Trip Details

Construction and Renovation Volunteer in Nepal

If you’re thinking of volunteering abroad and want a project which will really boost your building and joinery skills, look no further! Join the TRU team and support the Kathmandu community in their rebuilding efforts. Importantly, this project is a long-term programme that aims to create safe and comfortable spaces for the community’s children, so the tasks will depend on what’s needed when you arrive. Be assured, your efforts will be greatly appreciated by the community and will make a huge difference to the places they live, learn and recover in. So if you have tons of energy and like a challenge, this is the perfect programme for you!

Build Children a Brighter Future with your own Hands!

One day you may be painting pictures on a school playground, and the next, you could be helping to erect a school annexe!  There’s a lot of work here, so you’ll have to be flexible – and definitely have a can-do attitude! Further, you will work in a team and will have plenty of support from your coordinator, so you won’t be asked to do anything that is outwith your ability. However, tasks are based both on your ability and your desire to get stuck in, so the more you want to put into this programme, the better for everyone!

Plan Exciting Adventures with new Friends in Kathmandu!

Of course, you will also want to explore this beautiful country! After a day of volunteering, you can head off on a recce around Kathmandu’s villages, taking in the sights and sounds of busy streets, with lots of shops and markets to choose from!  Find unique clothes, Indian artefacts and trinkets to take home with you, or venture further out to the mountains and forests for treks with stunning views. In the evenings, you can either relax back at the accommodation with your friends or head out together. There are many restaurants and cafes here with a variety of cuisines from Italian, Indian, Thai and Korean to Chinese cuisine. However, we naturally recommend trying out the local cuisine!

Why be a Construction and Renovation Volunteer in Kathmandu?

  • Get involved in a rewarding project which helps to create better spaces for children
  • Improve your joinery and building skills – and enjoy using your creative flair!
  • Make new friends and plan exciting adventures across Nepal’s varied terrain
  • Discover the sights, sounds and tastes of this beautiful country and vibrant cultre
  • Enjoy staying in our comfortable accommodation with meals and beverages* included

*tea, coffee and drinking water

Get in touch to find out more or browse through our many other volunteer experiences.

Trip Itinerary

You will arrive on Sunday and have plenty of time to settle in, ahead of an exciting week on your Construction and Renovation project!

Mandatory Orientation Day

On the Monday of your first week as a Construction and Renovation Volunteer, you will join our orientation day to get accustomed to your surroundings. Your Education Project will continue as usual from Tuesday onward throughout the rest of the week.

Orientation Day Schedule (Monday)

  • Welcoming Ritual – Puja to the Gods & goddess and name-giving ceremony with ice-breaking activities
  • Review the schedule,
  • Social behaviours norms dos & don’ts in Nepali culture
  • Cross-culture seminar on eating, drinking, clothing bathing & toileting customs in Nepal
  • Lunch
  • Talk on safety & security during the program. Signing up the Code of Conduct, Child Protection Policy and Release & Waiver of Liability. Collection of passport copies, photos, and police clearance
  • Information on placement and visiting the placement site.
  • Assignment to find local places in and around the programme, and house neighbourhood.
  • Clothing shopping at the local market.

Weekly Schedule

Tuesday to Friday

  • Breakfast
  • Construction and Renovation Volunteering (2-3 hours)
  • Lunch
  • Construction and Renovation Volunteering (2 hours)
  • Dinner

Please note: This schedule can be changed depending on weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

Project Activities

Your activities will be varied as the project responds to the developing needs of the community. However, it is likely that you’ll be involved in:

  • Deconstructing damaged buildings;
  • Using building materials to rebuild walls
  • Painting and decorating to freshen up buildings
  • Carrying out basic carpentry, such as repairing or making furniture
  • Erecting fences around the school perimeter
  • Preparing materials such as cement, concrete, and wood
  • General labouring, for example, moving rocks and boulders

Evenings and Weekends

At the end of your day as a volunteer, you can choose to explore the area or simply relax with new friends back at your accommodation. Many of our volunteers enjoy mixing with their new volunteer friends during the week and plan their weekend adventures together!

