Nestled in the heart of the Himalayas, the mountain kingdom of Nepal with its beauty can hold anyone spellbound but if you look deeper, you will instantly see that the country needs some of the basic necessities like education, health and financial aid. Volunteering in Nepal is popular among the youth mostly because people get attracted to the idea of visiting the “Mt. Everest Country” and learning about a new alien culture. Nepal, for a long time has, enchanted and fascinated tourists and trekkers, mountaineers and scholars with the sheer beauty, mysteriousness and the mystical chants that arise from the monasteries in the deeper realms of the Himalayas.

In the recent past, Nepal has seen an increase in environmentally destructive activities and hence needs more and more volunteers to come forward and help in reducing the negative impact that tourism has left in its wake in this Asian country. The higher regions closer to the Everest base camp and other base camps and glaciers have also been negatively affected by such rampant growth in tourism.

Volunteering in Nepal to spread awareness on the environmental issues is gathering momentum. Overseas volunteer work is being seen by many people, as an opportunity to satisfy their need to participate for a good cause while gaining an invaluable experience.

One such organization is KEEP or The Katmandu Environmental Education Project. From time to time, KEEP looks out for volunteering in Nepal and is considered as one of the leading non profit organizations in South East Asia. There are many similar organizations who are not only focused on the impending issue of creating a safe and healthy environment but also help in providing medical aid, creating infrastructure, imparting education in village schools, enabling communication through the Internet and other modes of communication between far off villages, teaching the locals and tourists about damages caused to the environment and about global warming, and many more.

You can choose from a variety of volunteer programs that are aimed at different subject from protecting environment to eradicating poverty. Volunteering in Nepal is an interesting option because of the fact that you will get to travel to places, which are nestled deep in the heart of the mighty Himalayas, places which can be compared to paradise, places which are so remote that people there don’t have any educational facilities, water & electricity or better schools.

Volunteering in Nepal is a great experience and most non profit organizations requiring volunteers provide the following programs:

Restoration -- of old buildings, cleaning up local villages and high altitude camps and protecting the biodiversity. As a part of this overseas volunteer work, you will be working with the existing staff in construction of local schools and restoration of the environment.

Teaching English overseas -- includes volunteering in Nepal and other backward countries in Asia and Africa. Far off villages and small towns in Nepal don’t have the proper facilities to support the educational infrastructure. As a volunteer, you will get to teach different subjects including English so that it can empower the locals. You will be teaching English so that the locals are able to make a living by talking to trekkers, mountaineers and acting as tour guides within the tourism industry. Another section of teaching as a part of volunteering in Nepal includes learning how to provide first aid, information on health care, management skills and information related to conservation of forests and wildlife.

Another non profit organization that offers plenty of opportunities for volunteering in Nepal is United Planet. They have around 20 to 25 opportunities that vary from working with orphans, street children and disabled to working with women and empowering them so that they are able to earn a decent living. They generally have programs that range from 12 weeks to 12 months.

If you love traveling and want to help the people of the plant then volunteering in Nepal is a good place to start.