Volunteers Initiative Nepal

Last updated

Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN) is a volunteering in Nepal non-governmental organization (NGO) established and registered in 2005 in Kathmandu, Nepal by a group of social activists, educationalists, development workers, and other professionals. VIN is a non-religious, non-political, and non-profit organization. VIN focuses on empowerment projects in marginalized communities of Nepal through its programs and projects [1] VIN mobilizes local and international volunteer in Nepal and interns in developmental and humanitarian projects including research, education, training, and counseling. [1]

Contents

Mission

To empower marginalized communities through enhanced education, health, environment, economy, and basic infrastructure development through women's empowerment, children's development, youth empowerment, community health, and environment & conservation programs with a special focus on women and children by conducting training and research, mobilizing skilled local and international volunteers to promote equality, economic well-being and basic human rights.

Partnership

VIN is a certified hosting organization [2] by European Aid Volunteers Initiative. VIN is affiliated with various internationally recognized organizations and volunteer networks including: Network for Voluntary Development Asia (NVDA), Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service CCIVS and member of ALLIANCE of European Voluntary Service Organisations., [3] Partners in Sustainable Learning (PiSL), Friends of VIN, USA, Netherlands, UK. At the local level, VIN works in coordination with District Health Councils, District education offices, District Development Councils, Village Councils, Women, children & youth clubs, Buddhist monasteries, public schools.

History

Bhuprendra Ghimire, its president, founded VIN in 2005 to give back to the community he belongs to. [4] He holds a master's degree in education and was an educator in Nepal for over 10 years before establishing VIN. [5]

VIN initiated on-site community development in 2007 in Jitpur Phedi village, a rural community less than 20 miles from Kathmandu. Since 2007 VIN has built strong foundations of education, health & environment, basic economy, and basic public infrastructure for the communities including schools, community centers, early childhood education centers, WASH. VIN has been implementing its holistic projects in the outskirts of Kathmandu, Tarkeshor Municipality, and Okhaldhunga district of Everest region. VIN is currently in the setup stages to expand volunteer placement and community development to Dhading, Rashuwa & Sindhupalchok too, rural communities from 50 to 250 miles from Kathmandu. [4]

Programs

VIN has four pillars of its development initiatives – education, health and environment, economy, and basic infrastructure development. To achieve their mission they implement six different programs: Women's Empowerment, Children's Development, Youth Empowerment, Public Health & Medical Care, Environment Conservation, and Disaster Response & Relief.

VIN offers international, local volunteer and internship placements in various projects. Current programs include women and youth empowerment, children's development, teaching, teacher development, environment and conservation, public health, management and administration, and journalism and public interest. [6]

Their program runs year-round by their local staff, volunteers and interns. The projects are developed based on the local need by conducting a baseline survey and principles of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [7] Their projects are monitored and evaluated using external bodies so as to ensure the impact and quality of the services delivered to the community.

Earthquake Relief Project

VIN has been actively involved in relief work after the 25 April 2015 earthquake. VIN distributed immediate relief materials like tents, food & other essentials, organized mobile medical camps, children creative psychological camps and constructed 550 safe transitional houses, 2500+ toilets for the affected families, and 50 classrooms for the affected children to go to school. VIN has also built 55 earthquake-resistant homes and 5 per-schools, one women's business center for JitpurPhedi Women Agriculture Cooperative Ltd. and a community learning center (CLC) - NaraTika Community Learning Center for the affected communities.

Volunteers

VIN's holistic approach of community development allows the volunteer or intern [8] to be immersed in the local culture. Interns and volunteers of various educational and cultural backgrounds can exchange their cultures freely.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Nepal</span> Overview of relations