Places to Visit

Thamel is a tourist hotspot, where shoppers can find Nepalese, Tibetan and Indian artefacts, wood carvings, handicraft and unique clothing. There are also several malls where you can find fashionable clothing and grocery stores offering everything from wine to breakfast cereals. And if dining out is your thing, you can have a dish from a different country every night, with a plethora of restaurants serving local and international dishes!

Trip Accommodation

You will be staying in a beautiful part of Kathmandu Valley, a small, mountain-sheltered valley that is the historical centre of Nepal. Rivers and streams interlace with the landscape, with its many brick-red villages along the ridges of the valley. It’s even possible to catch a glimpse of the snow-capped peaks of the majestic Himalayas – a must-see while you are here in Nepal!

About the Accommodation

Our accommodation is comfortable and you will be staying in male/female dorm accommodation. There is a mini library where you can read, a beautiful garden to relax in and dining and lounge areas where you can hang out with your fellow volunteers. Importantly, be aware that there is a curfew of 22.30 at the house, to ensure the safety of yourself and others. Further, no alcohol can be brought into the houses.

Food 

Nepalese food is delicious, consisting mainly of vegetarian dishes including rice and vegetables. You will be provided with three meals a day on weekdays and two meals per day on weekends with a mix of Western and Nepalese food, and expect to have a chicken dish about once a week, (vegetarian options are always available) and can also choose to eat out at any of the local restaurants. In addition, there is a refrigerator which you are welcome to use to store food and beverages.

Facilities

Our house is located five kilometres away from the city centre, where you can find anything you might need. The nearest ATM and supermarket are located a 15-minute walk away from our accommodation.

Transportation

From this location we provide free transport to your next program at the following location(s):

  • Buddhist Monastery
  • Kavre
  • Mate
  • Pokhara

Please note that extra provision must be made for your own additional excursions.

Trip Country Info

Nepal

Population: Approx. 28.98 million
Capital: Kathmandu
Language: Nepali
Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR)
Time zone: UTC +5:45

Namaste and welcome to Nepal, a country of high Himalayan Mountains, artistic monuments, exotic wildlife, and diverse cultures. Located between 80 12′ east longitude and between 26 22′ and 30 27′ north latitude, Nepal extends along the south slopes of the Himalayas in central Asia.

Although Nepal is small, it has the greatest latitudinal variation of any country. The land rises from the southern plains of the Terai, barely above sea level at 70 meters, to the top of the Mt. Everest, the highest peak on Earth at 8848 meters above sea level, in a distance of less than 200 km.

Book your volunteer travel  holiday and experience one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world as well as the highest mountain ranges. Nepal has lush valleys that team with exotic wildlife ready to be explored on your gap year adventure.  It is a beautiful country located in South Asia bordering both India and China.  As you enjoy your volunteer travel experience in Nepal you will come across many remote monasteries and villages that adorn the stunning landscape where you will experience the best of Nepal.  The outstanding beauty and friendly Nepalese people are the main reasons people book gap year holidays to Nepal and why they are a popular choice with us.   We have a compreshensive selection of gap year holidays in Nepal with a number of teaching and community programs on offer.

Have a look at our latest gap year experiences in Nepal or contact us for more about work & travel in Nepal or your questions about specific programs.  The volunteer Nepal program is a very good way for you to experience the most of what the spiritual and enchanted land of Nepal has to offer. You may also choose to trek Mount Everest or smaller mountain hikes like Poon Hill.

Participant Criteria & Requirements

Standard Requirements

Travel Insurance
Under 18, Parental Consent is Required

Additional Requirements

Sturdy Boots/Shoes
Work Gloves

What's included

  • 24/7 support in case of emergencies
  • Accommodation
  • Airport Pick up
  • English speaking coordinator
  • Orientation

What's not included

  • Airport drop off
  • Flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Vaccination
  • Visa