Pokhara Community Project
Run by Shaja Nepal
Mountain community resilience and habitat conservation in the Nepal Himalaya.
About Shaja Nepal
Operating since 2003
Mountain community resilience and habitat conservation in the Nepal Himalaya.
The project runs long-standing community-development work across education, women's empowerment, health and infrastructure, delivered in partnership with local schools and organisations. Access to quality education, resources and school infrastructure is limited in the area, so the team supports schools with English teaching, health and hygiene lessons, and improvements to buildings and facilities.
Because Nepal's economy depends on tourism, English skills can open further education and employment, and the project supports English learning for both school-aged students and adults. Women often leave education early for financial or family reasons, so women's groups in four communities offer English, life skills and income-generating skills such as knitting and sewing.
Health education focuses on prevention, hygiene, disease awareness and environmental factors affecting health, including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) work in local schools. Construction and refurbishment projects have delivered toilet blocks, a music room, school desks and other facility upgrades.
- Community-development work in the Pokhara area dates back to 2003, making it one of the longer-running programmes of its kind in the region.
- Works with SASANE, a survivor-led Nepali organisation (founded 2008) that combats human trafficking, child marriage and violence against women, and teaches survivors paralegal and life skills.
- Partners with several government schools in the villages of Hemja, Yamdi and Pame, supporting classes from primary through higher secondary level.
- Women's empowerment work reaches women's groups in four communities, and a community sewing project with women from the Hemja area began in 2023 as an income-generating initiative.
- Construction projects have delivered school toilet blocks, a music room, volleyball facilities and 35+ school desks.
- Programmes align with UN Sustainable Development Goals #3, #4, #5, #6 and #17, and emphasise locally-led, partner-guided delivery.
Project work
Education & empowerment
Programmes cover English teaching, early childhood development, women's empowerment, gender equality, community health and WASH, and school construction. Women's groups in four communities offer English, life skills and income-generating skills such as knitting and sewing.
Community-led & ethical
Work is guided by local priorities and delivered with partners including SASANE, a survivor-led anti-trafficking organisation, government schools in Hemja, Yamdi and Pame, and women's community groups. Delivery follows child-protection and safeguarding practices and respect for local culture.
Approach
This organisation runs long-standing community development work across education, women's empowerment, health and infrastructure, delivered in partnership with local schools and organisations. Its approach is locally-led and partner-guided, with an emphasis on doing no harm and building trust for long-term sustainability. Stated aims include improving preventive health knowledge, developing women's income potential and self-sufficiency, supporting English learning, and improving education and health facilities.
Work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 5, 6 and 17. Ethical commitments include child protection and safeguarding, respect for local culture, and sustainability measures at the base such as a majority plant-based menu, refillable bottles, recycling, waste separation and tree planting.
Impact
The Shaja Nepal works alongside local schools and community groups in and around Pokhara, in central Nepal. Its work spans children's learning and development, adult English education, gender equality with local girls and women, health and nutrition, community infrastructure, and environmental activity such as clean-ups and sustainability education. The figures below are taken directly from the project's annual records for 2023 to 2026, grouped by year, and record sessions delivered, learners and community members reached, teachers and facilitators engaged, refurbishments completed, and waste collected. Figures for 2025 and 2026 reflect a partial reporting year.
2026
2025
2024
2023
Milestones
- 2003Community programmes began in the Pokhara area, starting with teaching support at local boarding schools and children’s welfare homes, plus environmental education.
- 2000sThrough the mid-2000s to the early 2010s the work expanded to nearby districts, including Bandipur, Trishuli, Nuwakot and Chitwan, with teaching, childcare, community centre and library, and environmental projects.
- 2015A women’s empowerment initiative launched, followed by a healthcare programme built around WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) work in local schools.
- 2016Partnerships established with government schools in Hemja, Yamdi and Pame, and with SASANE, a survivor-led anti-trafficking organisation.
- 2018Construction initiatives began, with larger projects such as toilet blocks at Yamdi and Hemja schools, a music room, and more than 35 school desks.
- 2019A partnership began with the Himalayan Animal Rescue Trust (HART) for animal-welfare awareness.
