From Volunteering in Orphanages to Community Based Child Care

Volunteer Society Nepal works closely with orphanages to help provide better care and support to vulnerable children in the local area. Our volunteers have made a significant impact. They help to improve the living conditions of these orphanages. Volunteers also help to create opportunities for the children by supporting their education and care.

However, placing children in orphanages and residential homes should be the last resort for any child. Parents, close family members, or a foster family from the extended community should raise the child if possible. This community-based approach to care is a more sustainable and long-term solution to caring for vulnerable children than orphanages.

That is why Volunteer Society Nepal has decided to shift its focus to community-based child care. Our goal is to provide more support to local organizations, community and family-based care. A stable environment is extremely important when raising a child. This way they have a greater opportunity to reach their full potential. Instead of working in orphanages, we will offer volunteers other care based projects. They can work at day care centers, after-school care centers, kindergartens and schools, and support groups for the elderly and women.

Other types of support

Volunteer Society Nepal will now support orphanages in other ways. VSN will help older children that cannot be re-integrated. We will support them in their studies or provide coaching to help them get a job. We also offer internships or jobs at our different projects: at our schools, in our women center or in the center for children with intellectual disabilities.

Volunteer Society Nepal Child Care Center

With the help of our volunteers and donors, we are starting an After School Child Care Program. This program offers children from poor backgrounds the opportunity to get guidance. They will be guided with their homework and can explore their own ideas, create art, connect through music, dance, and play games. Volunteers can help these children by providing them with these after-school activities and guiding them with their homework.

The benefits of community-based care

Community – and family based – child care is a system of care that benefits a child much more in the long-term. Here are the benefits that we see from community-based care programs:

• We now have the opportunity to foster healthier future generations by keeping families together and working with parents to ensure their children flourish.
• Compared to orphanages, child care projects in communities tend to have better organization and focus on the volunteers’ work. This leads to greater impact and a more gratifying volunteer experience.
• The reach of our programs is greater, which means development is longer-term and sustainable. With our childcare projects, we now reach out to all children who need support and care.

Our policy towards working with children

Volunteer Society Nepal take the safety of our volunteers and the children we work with very seriously. We have a Child Protection Policy in place that is strictly followed by all volunteers and staff.