Though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is the government agency responsible for the conduct of foreign relations of Nepal, historically, it is the Office of Prime Minister (PMO) that has exercised the authority to formulate and conduct policies related to Nepal's foreign affairs. As a landlocked country wedged between two larger and far stronger powers, Nepal has tried to maintain good relations with both of its neighbors, People's Republic of China and Republic of India. Nepal's relationship with China, India, and the United States has remained utmost priority for successive Nepali governments. The relationship between Nepal and India however was significantly hampered during the 2015 Nepal blockade by pro-Indian anti-Nepal protestors, where the Government of Nepal accused India of using "Russia-Ukraine" tactics to cause unrest along Nepal's southern border using ethnically Indian residents of Nepal. India strictly denied the allegation and said the unrest were solely due to Madheshi protesters. For the most part though, Nepal has traditionally maintained a non-aligned policy and enjoys friendly relations with its neighboring countries and almost all the major countries of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voluntary Service Overseas</span> International development charity

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is a not-for-profit international development organization charity with a vision for "a fair world for everyone" and a mission to "create lasting change through volunteering". VSO delivers development impact through a blended volunteer model consisting of international, national, and community volunteers working together to develop the systems and conditions for positive social change. In 2018–19, VSO worked in 23 countries in Africa and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercy Corps</span> American humanitarian aid NGO founded 1979

Mercy Corps is a global non-governmental, humanitarian aid organization operating in transitional contexts that have undergone, or have been undergoing, various forms of economic, environmental, social and political instabilities. The organization claims to have assisted more than 220 million people survive humanitarian conflicts, seek improvements in livelihoods, and deliver durable development to their communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth empowerment</span> Process where young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives

Youth empowerment is a process where children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes. Youth empowerment aims to improve quality of life. Youth empowerment is achieved through participation in youth empowerment programs. However scholars argue that children's rights implementation should go beyond learning about formal rights and procedures to give birth to a concrete experience of rights. There are numerous models that youth empowerment programs use that help youth achieve empowerment. A variety of youth empowerment initiatives are underway around the world. These programs can be through non-profit organizations, government organizations, schools or private organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molly Melching</span>

Molly Melching is the founder and Creative Director of the Tostan Community Empowerment Program (CEP). Tostan is a non-governmental organization (NGO) headquartered in Dakar, Senegal whose mission is to empower African communities to bring about sustainable development and positive social transformation based on respect for human rights. Her website, Tostan.org, states "Tostan implements a holistic, three-year empowering education program in African national languages that has engaged over 3,500 rural communities in eight African countries on themes of democracy, human rights, health, literacy, and project management skills". These themes include the abandonment of female genital cutting, the abolishment of child/forced marriage, and female empowerment in leadership positions such as leadership positions in countries across West and East Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tostan</span> Nonprofit organization

Tostan is a US-registered 501(c)(3) international non-governmental organization headquartered in Dakar, Senegal. The organization's mission is "to empower communities to develop and achieve their vision for the future and inspire large-scale movements leading to dignity for all" in several West African countries, including Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Mali, and Mauritania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malawi–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

The United States established diplomatic relations with Malawi in 1964 after Malawi gained independence from the United Kingdom. Malawi's transition from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy significantly strengthened the already cordial U.S. relationship with Malawi. Significant numbers of Malawians study in the United States. The United States has an active Peace Corps program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, and an Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in Malawi. Both countries have a common history and English language, as they were part of the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepal Youth Foundation</span>

Freeing nearly 13,000 girls from indentured servitude has been a major accomplishment of the Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF), a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The mission of NYF is to provide children in Nepal with education, housing, medical and nutritional care, and general support.

Openmind Projects (OMP), in Nong Khai Province, Thailand is a developmental aid organisation focused on helping communities in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Nepal through the creation and management of grass roots projects in the areas of e-learning, education, and environment. The focus of the organisation is using information and communication technologies (ICT) to educate individuals in schools, orphanages, national parks, and villages. Projects rely on volunteers to promote changes in local communities.

