Testimonials

Volunteering experiences-stories of volunteers:

Congratulations on the beautiful web site you organized for Child Development Nepal. I met you at the orphanage last April when I was working as a volunteer.
I will be making presentations in the Ottawa area (Canada) in order to try and find sponsors for the orphanage.
I really enjoyed my experience at the orphanage. You get to know the people and the culture so much more when you live such an adventure. My background is in education so I also worked in a number of schools during the school day when the children were not at the orphanage. This proved to offer me double the experience and exposure to life in Nepal.
I know I will return to Nepal so I was happy to learn that you are planning a cooperative venture with Himalayan Glacier Trekking.
Best wishes and best of luck.

Paul Bard

I was at the orphanage for about 6 weeks and was able to experience and learn a lot. The kids are all beautiful and come when I first heard their stories I was deeply touched. It was great to be able to get to know them, despite the language barrier and make a difference in their lives. Being a group of 12 in an orphanage they don't get a great deal of personal attention so it was great to see their eyes light up when they realised that people took notice of them and cared about them. It was also great to be able to experience the Nepali language and culture. Definately a life experience I'll never forget.

Melinda D'Arcy

I worked at CEN for just under two months in 2004. The second day in
Kathmandu I visited the orphanage, and the kids were gorgeous. Very friendly carers as well. My Nepalese was really non-existent, but the children and the carers speak reasonable English and communicating with pictures, hand and feet worked brilliantly! I was impressed with how well adjusted and behaved the kids were (maybe because I am more used to western kids???).
Anyway, over the next 8 weeks or so I worked at the office on improving the web site, and starting up some administration for the organisation. It was great to do something completely different than normal with my experience and skills, and I actually learned a lot about eg. web site design. A French girl I met also helped for a week, and the people in the office were lovely, so it was quite a social time as well. At the end of my stay we took the kids out for a 'school trip' to the museum and Tribhuvan Park, and despite the occasional shower we all had a fantastic day. I was very sad to leave. In conclusion - given the children's background, I really hope that as many people as possible will assist CEN in looking after them! Feel free to contact me if you'd like to know more about my time in Nepal, or CEN in
general.

Anne Pastor, Australia
annemiekep@ozemail.com.au

My time at the Child Environment Orphanage with KP, Hari Mata (an incredibly generous and caring lady), Beli, their children and the dozen or so orphans, was wonderful. The children were gorgeous, each with their own strikingly unique personalities and it was lovely to see that they cared for each other like brothers and sisters. From them, Melinda (the other Australian volunteer there at the time) and myself improved our Nepali language skills (if only slightly!). We helped the kids get ready for school in the mornings, and played and helped them do their homework in the evenings. During the daytime, we spent time at their primary school (conveniently located next door) teaching or watching lessons. The staff there were extremely friendly and hospitable, and eager to share their culture and show us their homes. An activity we later busied ourselves with was organising and painting new furniture in which to store the children’s belongings. Hopefully, now that the centre is more

developed these have still proven to be useful. Without a doubt, the best part of our stay there was the time spent with the kids, whose cheeky smiles and cheerful demeanours we came to adore. To anyone who wants to work at the orphanage; go for it!

Gracie Vivian