took me out sight seeing in the afternoons. He was an excellent guide and was extremely well informed about Nepal’s culture, history and religion. The rest of the time I enjoyed wandering through the maze of little streets and generally just taking in the atmosphere. I always felt completely safe and found the people to be wonderfully kind and hospitable.

The highlight of my trip had to be the day we took the children out for a picnic and for breakfast before we left I cooked French Toast (or Eggy Bread as it’s known in my family) for fourteen people squatting on the floor over a camping gaz stove. Although quite stressful it was all worth it to see the children wolfing it down and coming back for more until I feared that they might burst!

Going to Asia for the first time was a huge cultural shock and I did find the deprivation and poverty hard to come to terms with. However, looking back, I feel proud to have been there and met so many special people who have dedicated their lives to working towards building a better future for the children of Nepal.

-Susan Chaney