Download Volunteer Information Package

Maya Universe Academy
(Main School, Tanahun Location)
Volunteer Information Package
Welcome Volunteers!
Namaste! Welcome to the Maya Universe Academy family! All of us here look forward to meet you in person. Until
then, this package will hopefully give you some insight into the life here at Maya and help you prepare your
experience. This information package will cover about the school, transportation, what to bring, and living life here
in general. Please read over it carefully and see you soon!
How to get here
From the airport
Welcome to Nepal! You can take a taxi from the airport to your hotel. You can ask the volunteer coordinator for any recommendations.
From Kathmandu, you can take any bus (2 types) headed to Pokhara, and then get off in Damauli (Dawmowe-lee) and then catch another bus to the school. The school is located in a village called Chisa Pani.
Tourist Bus (large bus)
The easiest and most comfortable way to get to Damuali (4-5hours) is a tourist bus (~600-700 rupees).
Buy a ticket from your hotel/hostel to Pokhara, and then ask the driver to let you off in Damauli.
Local Bus (small van)
Kalanki– This terminal is well known and easy to find. (Take a taxi there, ~400 rupees from Thamel) It’s
a junction on the ring road with a noticeable footbridge network above. From here, ask random people
for Damauli and you’ll end up on the right bus (buses leave every 10 mins and cost 350-400rupees).
Make sure the people on the bus know you’re going to Damauli so they can tell you when to get off!
Damauli
Once in Damauli, on the opposite side of the street from where you get off there are a few slightly smaller,
more local buses waiting. From there, you can catch a bus (#163 written near the rear license plate) to
the school (~1hr, 70 rupees). The bus departs at around 3pm. Ask the bus worker for “Maya School”. If
you have difficulties finding the bus then find the “Bhupal Hardware” store sign beside the paint store
with yellow doors and Mr. Bhupal at the front desk can show you where the bus departs from.
The bus will drop you off on a dirt road near the entrance of the school. Look for the tiled graphic sign
placed in the trees, and follow the path in.
Private jeep
Contact us at the school and we can arrange a Jeep for you from Kathmandu to the school, door to door.
(cost is about $150).
All of the above prices may vary according to fuel supply and prices.
*One final note, when in Damauli (on your way to the school), finding Mr. Bhupal’s shop and the right bus
can be tricky. So, below is a picture of Mr. Bhupal’s Hardware store entrance, and the 3pm bus you will
take to get to the school!
What to bring
This is a list of things you should have
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Two ID photos – one for visa, one for local SIM
A local sim card and cell phone – you need your
passport and an ID photo*
Sleeping bag (from April to September a light sleeping
bag is enough)
Medicines you need
Lice comb – sometimes kids have lice
Clothes to shower in - Shorts for guys (a stretchy
waistband is always nice) and something to cover the torso and legs for girls (a long skirt that can
be tied around the chest works well!). Girls can buy a ‘Lungi’* appropriate for showering; you can
buy at our school for 600 rupees
Toiletries – please try to use ORGANIC PRODUCTS only as this goes back into our land
Laundry soap bar*
Footwear – Sneakers are easy for walking up and down the hill, but many walk in flip-flops as well.
Jacket – It can get cold at night between October and February
Flashlight - one that plugs in and charges is an added luxury! Head torch is also popular. *
Toilet paper*
Water bottle*
* can be bought from Damauli.
Some things you might want are harder to find locally, such as insect repellent, sleeping bag and
decent work gloves. A computer is not necessary but nice to have. They’re especially helpful if you’re
involved in school management/admin.
Life in the Village
Where you will sleep
Volunteers sleep in the main school building in a hostel set up and atmosphere. Basic bedding is provided
– mattress, bed sheet, mosquito net and pillow. We have electricity supply and solar energy supply,
however electricity comes and goes due to Nepal’s power sharing practice. There is also a tap with clean
drinking water. People from the school have been staying in the village for a few years now so you’ll be
fine. 
