Our Volunteer Programs are officially open!
Conscious Impact is so excited to officially announce the volunteer programs for 2022-2023, our 8th year of operation! After 2 years of global uncertainty and challenges that restricted international travel, Nepal has officially re-opened it’s boarders to all visitors, and we would love for you to join us in the Himalayas.
Support the community of Takure to build a sustainable, empowered and resilient future.
In 2015, Conscious Impact formed in immediate response to the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and taking thousands of lives. More than 7 years later, we remain committed to supporting the families of Takure to build infrastructure, create sustainable livelihoods and empower their youth to create the future vision for the region. As a volunteer, this means you will work right alongside local Nepalis to support organic agriculture, sustainable construction and youth empowerment programs. You will stay in our volunteer Camp where we cook food together, clean together and enjoy morning and evening activities. In addition to the work, there will be time to dive deeply into the local culture, share meals with Nepali families, go for walks in the mountains and take time for yourself to practice yoga, meditate, play music, create art or do whatever it is you love.
We absolutely love the work that we do, and invite you to join us in Nepal!
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Why volunteer with Conscious Impact?
Conscious Impact Nepal is one of the world’s most intimate, effective and sustainable volunteer opportunities abroad. We initially partnered with the community of Takure immediately following the 2015 earthquake to support the reconstruction of schools and homes. Now, more than 7 years later, our relationships in the community have grown wider and stronger. Our agriculture, youth empowerment and natural building programs provide quality, efficient and essential support to the community, and each volunteer makes a huge impact.
In the past 7 years, Conscious Impact has received more than 800 volunteers at our camp in the Himalayas and provided professional, safe and inspiring experiences to each and every volunteer. We pride ourselves on our connection to the local community, our grassroots, community-led programming and the unique and personal volunteering experience provided by our team.
We know that not all volunteering opportunities are created equal, and we believe that you will feel not only that you make an impact during your time, but that you develop honest, authentic and life-long relationships.
Our Upcoming Programs for 2022/2023!
If you are unsure about what to expect, or which dates to join us, feel free to read through these descriptions. Please keep in mind that activities and projects are always subject to change, depending on the needs of the community and the flexible schedules and timing in Nepal. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding.
Harvesting rice in the fields outside of Takure. During our October program, you will get to experience this first hand as we support families to harvest their rice in the foothills of the Himalayas. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee.
Program 1: Rice Harvesting, Celebrating Tihar, Yoga and Service
Dates: October 20-29, 2022
Details: Each year, we are honored to work alongside dozens of families across the hillsides to harvest rice from their fields. This annual rice harvest provides the food for a year for every family in the community. As they say, “it takes a village” to complete this harvest, and we will work right alongside community members to support this enormous task. At the end of the week, the community will celebrate the completion of the harvest with Tihar (October 27th), one of the country’s largest holidays and our personal favorite. You will share the holiday with a family, receive “tika,” a blessing, and feast with traditional Nepali food.
In addition to harvesting rice, you will also participate in our youth program at the local schools, our natural building program supporting local sustainable construction projects, and additional elements of our agriculture program, including working at our on-site demonstration organic garden.
Lastly, this program will include daily yoga classes, plus meditation, hiking and delicious vegetarian food.
October is one of the most beautiful months to be in Nepal, and we absolutely recommend visiting during this time. Sign up today, and see you there!
Hard at work during our first ever earthbag construction in 2017. Our November program will include the opportunity to participate in a few days of our Earthbag Dome Training Course if you would like. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee.
Program 2: Youth, Agriculture and a Dome Construction
Dates: November 14-26, 2022
Details: During our November program, volunteers will divide their time between our main programs: sustainable agriculture, youth empowerment and natural building.
With the holidays complete, students will be back in class and this is an excellent time to work with our youth team to provide meaningful and inspiring extra-curricular activities to the local primary and secondary schools.
In addition, you can support our agriculture team as they care for our local demonstration garden, as well as prepare for the winter planting season of fruit and nut trees. This includes visiting local farmers to examine their land, checking on our coffee crops and managing our growing compost system.
Lastly, November is an excellent time for our natural building program. With the rains finished, the drier climate allows us to complete projects around the community and at our Camp. This November program will be especially exciting as it will coincide with our Earthbag Dome Training Course. As a volunteer, you will get to help to build this dome if you choose, and to learn the basics of the construction technique. If you would like to participate in the full course, please sign up through our Course Interest Form.
A gathering of our international volunteers. If you are looking for a place to be with passionate, kind and caring people for the holidays, our winter program is a great option. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee
Program 3: Volunteer and Celebrate the Holidays!
Dates: December 19-28, 2022
Details: The winter is a clear, beautiful and also cold time of year in Nepal, but for some of us it is our favorite time of year. With the shorter days and longer nights, we spend time around the fire sharing delicious meals and celebrating Winter Solstice, Christmas and other winter holidays. While the community joins some of our celebrations, this is a time during which our international volunteers build strong and lasting relationships among ourselves as well.
In addition to the tea drinking and cookie eating, we will absolutely still be hard at work supporting the community of Takure. December is a great time to get projects done, especially as it is the dry season and the cooler weather allows us to work hard all day. Our youth program will be hard at work, supporting extra-curricular and after school activities with the local primary and secondary school students. Our agriculture team will be working with mushroom cultivation and supporting local farmers to plant fruit and nut trees. And our natural building team will be focused on plastering the new dome (constructed during the November program), managing our bamboo supply and supporting small projects around the community and at our Camp.
Come join us to celebrate the holidays while being of service to the community of Takure. And if you are lucky, we will have clear views of the snow-covered Himalayas all day long. :)
Volunteers with Sunita (front, center) as we neared the completion of her earth home in 2017. During our January program, you will have the opportunity to be introduced to all kinds of earth construction techniques, including bamboo, cob, earthbags, earth bricks and plastering. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee.
Program 4: Youth, Agriculture and an Introduction to Natural Building
Dates: January 5-12, 2023
Details: We will kick off the New Year with a ton of projects in Takure. You can join our agriculture team to cultivate shiitake and oyster mushrooms, plus help manage and distribute compost to support farmers to plant hundreds of fruit and nut trees. You can work with our youth team to design and implement creative educational opportunities through our after-school programs. You can join our natural building team as well to learn about bamboo, cob, earthbags and earth brick construction, and support our team on special projects around our Camp. This program will be special as it overlaps with our Introduction to Natural Building Course. You are welcome to join a few days of the course, but if you would like to attend the entire course, please fill out a Course Interest Form.
Of course, all of our volunteer programs include dinners at local family homes, visits to the nearby communities and opportunities to spend quality time with the amazing Nepali people that we love.
January will be cold (around 30F/0C at night), but we will stay warm by working hard all day, cooking delicious warm food, enjoying each other’s company around the fire and sleeping in big, soft sleeping bags. :)
We also have programs available in February and April. More details of these programs will come soon, but in the meantime feel free to fill out a volunteer form to let us know which dates interest you the most.