- 2023A community sewing project started with women from the Hemja area, alongside new school partnerships with Bishnu Paduka Higher Secondary School and Gaurishankar Primary School.
- TodayThe team continues to work across all focus areas in Pokhara.
Highlights
- Based in Pokhara's Lakeside district, with views of Phewa Lake and the sacred Machapuchare (Fishtail) mountain in the Annapurna range.
- Community-development work in the Pokhara area dates back to 2003, making it one of the longer-running programmes of its kind in the region.
- Works with SASANE, a survivor-led Nepali organisation (founded 2008) that combats human trafficking, child marriage and violence against women, and teaches survivors paralegal and life skills.
- Partners with several government schools in the villages of Hemja, Yamdi and Pame, supporting classes from primary through higher secondary level.
- Women's empowerment work reaches women's groups in four communities, including survivors of trafficking, women with limited prior access to education, and women who have moved from rural areas to develop English and numeracy skills.
- A community sewing project with women from the Hemja area began in 2023 as an income-generating skills initiative.
- Construction projects have delivered school toilet blocks, a music room, volleyball facilities and 35+ school desks.
- Health work centres on preventative healthcare and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) education in local schools.
- Programmes align with UN SDGs #3, #4, #5, #6 and #17, and emphasise locally-led, partner-guided delivery.
- Sustainability measures at the base include a majority vegetarian/vegan menu, refillable water bottles, recycling, upcycling, waste separation and tree planting.
Setting
The project is based in Pokhara, a city on the shores of Phewa Lake in central Nepal, in the foothills of the Annapurna range. Pokhara is a well-known gateway to Himalayan trekking routes and relies heavily on tourism. The team works from the Lakeside area and in nearby villages including Hemja, Yamdi and Pame.
The wider community includes several ethnic groups such as the Gurung, Magar and Newar, along with settlements of Tibetan families. Nepali is the main language, and conversational English is common in tourist areas. The time zone is Nepal Time (UTC +5:45). The region experiences a monsoon from roughly mid-July to mid-September and a busy festival and school-holiday period from late September to November.
Volunteering in Nepal
Pokhara sits below the Annapurna range and is the gateway for much of Nepal's trekking economy. That brings income, and it brings strain on both the environment and the communities absorbing the visitors.
Volunteer placement FAQs
What does a typical week look like?
Weeks are built around the project's community sessions, from Monday to Friday, with weekends generally free. Depending on the focus, you might support children's learning and development classes, help run adult English lessons, take part in women's empowerment or gender-equality sessions, assist with health and nutrition education, help with light refurbishment of school facilities, or join a site clean-up. Orientation and training are provided at the start.
Where will I stay?
You stay with other participants in a shared, single-gender room with an en-suite bathroom, in a hotel offering air conditioning, a kettle, a hairdryer, a safe locker, a room-cleaning service and comfortable beds. Bathrooms have running hot and cold water and Western-style flushing toilets. Facilities may be more basic than you are used to, so an open and adaptable attitude helps. Local laundry services are available for a small fee.
Where is the project based?
The project is based in Pokhara, a city on the shores of Phewa Lake in central Nepal, at the gateway to the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. Work takes place at community and school sites in and around the city, some a short 10 to 15 minute walk from the accommodation.
What kind of work does the project do?
The project focuses on community development. Its main areas are children's learning and development, adult English education, women's empowerment and gender equality, health and nutrition (including water, sanitation and hygiene education), and community infrastructure. It also runs environmental sessions, sustainability workshops and site clean-ups.
Who can volunteer, and are there age or other requirements?
Volunteering is open to people from a range of backgrounds. Fluency in English is required; knowing a few words of Nepali is useful but not essential. A general level of fitness is recommended, as some project sites are a short walk away and there are optional trekking opportunities nearby. A background check is required of all participants to keep the community environment safe and suitable for everyone.
Do I need previous experience or qualifications?
No prior experience is needed for most community roles. Full induction and day-to-day guidance are provided by the local team, and you work alongside experienced staff and community partners. Some historical teaching placements have asked for a teaching qualification, but general community volunteering does not require formal qualifications.
How long can I stay, and how does joining work?