Commodities available in the village shop
 Laundry soap
 Skin soap
 Toothpaste
 Basic food – biscuits, instant noodles, eggs
 Soft drinks
 Eggs – boiled, fried
 Noodles
Life at the School
Food Maya Provides
We eat simply at Maya: variations of rice, dhal,
and vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We grow a lot of vegetables so we eat those
when they’re in season; otherwise we buy
them. We also try to eat meat once a week or
so. Fruits can be purchased in Damauli if you’d
like (totally worth it by the way).
Water
There is a fresh water spring near the school
where we get our drinking water. It’s set up
like a mini waterfall so we also shower and do
laundry there. The water comes from an
underground aquifer so it’s completely pure.
Actually, the water is so pure that the village is named after it: Chisopani (cold water).
Electricity and Internet
The school has mains electricity which runs for the best part of the day. There is no internet available at
the school. Most Nepal telecoms companies offer portable Internet solutions. You can buy internet
balance for your mobile SIM card. NTC Wifi device works well in all locations which costs 5900 rupees for
the device and can be topped up with data accordingly.
Dress code
Dress code is casual. However girls must refrain from wearing skirts and shorts above knee level and tight
leggings (unless worn with a long top / dress).
The shower area is a public communal area. Girls must wear a lunghi which can be purchased from school.
Boys must wear loose fitting shorts.
Vacation
Preferably vacation is planned during school holidays (April, October, November). If this is not possible
volunteers are expected to handover their duties diligently and “days off” are to be discussed with management.
Who lives at Maya
 Hostel Children: Students living at the school. Their
villages are too far away to commute every day, so
they live at the school in their own hostel.
 Permanent Volunteers: Nepali volunteers that live
at the school and help run daily operations.
 Temporary Volunteers: Nepali and international
volunteers who stay for both short-term and longterm periods.
Our Farm
The animals we rear
We raise a number of animals to help pay for running the school.
Currently, we rear goats, chickens and pigs.
The produce we grow
Most of the vegetables we grow being used as materials for school
meal. Currently we grow pumpkins, bottle gourd, bitter gourd,
tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, beans, and eggplant. We also have fruit
trees, including lemon, orange, lychee, papaya, and banana.
However, it will be a few years before they mature and produce
enough to sell.
Volunteering
Volunteer roles
Volunteers are often involved in many fields, including agriculture, construction, education, and
management. We try to match your interest,
experience, and desire with the on-going projects at
the school. Your role will not be entirely clear until
we speak to you and assess our needs at a date close
to your arrival (things around here change all the
time!) However, to teach we require at least a 2
month commitment in order to offer a quality
program. Don’t worry though, even if you’re not
working in the classrooms there is plenty of time to
play and get to know the students. Each morning
before class we make a morning circle (assembly)
and play the most intense game of dodgeball you’ve
ever seen. In the evening, there’s never a shortage
of kids running around the school.
Here are some examples of volunteer duties at Maya:
Teaching – Developing various programs and teaching up to four classes in a day (Long term volunteers
can participate)
Farming – Feeding our valuable animals every day, cleaning pens, collecting vegetation, taking the goats
out to pasture, taking care of the chicken
Agriculture – We have various fruits and vegetables in our garden, such as spinach, cabbage, eggplant,
tomato, garlic, onion, banana, papaya, orange etc.. Agriculture team takes care of them. (Digging, planting,
watering, etc…)
Construction – Building structures, mixing cement, digging... projects vary!
Management – Managing volunteer inquiries, marketing, IT developing , project management, assisting
Manjil
A week at Maya
A lot of things always going on at MUA but roughly: Sundays to Fridays- School and work. Saturdays You're free as a bird to do whatever you want.
Here is a glimpse at a school day:
Summer timetable
06.00 Kitchen duty breakfast (usually 2 volunteers)
08.00 Breakfast in kitchen
08.45 Volunteer meeting. Discussion for the day, activities
such as construction and agriculture plans.
09.00* Morning Circle. After circle, games are played.
