Platform2 is your platform2 to change your world. This is Platform2’s slogan and the programme not only works to change the developing world but also provides a platform for young people to make a difference to their own lives, giving them an opportunity to do something that they would not otherwise have a chance to do. In order to make change happen, there are many stakeholders including the funding government agency, the sending organisation, the receiving organisation, the home stay families who volunteers stay with and the community as a whole.

IDF-Nepal

Ideal Friendship-Nepal, popularly known as IDF-Nepal, was established in 2004 with the objective of empowering communities. IDF receive volunteers from the UK’s Platform2 programme, a DFID funded initiative. Platform2 provides fully funded placements for less advantaged young people from across the UK who would normally not get the opportunity to do something like volunteer overseas. IDF manage the volunteers on a daily basis, organizing everything from food, accommodation, work, global trips, seminars, orientation and departure briefing all in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Platform2 and other stakeholders. IDF employ a venture leader and deputy venture leader, who oversee the entire process. Local project supervisors are also employed to mentor, supervise and support volunteers. Supervisors stay in the community with the volunteers 24/7, as do the deputy project supervisor and female field assistant.

Platform2 volunteers stay in Nepal for a total of 10 weeks. There is no interval between the arrival of new group and departure of the existing group. They wave their hands and cross each other in the sky. When they arrive in Nepal, volunteers are escorted to the hotel from the airport by the IDF team and stay there for 3 days and 4 nights. They receive an orientation, where they are given more information about the project they will be working on, highlights of the community where they are staying, the nature of the works they will be undertaking, their host family details and a brief introduction to Nepal in terms of geography and climate, economy and money, public transportation, the Nepal education system, history and politics, culture and tradition, Nepali language. Volunteers are taken for a half day’s sight seeing after the British embassy session where a British national from the British embassy in Nepal comes and talks about safety and security in Nepal.

Volunteers find themselves living in a very different culture, with different laws and traditions, so they are required to be respectful and disciplined. If volunteers do not stick to Platform2’s Code of Conduct, there will be some sort of disciplinary restriction. This could be a curfew reduction, delay of their weekly allowance, loss of their ‘down time’ privileges and ultimately removal from the programme.

Volunteers are given a ten week timetable during orientation, which details their daily activities for the duration of their placement. In a way, it is a road map for them. Volunteers work four and half days a week. Monday to Thursday, they work at a construction site, improving the building of a secondary school. They work from 9:30am to 1pm, have an hours break for lunch and then work again from 2pm till 4pm. After this, they spend two evenings per week teaching students at the secondary school they are working on, one evening learning Nepali language and sharing their English skills and culture; one evening at internet café and one evening spent with games and entertainment. On Saturday, volunteers have a ‘global discussion’ from 9:30am to 1pm, have lunch as usual and then are free from 2 pm until Sunday 7 pm.

The Shaded Area

Global Trips

Platform2 partners organise trips for the volunteers during their 10 weeks overseas. These trips are often to NGOs and other environments where volunteers can witness development issues in practice. For example, in Nepal, we arrange a visit to Maiti Nepal which works on the issue of domestic violence, people trafficking, HIV and orphans. These kinds of trips are very valuable learning experience for the volunteers and we would like to continue organising them.

Global Discussion

In accordance with the project schedule, we organise a weekly 90 minute or 2 hour Global Discussion session for the volunteers. This takes place either directly before or after the volunteers’ weekly meeting. The purpose of the Global Discussion is to allow volunteers to think more in depth about the global issues they are witnessing and how they affect people’s lives around the world.

Some of the examples of the type of activities that we are doing for the Global Discussion session include:

• Watching a DVD with a development theme and having a follow up discussion
• Role plays of different development scenarios
• Having question and answer session and debate

We normally hold at least 8 Global Discussion sessions during volunteers’ ten weeks oversees. Two of the topics covered must be Poverty and Development and Climate and Environment but other topics are flexible. The topics include:

• Education
• Agriculture and Food
• Conflict and Security
• Gender Inequality
• Water and Sanitation
• Government
• Health
• HIV and AIDS
• Human Rights
• Trade

The Global Discussion sessions are not only fruitful for the volunteers but also to the children of the school that they work in. For example, after the discussion on the topic Poverty and Development, volunteers learned to make paper bags.  After the discussion on paper bag production, and with the suggestions and guidance of the project supervisor, volunteers asked the school headmaster if it would be possible to gather children from underprivileged, marginalized and untouchable families locally and train them to create paper bags. They now collect news papers from IDF Field Offices and make and sell paper bags. The project supervisor found ten shops to sell the children’s paper bags in the local community, generating income which can be used to support their study.

As well as the ‘Global Trip’ to Maiti Nepal, volunteers also get the opportunity to visit an orphanage, do a day’s trekking, an overnight stay sight in Nagarkot to view the sun rise and sun set, they visit other Platform2 projects in Nepal and we hold an inter-volunteers competition on Nepali language so on and so forth.

It is great opportunity for volunteers to see developing countries like Nepal with their own eyes as seeing is believing.  Volunteers are directly working on construction projects and contribute to the community. But they also do a lot behind the scenes. Volunteers stay in host families which is very challenging because they have to live with families for whom English is not the first language. The weather, the culture, the tradition, the society as a whole is very different from volunteers’ home country but they are encouraged not to compare, but to adapt. Volunteers have proven to be a positive influence on both the children that they live with and the children that they work with, encouraging learning and also English language ability. Volunteers themselves also gain a lot from the experience. We often receive e-mails from parents of volunteers. I want to quote Gail, the mother of Colm Pennie, an ex-volunteer in Nepal: “Going to Nepal last year has made such a difference to Colm.  He has decided to study part time for a degree as he wants to work with young people.  I really thank you for all you done in helping him grow up, become a man and give him a road to follow in his future life.” The presence of volunteers also boosts the local economy, since they purchase fruits and snacks from shops. Volunteers also set up their own community initiatives. For example, things like litter collections etc.  This included encouraging local people to dispose of their litter in a sanitary way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, communities in Nepal have been happy to work with Platform2 volunteers and projects. The Nepali government does not prioritise school infrastructure, but they do see the value of the work that we do, and have asked us to go to remote areas where students study under the shadow of the tree. Whilst this might sounds idyllic during the sunny months of the year, you can imagine what happens when it rains.

BY:Bal Krishna Basnet
Project Supervisor
Lamatar Platform2 Project