Volunteer Information Package

Maya Universe Academy
(Aapswora Vyas 13)
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, it costs around 500 – 800 rupees.
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)
Kalinki– 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
As soon as you enter the big gate entering the city of Damauli, on the left hand side 70 metres across the gate,
you will find more than three buses after 12 pm , heading to Keshabtar. Any of those buses will take you to our
school. The first bus departs at 1 pm and after that every hour a bus departs until 5 pm. After departing from
Damauli, in about 50 minutes you will reach a place called Aapswora and on the left hand side of the road you
will see a wooden board with our school’s name. Just get down and follow the path to the top of the hill.
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 $120).
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 from
Damauli starting from 400 rupees or 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
There are a couple of rented rooms in the village houses neighboring our school. Also we have bamboo halls
protected from rain and wind, so the incoming volunteers can choose their accommodation as per their
convenience.
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 provide three meals a day. The breakfast and dinner is Nepali style cooked Rice, Lentil soup and
seasonal vegetables. The lunch is beaten rice and vegetables with soup. Individuals wanting to eat fruits
or different styled recipes are most welcome to buy it from Damauli and cook it by themselves as per the
scheduled cooking time. We also cook meat whenever it is butchered in the village. Usually it is Pork meat
, Chicken or Goat meat usually and Buffalo meat rarely. Also if lucky, at times we will get to taste wild
meat of Porcupine, wild chickens and wild birds as well as wild mushrooms.
Water
We drink water from the purest and the only water source in the hill. As we operate on the top, the water
source is three minutes walk from the school. We also shower and do laundry at the natural fountain
which is never dry and so far no records of any infections or sickness from the water. You will get to
know it once you taste it!
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 telecom companies offer portable Internet solutions. You can buy internet balance
NTC Wifi device works well in Udaypur 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 (around April and October). 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
 School principle - Siddharth
 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
long-term periods.
Our Farm
The animals we rear
We raise a number of animals to help pay for running the school. Currently, we rear goats and chicken.
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. enough to sell.
Volunteering
Volunteer roles
For this year , volunteers interested in teaching can be involved with creative English class, English
conversation class, Reading and Pronunciation class and Writing by listening class to both the students as
well as the local village teachers. Also , other subjects like Mathematics, Arts and Crafts, Extracurricular
and Creativity classes are always welcome as per the knowledge and skills of yours.
Besides academics in regular school hours, we also have tuition classes to interested children in their
respective subjects in the morning as well as in the evening. Even the other elderly village students come
to learn from us, and it is a great exchange for them !
We have our recycled paper and handicraft production going on, using local resources. Interested skillful
individuals are always welcome to get involved.
We are also constructing bamboo buildings, furniture, mud and clay structures , agriculture and
gardening.
A week at Maya
A lot of things always o 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
6 am – Kitchen duty.
8 – 8.30 am – Breakfast time
9 – 9.30 am – Preparatory meetings and discussions and routine making
9.30 – 10 am – Homework checking
10 – 10. 30 am – Circle and games
10.30 – 4 pm – School time
4 – 5 pm – Homework time
5 – 7 pm – Games times
For kithchen duties.. 5 pm is Dinner preparation time
7 – 7.30 pm – Dinner time
7.30 pm onwards is leisure time
For winter time, everything starts an hour later.
Working days are from Sunday to Friday
Other Useful Information
Fee
10$ per day covers food, accommodation and a contribution to paying local staff salaries. Long term
volunteers staying over 3 months can stay for free thereafter (after 90 days).
Scholarships for long term volunteers available. Apply at [email protected]
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!