Volunteers should participate unless they are expected to
start work in respective sites.
10.00* Class starts. Agriculture / construction team go to
sites as instructed
12.00* Break time - lunch is served in kitchen
13.00* Class continues. Agriculture / construction work
15.00* End of school for the day. 1 hour of sports and games. Volunteers are expected to participate,
unless extra working hour
17.00 Kitchen duty for dinner (usually 2 volunteers)
18.00 Hostel students study time. Tutors, teachers are expected to assist in their study and homework
time.
19.00 dinner time
*for winter timetable everything starts one hour later
Other Useful Information
Fee
Short term volunteer: We charge daily $10, which covers the food and accommodation
Long term volunteer: 25% discount is offered to long term volunteers staying over 5 months
or scholarship program
Scholarship program: We provide free food and accommodation, contact us with your application
Contact
Before you leave home, be sure to get a contact number or two from us at the school. If we haven’t
already e-mailed you one, let us know and we’ll get it sent over ASAP.
Money
There are ATM’s in Damauli to get money out. However, you can only withdrawal up to 10,000 rupees
each time and keep in mind that there will be a withdrawal fee from the ATM and your bank (usually
~$10 each time). In Kathmandu and Pokhara you can withdrawal up to 35,000 rupees at a time.
Sometimes ATMs do not work properly, it is better to bring some cash (USDor EUR) specially for your
visa.
At the school, volunteers usually spend a dollar or two each day on luxuries you begin to miss! Sometimes
we also buy chickens to treat the kids to meat, or take the kids into town to have some fun. A suitable
budget would be $50-$70/month excluding any trips made to nearby towns and other commodities.
Visas
Most countries can get their tourist visa upon arrival in Kathmandu (check the requirements for your
country just in case). The longest is 90 days, but this can be extended by an extra 2 months if you’d like.
All it involves is a short trip to Kathmandu/Pokhara. If you’d like to stay longer than 5 months, it is
possible but it depends on the time of year. Buying the visa with the first entrance to Nepal is cheaper
then extension. Tourist visa is granted maximum 5 months per calendar year. Please contact us for more
details if this is the case. More information you can find on the link below.
http://www.nepalimmigration.gov.np/
You have to bring an ID photo. You can fill out the visa application form in the airport. You can pay with
cash and credit card, but it is better to have cash, sometimes the terminal does not work properly. You
can pay in USD / EUR. You can also change money to NRS.
Vaccinations
Here's a useful link regarding vaccinations for travel in Nepal. These are recommendations and it's up to
you whether to take them or not.
http://ciwec-clinic.com/health-information/immunizations-recommended-for-travel-in-nepal/
Hospitals
The nearest hospital is in Damauli (30min jeep ride away). For serious illnesses and injuries you will have
to go to a hospital in either Pokhara or Kathmandu.
Places to go on weekends
Below you will find directions to popular towns volunteers usually visit on the weekend.
Damauli: Nearby town with food, clothes and general shopping.
1. Public Bus: Leaves school at 10am and the journey takes 1 hour. The bus then leaves Damauli for
school at 3pm.
2. Walk down to Beltari (20 min) or Ghasi Kuwa (45 min) then catch a local jeep to Damauli (jeeps run
sporadically and take 15min).
Bandipur: Pretty hill station, good for chilling, food and shopping,
Bus: Go to Ghasi Kuwa by 10am bus or walking. Ghasi Kuwa is a road junction between Maya School and
Damauli. Once at Ghasi Kuwa ask around for a bus to Dumre. The samosas at Ghasi Kuwa are good so
maybe grab a bite while you wait. The public bus to Dumre takes 30mins or so and will take you in the
opposite direction to Damauli. In Dumre you can either take the public bus or private jeep up the hill to
Bandipur. The bus goes every 40mins and the private taxis cost 300-400 rupees.
Pokhara and Kathmandu:
1. Bus: You'll find plenty of buses and shared jeeps going from Damauli.
2. Private Jeep: We can help arrange this for you.
We look forward to meeting you!