EduCARE India stands for 'Education & Community Applied Research Establishment in India', a community development institutional organisation that has been working with local communities and young talented students from higher education institutions / universities such as Panjab University, Chandigarh and Central University of Himachal Pradesh and other international universities to conduct community based education and applied research, organisation of seminars, conferences, exhibitions and an international internship and exchange program along with AIESEC

Ascend: A Humanitarian Alliance is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which focuses on international economic and health care development in Africa and South America. Headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, with full-time offices in Ethiopia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador and affiliates in DR Congo, Cape Verde, Ghana, Mozambique, and Sudan. Ascend Alliance operates under the governance of a volunteer board of directors which is composed of business professionals, humanitarians and community leaders. A local group of donors, partners, volunteers, interns, and staff members contribute their time, resources and skills to further the organization's goals. Its leadership is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Primary Health Care and Resource Center (PHCRC) is in the rural village of Chapagaun, Lalitpur in Nepal. Chapagaun is in the wider Kathmandu Valley. The health centre was first established in 1972 as a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) clinic by the United Mission to Nepal. It is notable for its international volunteer programme and its micro-insurance service which reduces the cost of health care for those with the insurance. This is an important service in a country where more than 30% of the population are below the poverty line of US$12 per month and lack basic amenities such as primary health care.

PHASE is a partnership between several international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) registered in Austria, Nepal, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA). The organisations specialise in improving health and education services and livelihood opportunities for disadvantaged populations and most of this work takes place in Nepal. The acronym, PHASE, stands for "Practical Help Achieving Self Empowerment" and describes the working ethic of the organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sano Sansar Initiative</span>

Sano Sansar Initiative is a global youth-led non-profit organization and a platform for children and youth which was founded in February 2006 by Sagar Aryal in Nepal, to promote environment conservation, advocate children and youth on climate change, sustainable development, Rural Health and Education in the poverty prone 21st Century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagadish Ghimire</span> Nepalese activist and writer

Jagdish Ghimire was a Nepalese writer, political analyst and development worker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Cross Youth (Philippines)</span> Service of the Red Cross

The Red Cross Youth is one of the six major services of the Philippine Red Cross. Its mission is to educate and empower the children and youth in the spirit of Red Cross through constructive training and effective leadership, and provide opportunities for directing and harnessing their energy and idealism into worthwhile humanitarian activities.

Women for Human Rights (WHR) is an organisation which works to secure the political, social, cultural and economic rights of single women in Nepal. It was founded by Lily Thapa. It works in 73 districts and 1550 village development committees, with over 100,000 single women members.

Tevel b’Tzedek is a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Israel that promotes sustainable development in developing countries through the formation of thematic-based groups and community mobilization. It was established in 2007 by Rabbi Micha Odenheimer, who wanted to provide young Jewish people with meaningful social justice experience abroad with the intention of creating strong Jewish leaders invested in the idea of Tikkun Olam. Since 2007, hundreds of Jewish volunteers from communities in Israel, the United States, Germany, Ukraine, South Africa, Australia and other countries have traveled to Nepal and Haiti to participate in community development projects.

The National Social Investment Program of Nigeria is a social welfare initiative created by the federal government of Nigeria in 2015 under the direction of the National Social Investment Office. The program was established to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources to vulnerable populations, including children, youth, and women. Under President Muhammadu Buhari, the office has implemented four programs to address poverty and promote economic development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Youth Cafe</span> African youth organization

The Youth Café is a not-for profit pan-African youth organization that was founded in 2012 and works with young people in Africa and around the world to foster community resilience, propose innovative solutions, drive social progress, enable youth empowerment and inspire political change. The Youth Café is headquartered at Kitisuru Gardens, in Nairobi, Kenya.

References

  1. 1 2 "Vision, Mission and Goals".
  2. "Volunteers Initiative Nepal - VIN - EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTION AND HUMANITARIAN AID OPERATIONS - European Commission". EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTION AND HUMANITARIAN AID OPERATIONS. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  3. "Partners and guests - Alliance Voluntary Network".
  4. 1 2 "Our Story".
  5. "Bhupendra Ghimire".
  6. "Volunteer and Internship Programs | Volunteer Initiative Nepal - VIN".
  7. "Sustainable Development Goals - Progress Assessment Report 2016–2019" (PDF). United Nations.
  8. "Volunteer and Internship Programs - Volunteers Initiative Nepal". Volunteers Initiative Nepal. Retrieved 2018-03-24.