Placements run for a range of durations to suit different schedules. Once you have applied, you complete a short set of pre-arrival steps, including sending copies of your passport, a background check, a medical form, a completed pre-arrival information form and proof of travel insurance. The team then confirms your arrival details.
What is provided during the placement?
Accommodation and meals are provided, along with orientation, in-country support and airport pick-up within the arranged window. The local team supports you throughout the placement. Personal spending, travel to and from Nepal, insurance and visa costs are your own responsibility.
What are the meals like?
Breakfast options include muesli, porridge, fruit salad, French toast, or a set breakfast with eggs, sausage and bacon. Lunch is a light meal from a local cafe, such as momos, fried rice, or roti with vegetable curry. Dinner offers a variety of meals including Nepali dal bhat, served vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Dietary requirements can be catered for.
How do I get there, and do I need a visa?
Most people fly into Pokhara International Airport, with the team collecting you within an arranged pick-up window on the day before your start date; there are several daily flights from Kathmandu, and a bus is also possible. Most nationalities can obtain a tourist visa on arrival, though occasionally it must be arranged in advance. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date, and you are responsible for your own visa and its cost.
Is travel insurance required?
Yes. Comprehensive travel insurance is compulsory for all participants and must cover medical costs and emergency evacuation for the full duration of your placement. You should arrange this before you arrive.
How does the project handle health and safety?
Health and safety is a priority. Staff are trained in emergency procedures and first aid, and each site is equipped with a comprehensive first-aid kit. Safety guidance based on local risk assessments is shared throughout the placement. The nearest emergency medical facilities are in Pokhara and Kathmandu and are of a high standard. Participants should bring any prescription medication they need, in its original packaging, as medication is not supplied on site.
What should I know about local culture?
Nepali culture places great importance on respect, especially towards elders, who are treated more formally. It is considered deeply disrespectful to step over any representation of a god or deity or any item used in worship, and touching another person's head, or removing their hat, is seen as rude. Volunteers are encouraged to take part in local traditions and festivals, visit Buddhist and Hindu temples, and enjoy Nepali cuisine such as dal bhat.
What is the project's environmental footprint?
On average, each participant accounts for around 130 kg of CO2 emissions per week during their stay, covering local transport, accommodation, food, activities and local support. The project tracks its carbon footprint each year and works to reduce its environmental impact alongside its community programmes.
What's expected of me when working with the community?
You are expected to follow child protection and safeguarding practices and to interact respectfully with local culture and customs. Any interaction with animals and habitats should be non-invasive. Because projects are shaped around community priorities and current needs, an open and adaptable mindset is important, and specific work will depend on what partners and communities need at the time.
Can I volunteer in Nepal?
Yes. The Impact Network Foundation works with one partner organisation in Nepal: Pokhara Community Project, based in the Pokhara valley, below the Annapurna range. You apply to it directly through this site.
What NGOs are there in Nepal?
The NGO in the Impact Network in Nepal is Pokhara Community Project, an independent community development organisation working in the Pokhara valley, below the Annapurna range. It is one of eight NGOs in the network, and the network is deliberately small — every organisation in it is locally run rather than a field office of an international charity.
Are there NGOs in Pokhara?
Yes — Pokhara Community Project works in the Pokhara valley, below the Annapurna range. Its work is community resilience and habitat conservation work.
What volunteer work can I do in Nepal?
Community resilience and habitat conservation work. Community resilience work alongside habitat conservation — the two are treated as one problem here, because the pressures on mountain communities and on mountain habitat are the same pressures.
How long can I volunteer in Nepal for?
Placements run to fixed start dates set by the project, so the dates are published in advance rather than chosen by you.
Is this a local NGO or a volunteer agency?
Pokhara Community Project is an independent, locally run organisation. The Impact Network Foundation does not operate it, staff it or direct its work — the Foundation exists to connect volunteers to organisations like it and to publish what they achieve.
How do I apply to volunteer in Nepal?
Apply on the Pokhara Community Project page on this site. Every applicant then has a short one-to-one call before a place is confirmed, so you can ask anything and the organisation can check the placement is a good fit.
Group bookings
We also host school groups, university groups, under-18 cohorts and bespoke groups.
School group info University group info U18 cohort info Bespoke group info